Puerto Rico Dive Sites

Guánica & La Parguera · Lajas

Black Wall

Also known as: La Pared Negra · BLACK WALL N · Effrie's

Depth
60–150 ft (18–46 m)
Access
Boat dive
Type
Wall
Confidence
Moderate confidence

Overview

Black Wall (La Pared Negra), also known as Effrie's, is a boat-dive wall off La Parguera in Lajas. The lip sits around 60 to 70 feet, and the wall drops vertically to 150 feet and beyond. Black coral, wire coral, sea whips, deep-water barrel sponges and elephant ear sponges are reported. It lies within the La Parguera Natural Reserve; check current DRNA rules.[1][2][3][4][5]

Site characteristics

Habitat & marine life

  • wire coral, deep-water barrel sponges, black coral[1]
  • black corals, sea whips, elephant ear sponges[4]

Marine life is what sources report having seen or commonly seeing — not a guarantee.

Safety considerations

No site-specific hazards are recorded in our sources. That does not mean there are none.

Ocean conditions change daily. Dive within your training, plan with current local information and consider a local professional guide. Full safety note.

Protected area

  • La Parguera Natural Reserve (Reserva Natural La Parguera)

    Natural Reserve · Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources · Site position falls inside the official boundary[5]

    NOAA's MPA Inventory classifies this area's protection level as "Uniform Multiple Use"; fishing: no site restrictions. Anchoring: restricted.[5]

Regulations change. Check with DRNA (Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales) before diving.

Depth reports by source

ReportedSourceStatus
60–150 ft (18–46 m)Paradise Scuba & Snorkeling Center[1]Current source
60–200 ft (18–61 m)PuertoRicoDayTrips.com (Gwenn)[2]Current source
55–140 ft (17–43 m)Colleen Ryan & Brian Savage / Complete Dive Guide Publications[7]Historical (1998)

Historical record

What a historical source reported at the time. Not verified as current — access, moorings, reef condition and names may have changed.

Listed as “Black Wall” · 55–140 ft (17–43 m) · 1998[7]

  • boat
  • wall — sheer, from ~60 ft to beyond recreational depth
  • black deepwater sea fans (name source)

Sources & verification

Last researched: 2026-10-04 · Last independently verified: not yet field-verified · Confidence: Moderate confidence

  1. 1.Dive Sites In La Parguera — Paradise Scuba & Snorkeling Center · Dive operator · Tier 2: Specialist · accessed 2026-09-25
  2. 2.Great Diving at the Wall in La Parguera — PuertoRicoDayTrips.com (Gwenn) (2026-08-15) · Travel resource · Tier 3: Corroborating · accessed 2026-09-25
  3. 3.El paraíso submarino de Puerto Rico — NotiCel (2015-07-31) · Other · Tier 3: Corroborating · accessed 2026-09-25
  4. 4.Discovering Paradise: The Ultimate Guide to Scuba Diving in Puerto Rico — SSI (Scuba Schools International) · Dive organization · Tier 3: Corroborating · accessed 2026-09-25
  5. 5.NOAA Marine Protected Areas Inventory 2024 (feature service NOAA_MPA_Inventory_2023), State = PR — NOAA NOS Office of National Marine Sanctuaries - MPA Center (2024) · Government dataset · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-09-25
  6. 6.Dive Sites | Parguera Boat Trips — Parguera Boat Trips (Lajas) · Dive operator · Tier 2: Specialist · accessed 2026-09-25
  7. 7.The Complete Diving Guide: The Caribbean, Volume 3 (Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands) — Colleen Ryan & Brian Savage / Complete Dive Guide Publications (1998) · Historical guide · Tier 3: Corroborating · historical
  8. 8.Noreste Mooring Buoys3_WFL1 (layer pr_mooringbuoys2) - Boyas de Amarre — Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA); published on ArcGIS Online by a DRNA Northeast Ecological Corridor reserve management officer (2021-06-10) · Government dataset · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-09-25

Facts are summarised in our own words from the sources above; we do not reproduce operators’ or publishers’ descriptions. How confidence is assigned.