...are some of the most beautiful in all of Puerto Rico and probably in all of the Caribbean. Most are easily accessible and never crowded.

Esperanza and Southside beaches

Sun Bay in Esperanza is Vieques' only 'Balneario Público' (Public Bathing Beach). It is over a mile of turquoise water and white sand, lined with coconut palms and sea grape trees. During much of the year it is virtually empty. Only for a few weeks of the year, are there ever more than a hundred people at any given time at the beach. If that's too crowded, you can follow the road through Sun Bay to Media Luna Beach and further on to Navio Beach. Media Luna is a great beach for children , as the water is very shallow and there are copious amounts of shade. Navio is well known for its bodysurfing, but there are limited areas to escape the sun.

There are beaches in La Hueca in the southwest (hard to get to-no beach roads, and no parking roadside), but beyond that on the same road is the old base on the western end where there are many private areas along that southwest coast.

Northside beaches

East of the airport on the north coast is Gringo Beach (good snorkeling-next to W Retreat & Spa), and there are beaches in Bravos de Boston (very little parking) and east of there towards the dump (Bastimento Beach) with good snorkeling, but a difficult water entry in some areas (coral and sea urchins).

Sea turtle hatchlings heading home to the waters of Vieques
photo courtesy of NAVFAC

Fish and Wildlife Area beaches

The most sought-after beaches, of course, are on the old Navy bases.

As of May 1st, 2003 Vieques has gotten back many of its beaches. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has become the caretaker of most of the former military property and it is now the largest Wildlife Preserve in the Caribbean.

On the western tip of Vieques is Green beach, At its southern end you'll find excellent snorkeling. There are paved roads which allow you full exploration of the southwest coast of the island as well with many new and previously inaccessible beaches. The view of the main island of Puerto Rico is also spectacular from Green Beach. There are also beaches along either side of Mosquito Pier. On the south side is Playa Grande Beach.

On the eastern end of the island, the beaches are only accessible during daylight hours, but you don't want to be on the beaches in the late afternoon when the no-see-ums start biting anyway.

The better known beaches have very original military names like Red, Blue, Purple, and Garcia Beach, but there is also Secret Beach, which was so named by the few people who knew how to get there. Needless to say, it's not a secret anymore. 

There are also great beaches and many favorites on the main part of the island which is not US Fish & Wildlife Service property. Many of these are easily accessible, easy on you and your vehicle, and not far from food and drink. Did I mention that they're not crowded most of the time either? Sun Bay is still the most beautiful beach on the island in my opinion. Some others are mentioned above and others can be found in Bravos de Boston, Monte Santo Playa, and La Hueca.

NOTE:
All of the pictures on these pages are owned by James Starke or Positive Image Graphix and cannot be reused w/o permission of the owner. If you would like to use an image, Email the Webmaster Vieques, What's Happenin'!         
               a column by Janie Chadwick  

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