Kayaking Puerto Rico | Snorkeling & Bio Bay Tours — Attraction in Fajardo

If this company could make a complete novice kayaker like me comfortable, they could make anyone comfortable. Kayaking Puerto Rico was exceptionally professional every step of the way, from purchasing the tickets via a slick online interface to digital waiver forms.

But it's when you get to meet the people who work there, that you truly understand their dedication to our environment, to our safety, and to their beautiful island of Puerto Rico.

First, I "met" one of the staff online by watching an intro to Kayaking video which was emailed to me prior. It was a very helpful video. When I arrived I was greeted by a nice young lady at the desk who went through general guidelines and told us to place our valuables in a lock box for safe keeping.

Finally, it was time to meet the staff that would take us out to the mangroves for the bioluminescence tour.

The moment the tour leader, Miguel spoke, he made me feel safe. I instantly felt that no mater what, he and his well trained staff would take care of us.

After Miguel finished his intro, a young lady (referring to herself as the paparazzi) pulled out a digital camera and told everyone that she was going to take pictures of us during the evening. She told that she'll email us the photos at no charge. That pleasantly surprised me. This could have been a way for them to make more money, but that's not who they are apparently. They simply want you to have the photos and realize I'm sure it'll also help their social media presence. But I sense that more than that, they simply don't want to feel cheapened making money selling photos in this way. They want to give them to you.

Next, we walk into the water, knee deep, to get into the Kayak. For a non-swimmer land lubber that was a surprise to me. I realized that I was about to do something out of my comfort zone, but again, I felt safe with the staff and the good sized group of Kayakers who were on the tour with us.

I got into the Kayak, my wife sat in front, I sat in back, my 17 year daughter was with a "stranger" her new similarly aged friend in an another Kayak.

And we were off!

Next thing I know, we're in the mangroves. it was hard to coordinate kayaking strokes with my wife as we have never done this before. Brian - one of the tour guides - came to our rescue and guided myself and my wife the entire time. We paddled hard, but he helped us all the way. I made it abundantly clear to him that I don't know how to swim and that I was a bit nervous. He made me feel like I was family - taking care of us every step of the way.

After a few minor crashes into the mangroves, into other kayak's and after a decent workout, we finally made it through the river channel and into the open lagoon, which was paradise! A bright moon, the big dipper, calm waters - total bliss.

The bioluminescence was very low that evening due to the seaweed and its gasses that had come in days ago. So Miguel had us to all don tarps by putting them over our heads, so as to darken our view. We then splashed the water to stir up the glittering light. It was subtle, but it was there.

Miguel apologized for the "show" being so low that evening, and explained that it was the seaweed that takes away the oxygen and reduces the bioluminescence. I took Miguel aside and explained to him that I'm an old backpacker and I realize nature is not a zoo. You get what you get. And I told him, that even if I hadn't seen a single lit up plankton, the experience was still astonishing because of the kindness of the people at Kayak Puerto Rico. These folks were like so many I met in Puerto Rico during this stunning vacation - kind and authentic.

After the tour was over we were treated to much needed cold spring water and protein bars, again no charge. For the modest fee per person, I more than got my money's worth.

While I don't know the other Kayak companies, I do know this one and if I had to choose again, there'd be no question in my mind, I'd choose Kayaking Puerto Rico.

Thank you Brian (who saved us!), Miguel, Inez...

This was seriously an amazing experience. We easily met our tour guides at the ferry location. They communicated where we needed to meet once the ferry ride was done and we were on Culebra. Within a few minutes of the entire group gathering, we were on shuttle buses over to snorkel. Kevin seemed a little less enthusiastic than the women tour guides, but Nora was so good she made up for any of the short comings. Everything was explained in detail, and they were very encouraging and patient with people that were a little nervous. We saw a ton of colorful fish, at least 6-7 sea turtles (on the way out and the way back in), a manatee (!!!) and a bunch of sting rays. Nora and the other female tour guide (can't recall her name) were great at pointing out when there was something to see, and offered to take pictures from under water with anyone that wanted them. We brought our own masks, but their fins worked well for us. They also took a ton of great pictures, so if you didn't have an underwater camera with you, you were still provided with pics of most of the things we were able to see while snorkeling. When we were done snorkeling, they had a table set up with fruits, granola bars, and an assortment of drinks, which everyone snacked on while we got ready to get back on the shuttle.

Flamenco Beach had places to eat and drink, but very few bathrooms and only an outdoor shower station.... so just be prepared to stay in your suits for the ride back to the main island, unless you're creative with the outdoor shower and don't care about the lines to use the bathrooms to change. (No reflection of the tour)

As we headed back to the ferry, Nora gave us all sort of suggestions on where to grab a bite to eat (and where not to). We got to the ferry station at 8am and didn't get back that evening until almost 7pm so it was a nice long day. Overall, the entire experience was definitely...

We booked a snorkeling trip for two adults and two kids. Neither my wife nor I are strong swimmers, and while our kids are confident in the pool, this was their first time snorkeling in open water. Unfortunately, the whole experience turned out to be disappointing for them.

When we arrived, the instructions were vague—especially when it came to things like how hair should be tied for a proper seal on the snorkel mask. We only found out later that it needed to be in a bun, not a ponytail, which caused issues with the gear. As we tried to get the kids ready. Meanwhile, the main group, which didn’t have any kids, left without us.

Our kids got nervous, and instead of guiding us or offering support, the staff told us the kids could only snorkel near the shore since there were “only two adults” and they couldn’t provide help. We had specifically chosen the “non-swimmers” option during booking, which we assumed meant there would be extra support—but that wasn’t the case at all.

In the end, I stayed back with the kids on the beach while my wife went snorkeling alone—only after firmly insisting that she be allowed to go, since we had come all this way for the experience. Later in the afternoon, after she requested it multiple times, they finally let me go out and snorkel,(that is why 3 star) , giving us individual experience rather than peaceful family time.

Overall, the whole operation felt underprepared and understaffed. With better instructions, more patience, and a little more attention to families and beginners, this could have been a much more...