The true native of Puerto Rico heads not to the fancy resorts along the north coast near San Juan, but instead to the southwestern corner, a region with a distinctly island flavor. Here are some of Puerto Rico's great beaches, notably Boquerón Beach, and a lot of mom-and-pop operations that offer nightly rentals and good seafood dinners.
Southern Puerto Rico is increasingly gaining a reputation among scuba divers, although the outfitters are a bit lean here and not as well organized or plentiful as in the Cayman Islands. The attraction is the continental shelf that drops off a few miles off the southern coast. Within this watery range is a towering wall that is some 20 miles (32km) long and filled with one of the best assortments of marine life in the West Indies. Diving is possible from the town of La Parguera in the west all the way to Ponce in the east. The wall drops from 60 feet to 120 feet (18m-36m) before it "vanishes" into 1,500 feet (450m) of sea. With a visibility of around 100 feet (30m), divers experience the beautiful formations of some of Puerto Rico's most dramatic coral gardens.
Bird-watchers should head to the Guánica State Forest, which is the sanctuary that has the greatest number of birds on the island. For beachcombers, there are many hidden places, such as Gilligan's Island off the coast of the little village of Guánica. For snorkelers, there are miles of coral reefs, awash with tropical fish and coral and marine life. The Cabo Rojo lighthouse, south of Boquerón, offers views of the rocky coastline and a panoramic sweep of the Caribbean.
