Isla Nena Scuba

I highly recommend these guys for diving on Vieques, especially if you or anyone in your group is new to scuba or kind of freaked out by it. They are competent, fun, and go to great lengths to make sure you’re really comfortable with every aspect of diving. Even if you’re kind of terrified by the idea of breathing underwater (what? It’s scary!), you’ll feel safe in their very capable hands.
I went for PADI Open Water Diver certification with a group of 9 friends, all of whom had different levels of experience and comfort with diving. Arnaud, Tania, Shauna, and Carlito put us at ease right away with their easy-​going yet professional attitude — all of us got plenty of personal attention, and they made sure we really learned and understood everything and didn’t rush us through the exercises, even though we got a late start (our fault) on the first day. It’s a lot of work over 3 pretty long days, but they kept it fun by joking around and telling us cool things about the island, and my husband (who had actually done open water certification before, but never mailed in his info to get the card) said they were much more thorough than the last outfit he did it with — important, when it comes to little things like being able to breathe!
These guys, and particularly Tania, deserve some sort of medal for the way they handled me. I have tiny, crappy lungs and a healthy fear of the ocean, and after screwing up an exercise and gulping a bunch of water at 16′ I declared myself DONE with scuba forever (even though Tania got a cleared regulator into my mouth so I could breathe almost instantly).
When I didn’t come back the next day, they pulled my husband aside and offered to work one-​on-​one with me to help me overcome my fear and get my SCUBA Diver Certification, which is kind of like Open Water Lite (you can dive up to 40 feet, with a guide). They could have easily just taken my money and walked, but they were genuinely invested in seeing me succeed.
Tania worked one-​on-​one with me and was SO patient and kind: I had a freak-​out almost as soon as I went under and she got me calmed down, had me practice surface skills, and then just swam around with me underwater and pointed out fish and turtles along the reef until I was comfortable enough to practice skills again. She has an incredibly nurturing, comforting vibe that comes across even underwater, and by the end of the day I was totally chilled out and excited about diving… a far cry from the hyperventilating mess who first entered the water!
I honestly thought I would never dive again, but after working with Tania I actually ended up going back to finish up my Open Water Certification — with Isla Nena Scuba, of course!

Took a refresher class with Tania and she was spectacular. My sister had a little panic attack under water and Tania handled it beautifully and put her back at ease to continue diving. She was incredibly patient and managed our different diving levels well. We loved diving off the shore along the pier and saw a ton of turtles up close.
Took two boat dives the next day again with Tania and she showed us some amazing spots. Boat guys were a lot of fun, equipment was in great shape. Overall super impressed!

Couldn’t recommend Isla Nena more! My boyfriend has 70hrs of dive time under his belt but needed a refresher, and it was my first time and they were able to accommodate us both. We went out with Carlito who was so kind and knowledgable, and made me feel safe on my first dive despite my apprehension. Additionally, we saw a ton of marine life including octopus, turtles, moray eels and tons of tropical fish. Most important to me, was how much these guys care about the environment, make a point to pick up trash they find underwater and even take fishing hooks out of turtles and fish. We need more people like this to keep these places beautiful. If you are in Vieques, go diving and support this company!

These guys are great-​highly recommended! We went scuba diving earlier today with Brandon and Carlito. They put us at ease and we’re very professional. This was my first time scuba diving and I trusted them 100%. They also took us to one of the most beautiful places on Vieques to dive (Mosquito Pier). We saw turtles, an octopus, and hundreds of fish on our two dives. Go with this scuba diving company – you won’t regret it. Hands down the best thing we did on our trip to Vieques!

Arnaud and Carlos were fantastic! Patient, efficient and thorough instructors who took us to some of the most wonderful sites for marine life and coral. They were able to answer all my random questions about the fishes we saw, as well as gave pointers on where to dive next. Arnaud has been diving for years and is more than willing to share what he knows to make the experience even more fulfilling. Equipment is top-​notch, and he even provided snacks! If you are in Vieques and are in the mood for some diving, give Isla Nena Scuba a call and see if you can dive Arnaud’s Reef (yes, named after the instructor himself!).