Active Pursuits

While Rincón has wider name recognition, Aguadilla and Isabela have equally good surf spots. In fact, the Puerto Rican Pipeline is actually composed of beaches in the three towns. Gas Chambers, Crash Boat, and Wilderness rule in Aguadilla, while the preferred spots in Isabela include Jobos and Middles. The best time to surf is from November through March, but summer storms can also kick up the surf. In the summer season, however, when the waves diminish, these northwest beaches double as perfect spots for windsurfing and snorkeling, with calm waters filled with coral reefs and marine life. The towns are quite close together, and the string of beaches through both really forms a single destination.

Crash Boat is popular; vendors sell street food from stands by its parking lot while a local restaurant serves freshly caught seafood (brightly colored wooden fishing boats are often parked on the beach). One half of the beach is protected, with the aquamarine water kissing the white sand, while the other side faces the open water and is much rougher. Shacks draw both snorkelers and scuba divers, who converge on one section of the large beach filled with reefs and coral caverns that teem with rainbow-hued fish. It's also the best spot in the area for kite-boarding and windsurfing.

The Isabela coastline is also beautiful. In some places dirt roads still weave between cliffs and white beaches, set off by dramatic rock formations and submerged coral reefs that send surf crashing skyward. This is an area of salt-water wells and blowholes, through which dramatic eruptions of saltwater spew from submerged sea caves. Several are found in the area known as La Princesa, and Jobos beach is home to one of the most famous saltwater wells, El Pozo de Jacinto.

Jobos is a large beach with a famed surf break at its western end, but kids can frolic along more protected areas along this mammoth shore. There are also guesthouses and restaurants here, and on summer and holiday weekends it's got a party atmosphere. The Ocean Front Hotel and Restaurant (tel. 787/872-3339), right at the beach, is a good spot for a drink and seafood. Montones Beach has rock outcroppings and reefs that make a beguiling seascape and also protect the water from the raging surf in this area. You won't find the restaurants and bars here that you will in Jobos, but you can find your own secluded spot on the beach.

Steep cliffs drop in flat jagged lines to the rough surf along the rugged Atlantic coastline of Quebradillas. Guajataca Beach, named after a powerful Taíno Indian chief. It is a great spot, but think twice about swimming here. The currents are extremely powerful and dangerous, and while surfers love it, casual swimmers should proceed with caution. The white sand is as smooth as silk though, so it's a great spot for sunbathing and watching the surfers risking all and loving every minute of it. It's a great spot for seashell collecting. The beach is also called El Tunel because there's a large abandoned railroad tunnel carved out of a mountain at the entrance to the beach. It was once part of a railroad that ran all around the Puerto Rico coast that was built to haul sugar cane. There is a parking area here and a no-frills, open-air restaurant and bar. It's a nice shady spot, a cool respite from the sun-bleached beach.

Aquatica Dive, Bike and Surf Adventures (Rte. 110 Km 10, outside gate 5 of Rafael Hernández Airport, Aguadilla; tel. 787/890-6071) is a full-service dive and surf shop, but it also rents equipment and gives lessons in scuba and surfing. The outfit also runs mountain-bike excursions to the Guajataca Forest. Prices depend on season and group size, but surf lessons cost from $45 to $65 for 1 1/2 hours, and a 2-tank scuba dive is from $60 to $85. Bicycle tours cost between $45 and $65 per person and last up to 3 hours. Surf and scuba equipment rentals run from $20 to $45 per day, while bicycles are $25 per day.

The Hang Loose Surf Shop (Rte. 4466 Km 1.2, Playa Jobos, Isabela; tel. 787/872-2490; Tues-Sun 10am-5pm) is well stocked with equipment. It gives surf lessons ($55 per hour private lesson) and rents boards for $25 daily. The shop is owned by Werner Vega, a great big-wave rider, who is one of Puerto Rico's premier board shapers.

The Northwest has more going for it than its beaches, however. That's especially so with Aguadilla, which has converted many of the old facilities of the former Ramey Air Force Base and put them to good public use (such as developing an international airport on a portion of it). Punta Borinquén Golf Club, Route 107 (tel. 787/890-2987), 2 miles (3.2km) north of Aquadilla's center, across the highway from the city's airport, was originally built by the U.S. government as part of Ramey Air Force Base. Today, it is a public 18-hole golf course, open daily from 7am to 7pm. Greens fees are a bargain at $20 per round; a golf cart that can carry two passengers rents for $30 for 18 holes. A set of clubs can be rented for $15. The clubhouse has a bar and a simple restaurant. It's also a nice course with coastal views. Parque Aquatica Las Cascadas (Hwy. 2 Km 126.5, Aguadilla; tel. 787/819-0950 or 787/819-1030) is a water park run by the municipality that the kids will love. There are giant slides and tubes and the Río Loco rapids pool. A big drawback is that it is only open in the summer, from May through September (10am-5pm weekdays, 10am-6pm weekends). Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for kids (ages 4-12) plus a $5 tube-rental fee.

You probably did not come to Puerto Rico to go ice skating, but you can do it at the Aguadilla Ice Skating Rink (Hwy. 442; tel. 787/819-5555, ext. 221). This is another city-run facility open from 9:30am to 11pm. It's popular with kids and is a training facility for island figure skaters. Cost is $10 an hour during the day and $13 in the evening (including skates).

Isabela enjoys a reputation for horse breeding. This activity is centered around Arenales, south of the town, where a number of horse stables are located.