South RMTP

Managed by Surfrider Foundation - Rincon Chapter

Created in 2004 in an effort to protect the quickly developing coastline of Rincón, the Tres Palmas Marine Reserve now protects an import section of Puerto Rico's coast. This area is incredibly biodiverse, including an elkhorn coral reef, sea turtle nesting sites, and whale breeding grounds. South RMTP is located at the south end of the Reserve, not far from Steps Beach. This area is known for world class surf. Parking is available north at the Steps Beach entrance.

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COVID-19

Keep your distance from other people.

Practicing social distancing is essential right now. Follow the advice of the health experts. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Heading to the beach should only be considered an option if social distancing practices can be followed. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter the efforts to curb the virus’ spread.

For more information, please visit the World Health Organization public resource on COVID-19.

Water Quality

Passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on March 4th, 2020. Surfrider Foundation - Rincon Chapter updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on March 6th, 2020 at 3:19 AM.

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Report Pollution

Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

Surfrider Foundation’s Blue Water Task force is a volunteer-run, citizen science initiative and water quality monitoring program. The Rincon Blue Water Task Force tests both marine and freshwater sites for enterococcus, a coliform bacteria that indicates fecal pollution. Testing is conducted on a weekly basis year-round. After the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria in the Fall of 2017, there was a complete lack of any government-run water quality monitoring. Operating out of a primary lab in Rincon and secondary lab at the Ramey School in Aguadilla, the Rincon Chapter has banded together with local groups and organizations to restart their water testing program. All Blue Water Task Force results are posted to the Blue Water Task Force website, posted to community boards, broadcasted on radio stations, and shared on Facebook.

Blue Water Task Force results are compared to water quality criteria established by the EPA to protect public health in recreational waters. Test results are expressed as the Most Probable Number (MPN) of enterococcus cfu (colony forming units) per 100 mL seawater by using the IDEXX Quanti-Tray/2000 MPN Table.

When a site is marked Green, it indicates low bacteria (between 0 and 104 MPN/100 mL). When marked Red, results showed high bacteria (above 104 MPN/100 mL).

All data can be viewed at go.surfrider.org/BWTF. Any additional questions about Rincon’s Blue Water Task Force program or our results can also be addressed to Steve Tamar, stevetamar@gmail.com.

Water Quality Graph