Puerto Rico Dive Sites

Guánica & La Parguera · Guánica

Gilligan's Island

Also known as: Cayo Aurora

Snorkel-friendly
Depth
7–16 ft (2–5 m)
Access
Boat dive
Type
—
Confidence
Verified

Heads up: Current. See safety notes

Overview

Gilligan's Island, or Cayo Aurora, is an emergent cay on the Cayos de Caña Gorda fringing reef off Guánica, reached by boat. Mangroves serve as a fish nursery, and elkhorn coral grows on a gently sloping fore-reef terrace at about 7 to 16 feet. It is used for snorkeling and listed for kids and beginner divers; a gentle current can push snorkelers along the beach. DRNA day-use buoys are in place, and the cay lies within the Guánica State Forest marine extension; check current DRNA rules.[1][2][3][4][5]

Habitat & marine life

  • mangroves, fish nursery[2]
  • elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) on gently sloping fore-reef terrace[1]

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

Access

Experience & conditions

  • Copamarina Beach Resort / Scuba Dogs: “resort program lists it for kids and beginners”[2]
  • Copamarina Beach Resort / Scuba Dogs: “for kids and beginner divers”[2]

Attributed descriptions from sources, not our rating. Conditions vary; your training, experience and the day’s conditions decide.

Snorkeling

  • about 2 miles from the resort; used for snorkeling[3]
  • gentle current pushes snorkelers along the beach[3]

What sources say about snorkeling here. Conditions change — check the sea state before you go.

Safety considerations

  • Current — gentle current pushes snorkelers along the beach[3]

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

Protected area

  • Bosque Estatal de Guánica Natural Reserve (Reserva Natural Bosque Estatal de Guánica)

    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: commercial fishing restricted. Anchoring: restricted.[5]

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

Depth reports by source

ReportedSourceStatus
7–16 ft (2–5 m)García-Sais JR et al. for DRNA/NOAA[1]Current source

Sources & verification

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

  1. 1.Monitoring of Coral Reef Communities from Natural Reserves in Puerto Rico: 2012-13 (Final Report, NOAA grant NA07NOS4260055) — García-Sais JR et al. for DRNA/NOAA (2014-06) · Government dataset · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · accessed 2026-09-25
  2. 2.GuánicAmazing Underwater — Copamarina Beach Resort / Scuba Dogs · Dive operator · Tier 3: Corroborating · accessed 2026-09-25
  3. 3.Gilligan Island | Guánica Things To Do — Copamarina Beach Resort & Spa · Dive operator · Tier 2: Specialist · accessed 2026-09-25
  4. 4.Estudio de boyas de amarre localizadas en las Reservas Naturales de Guanica, Parguera y Caja de Muertos - Inventario, evaluacion ambiental y recomendaciones (main report, file E1) — Vicente & Associates, Inc. for DRNA (Coral Reef Initiative NA06NOS4190108, task CRI-13) (2008-05-07) · Government · Tier 1: Primary / authoritative · 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

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