Our favorite beach in Puerto Rico is about a mile west of Isabela’s Villa Pesquera on the coast road. It’s about a ten minute drive from our current digs in the Isabela Beach Court (IBC), adjacent to the Villa.
The beach is named “Playa Poza de Teodoro” and marks the western point of the mile-wide Isabela bay. It features a formidable array of offshore rock and reef formations against which the fierce waters of the surging Atlantic crash headlong, creating periodic bursts of soaring ocean water. When the surf is up, the site can be very dramatic in sight and sound.
“Playa” simply means beach, and a “poza” is a pool of water created by an indentation. The offshore rock-reef formations are called “montones”. These form a barrier behind which the ocean water fills a calm, natural pool that is typically about 200 yards wide and about 50 yards from beach to montones.
When we arrived yesterday morning around 10am, the air temperature was 84F and the water temperature in the pool only a bit less. It was clear and sunny and the usual shore winds were noticeably diminished. It’s about a 200 yard walk from the makeshift sandy turnoff to the beach proper, ascending the large sand dunes on a designated path maintained by a local environmental group . We hauled our two beach chairs across the dunes until we finally got sight of our destination.
We were surprised that the poza was smaller and shallower than we’d ever seen it in our 17 years of visiting here. It was low tide, and there was only an occasional small surge of water over the montones to replenish the pool. It was actually a pretty tranquil scene. Rather than sit out under the full tropical sun, we pitched our chairs under the shady branches of some nearby palm trees.
Andrea and I sat in silence for a while, taking in the natural beauty of sun, sand, sea, clouds and sky. We keep returning to this place because it inspires in us a deep sense of wonder and peace. As we age, the preciousness of life becomes more poignant, and this place brings those rich feelings to the fore.
We’ve come already stripped down for the beach and soon start off for a closer exploration. The sand was already getting hot to our feet, and it felt good to wade in the clear, cooler water of the pool. I’d brought my small binoculars and spent some time to continue taking in the panorama.
We then walked a short distance off to the west where we could see a group of surfers in the relatively small waves. This is one of the more popular surfing beaches on the Isabela coast and it’s always fun to watch the surfers, men and women, dexterousLy balancing on their boards. With my binoculars I also spotted a large, flat rocky promontory offshore where a large flock of gulls were resting.
Returning to the poza, we retrieved our masks and snorkels for our first foray into the water. It was amazingly warm and we were both soon happily exploring the silent, underwater world where tropical fish abounded around the large rocks scattered around the pool. I always feel a sense of deep peace and appreciation when snorkeling in those shallow tropical waters. I can really relax into the calm, bounteous sea world in which I’m immersed.
In addition to brightly colored tropical fish, the pool also supports schools of silvery sardines. These attract hunting pelicans which occasionally circle around and plunge headfirst into the water to nab one. A pure white ibis patrolled the first level of reef in search of little crabs. Soon a pair of oyster catchers arrived on a similar mission.
The snorkeling was very relaxing in the clear calm of the warm shallow waters. I was able to release all my usual background anxiety and really let go in this richly bio-diverse environment. This feeling of loving immersion in the natural world is one that I’m learning to value and cultivate. A friend uses the term “biophilia” (love of living things) to describe this feeling, and I find it very apt.
We were first introduced to the magic of the Isabela coastline by our old friends Freeman and Joyce Allan. They had purchased a condo at the IBC in 2007 and invited us to visit. Andrea had been wanting a winter vacation after being told by her oncologist that her cancer history put her in a vulnerable statistical category. We had our first visit that year. The Allan’s showed us all their favorite beaches and restaurants in the area, and we were completely enamored, returning nearly every February since then.
The Allens referred to the Playa Poza de Teodoro simply as “the Ted”. That’s the name we’ve affectionately used for it ever since. The Spanish “Teodoro” is “Theodore” in English. I also like to think of it as an abbreviated version of “te adoro” (“I love you”). Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, a perfect day to spend within the arms of a loving earth and sea.
John Bayerl, 2/16/2024