Tres Palmas (Steps)

Overview

Tres Palmas, entered at Steps (Playa Escalera) in Rincón, is a fringing elkhorn reef within the Tres Palmas de Rincón Marine Reserve, a DRNA-administered no-take reserve; check current DRNA rules. Divers walk in from the beach off PR-413 (limited parking) or boat to outer-shelf reefs; depths run about 10 to 66 feet. A 2005 report called its elkhorn stand perhaps the island's most extensive and healthy; a 2025 report found most of it dead. Winter swell makes shore entry dangerous; calmer conditions run roughly mid-April to October.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Habitat & marine life

• coral reefs and hard/sand bottoms to about 20 m^[1]
• fringing elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) reef^[2]
• very large elkhorn coral colonies^[5]
• reef running parallel to shore for about 3/4 mile^[4]
• large endangered elkhorn coral^[7]
• elkhorn reef top at 1–4 m behind a narrow backreef lagoon; in 2025 most elkhorn coral reported dead and bioeroding^[3]
• outer-shelf patch reefs on hard-ground promontories rising from sand at 12–15 m; one promontory has a ~5 m east wall with crevices and overhangs^[3]
• large elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) stands^[5]
• extensive reef^[8]
• Pavement (Inner-Shelf) at station 'Tres Palmas 5m'^[9]
• Aggregate reef (Middle-Shelf) at station 'Tres Palmas 10m'^[9]
• Aggregate reef (Outer-Shelf) at station 'Tres Palmas 20m'^[9]
• large coral stands (feature describes 'coral forests')^[10]
• nurse sharks^[5]
• lobsters^[5]
• dolphins^[5]
• lionfish^[5]

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

Access

• Shore dive^[10][7]
• Shore or boat^[5]
• Main land access via paved street at PR-413 km 1.7 to Steps (Playa Escalera) with limited parking; other accesses at Casa China (Villa Ensenada) and Calle Surf^[1]
• Draft plan treats recreational freediving and scuba without take as compatible uses in designated zones; boat divers must avoid anchor damage^[1]
• Steps entry at PR-413 km 1.7^[4]
• DRNA brochure: the Tres Palmas sector runs along PR-413 from the Rincón lighthouse south to the Club Náutico; sandstone rock and sand shore^[11]

Safety considerations

• Surge — winter swell makes shore access dangerous^[1]
• Current — some current in places; rock/coral at shoreline^[4]
• Exposure to swell / weather — brochure calls it a strong-surf sector used for board sports^[11]

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

Protected area

• Tres Palmas de Rincón Marine Reserve (Reserva Marina Tres Palmas de Rincón)

  Marine Reserve · Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources · Site position falls inside the official boundary^[6]

  NOAA's MPA Inventory classifies this area's protection level as "No Take"; fishing: commercial and recreational fishing prohibited. Anchoring: restricted.^[6]

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

Depth reports by source