Surfing on the South Side, Punta Pozuelo Beach

We were visiting friends a couple weeks back, in an area we
had been to before so I wanted to check out the local beach.

OK, the south side of the island is not known for it’s surfing, but it does happen.  This particular beach is shaped like a bowl facing the Caribbean Sea.  This helps concentrate incoming waves like you only see on the west or north coast of PR.  Especially when the weather gets rough.

Punta Pozuélo sits in Jobos Bay (Bahai de Jobos) with the Bosque Estatal De Aguirre reserve next door.  In fact, the old ‘Aguirre Central’ sugar mill is directly across the bay from the point, though it is technically part of Salinas, as is the Estuanna National Bahia Jobos Reserve.  GoogleMaps has the reserve labeled as a ‘hunting reserve’, but I found nothing to support that notion.  Me First Mate did some digging and found that there are a couple of kayak paths through the mangroves and with a permit, you can camp out overnight there.

This whole area is one giant playground!

Bahia de Jobos and Punta Pozuelo are very popular with folks with boats, ski-doos and even kayaks  since it’s a well sheltered bay, full of little cays and mangroves.

If it were not for Global Warming and a slowly rising sea, I’m sure these areas would slowly turn into salty marshlands.

It’s a perfect place for nature photographers, both above and below the surface.  Birds, reptiles, insects, fish, and exotic plants abound.  This is an area I intend to explore in more detail.

I would not risk our ride, but there were lots of trails to explore in a jeep, 4 wheeler (4 runner) or dirt bike.  I’m talking about some serious fun!

The turn from Highway 3 onto Highway 7710 is about halfway between Salinas and Guayama.  There is a nice sign for Pozuélo so it’s easy to find.  Highway 7710 zigs and zags for a ways before you pass several small restaurants, bars and homes.  There is a new recreational facility being built on the right as you go out.  Once you pass all that stuff, the road hits a ‘Y’.  To get to the Punta Pozuélo Beach, take the ‘Y’ to the left.  The beach is about a block down from there.

We were there on a Tuesday afternoon so it was all but abandoned.

The grounds featured lots of parking (very rare in PR), a restroom,  a couple of lookout stations and a dozen covered picnic sites, though there were no picnic tables.  This is the off season so they may be put away for now.

I never expected to see surfers here so I did not bring a long lens with me.  That one shot is a tiny crop from an image I took with a 19mm lens.  Even I was impressed with how well it worked.

The beach is typical for most public beaches I’ve visited… a little ‘grungy’ from stuff washing up on the beach and somewhat rocky in places.  If you’re surfing, none of that matters, I guess.  Further on down, there was a large sandy area.  This is ‘Winter’ in Puerto Rico so you will not see too many locals playing in the surf. Being a Tuesday afternoon also lowered the chances of a crowd.

All the surfers were wearing wetsuits.  So it goes.

One last point,  I hate seeing trash tossed around, especially here.  I wish there was a 5¢ deposit on beverage containers.  No one will pick up a bottle, but aluminum cans do get turned in for cash so they seldom last long outside.

Anyway, I love this area and we will be back for more shots.
An ‘out of the way’ public beach, worth the detour.

The Scurvy Dog