Playa Carlos Rosario — Attraction in Culebra

SNORKELING TIPS: Look at the satellite view on Google Maps. There's a sandy area smack dab in the middle of the beach - this will be north of where you enter the beach from the walking trail. There'll be a fallen down sign warning boats to not drop their anchors. This is a good spot to put your stuff down and put on your snorkeling gear. Look out towards the water and swim directly out - you'll notice that waves are breaking on either side of you because there are rocks on either side of you and it can get fairly shallow so just go directly out instead of trying to swim over the rocks if it's a concern. There are floating white tie-offs for boats that travel to the bay (or if you're lucky you'll see a boat tied up out there and it'll be a visual cue as to how far you'll need to swim), and that's roughly where the drop off is and where there are more things to see. It's at least 20 feet deep if not further down, so a nice sunny day allows for a better view of the coral down there - wear appropriate sun shirts or rash guards to make up for it. There are some gigantic brain coral and a good number of fans and lots of fish. Follow this drop-off/shelf north or south as you want, but make sure to go back to the center before swimming back in because you'll get blocked off by the shallow rocks if you don't. If you're swimming parallel along the rocks on your way out to the drop-off - don't be discouraged by it's relative deadness. Once you're out a bit, the waters are cooler and there's less sand, so that's where the coral...

The path to this beach is accessible from Flamenco Beach parking area. Duck under the chained gate and follow the narrow truck rut up and over, across this part of the island. The path has been cleared of any unexploded ordinates but the surrounding area may not have been so keep to the path. Bring only what you need and wear shoes you can move in (I'd avoid flip flops). After a hot 20 minute hike on a narrow rut with shrubbery scratching you along the way you are rewarded with a small, rocky beach area with great snorkeling. The path dead ends at Carlos Rosario. If you take any of the little paths off to the left you will encounter Tamarindo Grande ( not to be confused with Tamarindo). You can also take a snorkel boat tour here if you prefer not to schlep.

For snorkelers, if you go all the way to the right, there is a wall/shelf with some big fish hiding under ledges and ok visibility. The main attraction is well before that though. Walk to the right, to where the rocky area meets the sand. Then swim out straight towards the white buoy. Unimpressive coral with terrible visibility will be on your left. Once you get far enough out,turn left and you will deeper water with soft coral and lots of fish just hanging out (I suspect the tour boats feed them). We also saw jellyfish and two rays - one of which was a gorgeous, big...

Pretty nice beach, but rocky in places. The real draw here is the snorkeling, but when we got there there were waves breaking on the reef, making it impossible to snorkel. It's not a knock on the beach, just be aware you may not be able to snorkel when you get there. It is the least protected reef on the west side of Culebra when there is a north swell. You park at the Flamenco Beach parking lot and pay about $5 per person. Park in the farthest back parking spaces to get a shady spot, and be closer to the trail. The hike takes about 20-25 minutes at a brisk pace, and is fairly steep in places. We went at 8 am, so it was still fairly cool, and we only saw 1 other couple on...