Isla de Mona Puerto Rico

[chadlaroche]

Has anyone stopped there ? I was looking at the Mona passage and started reading about the island and its pretty impressive . virtually uninhabited . I checked noonsite and there seems to be no way to stop there without back tracking west after checking in In PR. nicknamed "The Galapagos of the Caribbean "
Is stopping there during the passage for anchorage even seem possible ?

[chadlaroche]

bump....

[teneicm]

Some practical info can be found here, (but you may have already read this):

United States coast pilot: West ... - Google Books

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/n...8ed-Ch13_5.pdf

No specific mention of permit or formalities, however.

For 'standard' tourists, it seems you need to get a permit on PR from the DNR, but I would bet that you could probably stop by for a day or two (especially if you sought "permission" from the local rangers while delivering some beverages/food). The worst that could happen is they tell you no and you would need to be on your way. Had some friends adopt this strategy on some of the protected islands off Costa Rica and the Galapagos- as long as you asked up front and made it clear that you were just there for a day or two, most rangers were very welcoming and acomodating.

Give it a try and report back what happens......

[chadlaroche]

Thanks ! theres told to be 60k lbs of treasure on that island somewhere !
could be a nice adventure and break from snorkeling

[colemj]

It is possible to stop there on the way to PR, but the entrance is narrow and shallow and the anchorage is very small. More of a problem is the usual weather condition in the Mona Passage during the part of the year most people travel that way.

Mark

[JimJohnston]

Originally Posted by chadlaroche

Has anyone stopped there ? I was looking at the Mona passage and started reading about the island and its pretty impressive . virtually uninhabited . I checked noonsite and there seems to be no way to stop there without back tracking west after checking in In PR. nicknamed "The Galapagos of the Caribbean "
Is stopping there during the passage for anchorage even seem possible ?

Hi Chadlaroche,

did you stop at Mona Island? If so, please describe your experience. How were anchorages, officials etc. Did you find treasure?

[droquette]

I can add some first hand info.

Mona is a beautifull but desolate place. It is part of Puerto Rico and is governed kind of like a nature reserve. their are 2 anchorages... with mooring balls one is Playa Sardinera where the rangers and scientists have their houses/offices. the other is Playa Pajaros with nothing but a few huts and some composting toilets. both places have 1 long straight dock and a few random mooring balls. the area is not the calmest as it is only protected by a "barrier reef" which is maybe 300-500 yards from the beach.

Legally you can anchor at the island anytime if you are US citizen BUT if you want to go on land you need a special permit only granted by the department of natural resources in PR called "Recursos Naturales" here in PR. you can find their out of date website by searching online.

The hunting season there has started. It runs from December to March. During this time permits are only given to non hunters to visit the island Friday-Sunday as hunting goes on Mon-Thurs. I went last year and am going again in Feb. 2012. we hunt wild goats and boars.

Another thing is if the ocean gets really rough you cannot go through the NARROW entrance at both anchorages. The entrances are super sketchy and they are marked by SMALL red/green bouys. Def. only do it during good daylight hours on a calm or relatively calm day. I have heard of boats going in on a calm day and the waves come up making them stay there untill the swell abates.

So, to sum it up it is an incredibly beautifull place but very inhospitable and unfortunatly the PR government makes it pretty hard to impossible for tourists to go. They have NO services to give/sell.. no food, water, diesel, NADA.. on Sardinera they have a generator and cistern for use of the rangers and scientist. The island also has a short runway but again is for exclusive government use. Us locals get there on private boats or chartering out a 45' motorboat that basically ferries hunters back and forth during the season and out of season does scuba/fishing trips. his boat is based on the west coast of PR near Boqueron.

If you are still interested and need some help or more info on the permits send me a PM and I can see what I can do as I live in PR and have to deal with this goverment agency frequently.

[JimJohnston]

Droquette thanks for a full description. There is certainly an appeal to visit but a few barriers to doing so. When we are in the area I shall certainly consider the option of visiting although based upon what you said I will be severely limited. We are not even US citizens!

thanks again

[droquette]

Sounds good Jim. If you want me to find out how it would work due to your citizenship let me know. I am pretty sure that you would first have to come to PR and check into the United States to then be able to go to Mona as they have no customs/immigration on the island...

If you just come to Puerto Rico drop me a line and we could meet up for a beer and/or i could help you with whatever you need on the island.

happy holidays,
Dan

[rmarma]

Thanks Dan. I found your information very useful! I am going to be in Rincón with some family in a little over a week from now and spotted this reserve on the map. I'd definitely like to find some transportation options getting to the island as it sounds quite beautiful. I am also interested in the types of scientific research there and some other specifics. Where in PR do you stay?

Thanks
Rachel

[droquette]

Hi Rachel, sorry for the delay in answering your post.
A new book has just come out. it has incredible pictures and discusses some of the research on the endemic plants and animals that live there. from what i know and i am not an expert on scientific research is that they study the iguanas which are only founf there as well as birds. they have also done studies on the hawkbills turtle and other turtles which come to lay their eggs on some of the beaches. The University of PR has people their all the time as does the department of natural resources. people from universities in the states also come down to do these analysis.
Right now is hunting season which changes the rules their. people interested in just camping or seeing the island can only go friday-sunday. hunting is mon-thursdays. To go to the island you need to get permission and pay the department of natural resources of pr. do a google search adn you will find their website which is kind of out of date. If you are coming next week most probably you are too late to make the arrangements; it usually takes months. The other problem you will have now is that their is only 1 comercial boat licensed to take people to the island, and they are super busy taking all of the groups of hunters. I have the boat owners name and phone number and he is probably the best source for info on getting their. the trip on the boat is not cheap. probably a $2,500 for a group of 12 (the size of our hunting group) I know the guy takes people fishing and camping their during the off season. if you would like his number pm me and i will send it to you, i do not want to post the guys number on a public forum. I heard from somebody that they are easing up on the policies of not allowing people to come in private planes. this has not been confirmed but if true would be the best way. if you plan on going on the boat and the ocean is bad you must wait maybe a few days on the island of mona or on the main island so if you have a strict timetable of being in pr this is a big risk.
Let me know if you need any more info.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Rachel.