Located on the North Coast of Puerto Rico, San Juan is the capital of the country and one of the most popular visitor destinations on the island. San Juan is 27 miles west of Fajardo and 52 miles northeast of Ponce.

Inside San Juan Bay are a variety of facilities and anchorages for the visiting boater, and there are also plenty of shopping opportunities ashore for restocking the galley or just finding that perfect souvenir to remember your trip by.

Although wide and quite deep, the entrance to San Juan Harbor can get quite adventurous during the winter months when strong north winds tend to pile up waves into the inlet. Despite this, San Juan Bay is one of the finest, best equipped and most protected bays on the island of Puerto Rico.

The approach to San Juan Bay starts offshore, but the initial flashing markers for the entrance start at Punta del Morro, which is visible to the left in the image above. Also visible are the two starting approach marks, flashing green “1” and flashing red “2.”

Once you have cleared flashing green “1” and flashing red “2,” proceed south to pick up quick flashing green “3,” flashing red “4,”flashing green “5,” flashing red “6,” red “6A,” flashing green “7,” flashing red “8,” and then flashing red “10.” From here you can set a course for the marinas in the San Antonio Canal to the east, or head southeast to explore the southern portions of the bay.

See our “Local Notices to Mariners” blog for updates on the latest conditions and advisories for this area.