Ensenada Honda ( en, Deep Cove), also known as "Puerto Grande" ( en, Big Port) and "Bahía Honda" for its elongated shape, is the largest inlet on the island of
Culebra,
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
.
Geography
Since the 19th century, observers have deemed Ensenada Honda among the safest Caribbean harbors.
Its irregular coastline features rocky cliffs, sandy beaches, and mangrove forests. Three smaller inlets gate the cavernous cove: "Malena" and "Dakity" to the west, and "Mosquito" to the east. A number of distinct
coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...
specimens inhabit the area around Culebra, and some communities have flourished at the very bay's entrance. They form bars barely above sea level and block portions of its opening.
Environmental history
For most of the 20th century (1902-1975) the bay served as grounds for military training, as wreckage left from the time reveals. Explosions and the resulting contamination left pulverized underwater craters and diminished the health of sea life. But low-tech, community-based programs and coral grafting have expanded the reefs' fields and increased their bio-diversity.
The bay is today an eco-tourist destination, celebrated for its turtles, and the center of the local fishing industry.
See also
*
Ensenada Honda (Ceiba, Puerto Rico)
*
San Juan Bay
San Juan Bay ( es, Bahía de San Juan) is the bay and main inlet adjacent to Old San Juan in northeastern Puerto Rico. It is about in length, the largest body of water in an estuary of about of channels, inlets and eight interconnected lagoons ...
*
Mayaguez Bay
*
Culebra Island giant anole
''Anolis roosevelti'', also known commonly as the Virgin Islands giant anole, Roosevelt's giant anole or the Culebra giant anole, is an extremely rare or possibly extinct species of lizard of the genus ''Anolis'' in the family Dactyloidae. The ...
*
Flamenco Beach
Flamenco Beach is a public beach on the Caribbean island of Culebra (). It is known for its shallow turquoise waters, white sand, swimming areas, and diving sites. It stretches for a mile around a sheltered, horseshoe-shaped bay. Playa Flamen ...
Notes
References
{{Reflist
Culebra, Puerto Rico