How to prepare for snorkeling and SCUBA with Adventure Mermaid

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Check In

• Check in time is 15 minutes prior to your experience start time. Earlier check in is great! 
• Check in with the Adventure Mermaid Crew upon arrival at the eastern parking lot at Escambrón Marine Park. (See map above to guide you). 
• Note, on the maps, this area is called Balniario Escambron or Playa Escambron, but our location within this large municipal "park" is also called Escambrón Marine Park.

Destination Pin & GPS Coordinates

• No physical address exists, as we meet at the beach, so you should use a map app (Waze!) and the map photo on this page, if needed.
• Schedule Ubers and taxis in advance to avoid missing your experience. Ubers are not always reliable and may reschedule during peak times, so leave early for stress-free arrival. 

DRIVING YOURSELVES? Find Adventure Mermaid at Escambron Marine Park.

(Click on the link above to watch our arrival video).

The Waze app helps our customers arrive on time! Download the Waze app for the easiest and most accurate map app to help you arrive to our meeting point.

PLEASE NOTE:  Sometimes our guests drive to another city by mistake! This is not our responsibility, and we will not refund. Remember, we meet in Old San Juan by the water. Be sure you set your destination pin correctly. Then, leave extra early if you've never driven in Old San Juan, as traffic jams and a long line to park will further delay your arrival, (and we do not refund or reschedule for lateness). Driving yourself in a foreign city requires advanced planning and navigation skills, so hire a taxi for groups or Uber for a few people if navigating isn't in your skill set.

Map applications you can use to assist your arrival:

• Waze: Get the Waze app now to be prepared. Set your pin to "Adventure Mermaid" in Old San Juan. It is the only map app that will currently bring you straight to our pin.
• Google Maps: pin = Adventure Mermaid  (Google Maps app does not bring you inside  Escambrón where we meet. You must use both Google Maps AND  the secondary map above). Use Waze to avoid the hassle. 
• Other: Search for "Adventure Mermaid" in Old San Juan
• GPS coordinates: 18.466140268808473, -66.0875499449764

Park next to Adventure Mermaid at Escambrón Marine Park

• $5 all-day fee, pay at entrance booth to Balneario Escambrón.
• Continue straight from the entrance booth another 2-minutes drive past the old stadium to the far back lot. Park near the round, blue wall by the water. (Driving yourselves? Here's how to find Adventure Mermaid at Escambron Marine Park.)

Event parking: During public events in Old San Juan, the road may be closed, forcing you to park farther away and to walk to our meeting spot. Leave early to avoid delays, especially on weekends, and we will do our best to notify guests of any changes to traffic patterns or available parking. 

Ubering (or Taxi)?

Uber  or taxi drop off pin: "Calle Normandie"  See the map above and video below for the Uber drop. (Alternate Uber pin: "Hotel Normandie.") Call your instructor who texted this link to you if you have problems once you are dropped off. 

• Leave 60-minutes prior to your experience start time to avoid missing your experience, especially if driving from outside of San Juan.
• Arrive already wearing your bathing suit or trunks. (The nearest restroom is a 5-minute walk from our meeting location). We recommend you come prepared, so you don't lose time running to the restroom if you don't need to use the toilet.
• Get motion sickness? It's a good idea to take motion sickness tablets at the time you check in for your experience. (If in doubt, take the tablet.)
• To protect life on the reef, please minimize use of makeup, oils, lotions, hair conditioners, or other chemicals prior to your experience. 
• Most sunscreen will wash off immediately into the water. Use waterproof ("reef safe") sunscreen or protect your skin from the sun with fabric (rash guard, t-shirt, hat/scarf/bandana, etc.) instead. 
• Please, bring along anything you need for comfort (drinking water, towels, dry clothes, etc.). (Water shoes do not work for this snorkeling experience, so no need to wear them).
• Plan to lock up all valuables in your car or a few things inside a storage bin in our secure vehicle. 
• Relatives or friends who are not participating can come along and enjoy the public beach. Be sure they are prepared for a couple hours of sitting in the shade, or they can enjoy wading or swimming in the calm water as well.
• Learn to Snorkel is a 2-hour experience. Expect to be completely finished 2.5 hours after your check-in time. 
• Power Snorkel Adventure is a 1.5-hour experience. Expect to be finished within 2 hours of check in time. 
• Discover SCUBA Dive is a 3-hour experience. Expect to be completely finished 3.5 hours after check in. (Arrive early and complete paperwork early if you have scheduled another experience after your dive).

In snorkeling and SCUBA diving, we wear a mask and use a snorkel to protect our airway from water while we look under at marine life. If the mask slips on the face, water will leak into or completely flood the mask. Hair may be used strategically to help prevent the mask strap from moving, which helps to prevent any water from entering the mask. Find your hair type below to learn how you may best prepare your hair to ensure a beautiful experience snorkeling with Adventure Mermaid:

Long braided, twisted, or locked hair  works best when left loose and long or when only the top section tied up. Braids, twists, and locks easily secure the mask in place when slipped through the opening of the mask strap. (Swim caps may also be worn but only if they fit properly over all the hair.)

(Note: If you're taking our new experience, Power Snorkel Adventure, long braids must be secured behind the head, but can still be used to secure the mask strap. Please bring hair bands as needed.)

Long, smooth hair secured in a pony tail in the back center of the head (the crown) minimizes mask movement, which prevents water from entering the mask. The pony should be placed in a position that it would work in a ball cap. The pony tail then can easily secure the mask in place when slipped through the opening of the mask strap. 

Mustaches can cause significant water to enter into the mask because the course hair does not allow the mask to lay flush with skin. People with especially coarse mustaches may consider shaving prior, or petroleum jelly (Vaseline) may be applied to the hair just below the nose to prevent water entry into the mask, but this is not a perfect solution. People with thick mustaches must clear the mask of water more often than people without. 

Scarves or fabric covers (and some hats) may be used when snorkeling if they lay flat on the head. They must be pushed back slightly off of the forehead when putting on the mask, then they can be pulled forward and slightly over the top of the mask. 

Short, course hair holds the mask in place nicely, as it does not allow the strap to move easily. No extra preparation is necessary.

Short, smooth hair does not hold the strap still, so swim caps can really help keep the mask in place. 

Swim caps, if properly sized, work well to secure the mask in place, as the material does not allow the mask to slip. They should be put on and comfortable prior to entering the water (after the training brief). 

Wigs, while not a problem, do not hold the mask in place well. The strap often slides down the back of the neck,  allowing the mask to fall off repeatedly. Swim caps should be worn over wigs to protect the wig and to prevent the strap  from moving. 

The snorkel mask prevents water from entering the mask where it can run into the eyes or be snorted up the nose, so it's important not to break the seal with anything that would allow water to enter the mask. Unfortunately, glasses of any kind do not work inside the snorkel mask because they do not fit, and the arms break the seal of the mask. All prescription glasses and sunglasses should be locked away during the experience. 

Please, wear contact lenses if you need them. Big pharmacies (Walgreens, CVS, or Walmart) can provide you with your prescription contact lenses, if necessary. Otherwise, refraction may help people to see better than they expect. 

Refraction, a physical phenomenon of water bending light and viewed through a mask lens results in objects appearing slightly larger in water than they actually are. Many people who wear prescription glasses are surprised at how well they can see under water thanks to refraction. 

SCUBA Divers have special medical considerations and rules about flying after diving. Please review Dive Considerations to ensure you are medically fit and safe to dive.