Rincón Beach Puerto Rico & The Boiling Nuclear Superheater (BONUS) Reactor Facility

Rincón Beach Puerto Rico

This might have just been my favorite day in Puerto Rico.  Again, it wasn’t on our Roadtrippers itinerary, but my parents were excited to take us there, it is their favorite beach in Puerto Rico.  We saw the BONUS Nuclear Reactor facility on the way in.  My parents explained something about it never having been used because the community it was built in were angry about it.

Next, we visited the famous area of Rincón Beach where the surfing competitions are held.  We observed a photographer taking photos of the beach, though there might have been someone out surfing… I didn’t notice.  I did notice several surf boards standing up in the sand.

There was a really cool boardwalk type of trail that we walked around the Rincón Lighthouse where we got to watch the large waves crashing into the rocks, I loved that.  We also saw several big iguanas in the wild.

Then we went to a little park area and my son and I went snorkeling.  We saw sea urchins, coral, lots of colorful fish.  It was really cool.  We agreed we needed to go snorkeling more often.  It was fascinating what all we saw living and swimming around just below our feet.

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About Rincón Beach Puerto Rico

Built in 1960, the Boiling Nuclear Superheater (BONUS) Power Station, known to locals as “Domes”, was an experimental project intended to test the integral boiling super heating concept.  The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and Puerto Rico Water Resources Authority spent $23,737,062 to build this plant which reached maximum usage in September of 1965.  All operations ceased in June of 1968 due to operating difficulties and expensive renovations needed.

The Rincón Lighthouse (El Faro de Punta Higuero) sits on a bluff surrounded by a beautiful park.  This is a great spot to observe surfing competitions, Desecheo Island, whales when in season, and stunning sunsets.  A lighthouse has been standing here since 1892 but this one is not as beautiful as the original was.  The orginal lighthouse was built of brick with a house for the keeper’s family but was damaged during an earthquake in 1918 and had to be demolished.  The current cylindrical tower, built in 1922, stands 70 feet tall.

The Rincón Lighthouse Park is always free to visit and is open every day until 6pm, though the gates may stay open allowing people to watch the sunset.  This park is located on Route 4413, just off of Route 413, Puerto Rico.

Summary

After visiting Lighthouse Park, we went down to the beach.  My parents stayed on the beach while my son and I went snorkeling.  We had such a great time.

I would definitely recommend visiting this beach and park if you are in the Rincón area.  The views from the park are breathtaking.

Have you been there?  I’d love to hear what you thought of it.  Did you see any surf competitions while you were there?

Please drop a few lines in the comments box below and let me know how your visit went.

In the meantime, safe travels!

~Kris M.

P.S.  If you happen to use travel journals, be sure to check out the travel journal I created for my future Puerto Rico Road Trips.

Written by Kris M.