What better way to escape the winter cold than heading to the Caribbean? And what better way to explore the area than with a paddleboard? That was my thought this past February as my partner and I flew to Puerto Rico with our Hala inflatable boards.

Traveling with a SUP Board

Bringing our own paddleboards made perfect sense, as we wanted to snorkel in uncrowded areas, paddle in bioluminescent bays, and hike into lakes looking for waterfalls. We also saved money traveling with our SUPs instead of renting. While driving and paddling around PR, we saw a few places that rented boards, however, they charged more for a day than it was in baggage fees!

Hala's rolling travel bags make flying with boards easy. The bags are big enough for your board and your other clothes. Our rolling travel bags became our suitcases for clothes, toiletries, and all the paddling gear we needed, including board, pump, travel paddle, and inflatable PFD. The bags have backpack straps as well as rollers, which makes moving through the airport a breeze.

Exploring Puerto Rico

After arriving in Puerto Rico, we spent the first couple of days taking in the sights of the historic old San Juan before renting a car and heading west.

We hiked the rolled boards (Hala Straight Up and Playa) into a popular series of pools and waterfalls near San Sebastian. Luckily, we timed it just right to avoid the crowds. We had the place to ourselves, and we paddled in peace, enjoying the majestic falls of the Puerto Rico forest.

The All-Water Hala Straight Up and Hala Playa boards made touring fun. Unlike many inflatables, the Hala boards are rigid, lightweight, durable, and stable. Inflating the boards is never fun, but with the Hala boards, we need to pump only 15psi to get them rigid, unlike the 20+psi other inflatables require.

Surfing and Snorkeling from the SUPs

The west coast of Puerto Rico is known for its surf in the winter and snorkeling in the summer. Numerous protected inlets gave us the opportunity to paddle in solitude. Cabo Rojo is on the southwestern tip of Puerto Rico, where we found a few hidden gems for paddling and snorkeling.

La Parguera is an eco-tourism destination with mangrove islands and bays to explore. We paddled out to the cayes to find unpopulated areas to snorkel. Have you ever snorkeled from a paddleboard?

Bioluminescence

The bioluminescent bay is a must-see! Having our own boards allowed us to bypass the tour boats with their music and frolicking guests. We found tranquility floating by ourselves in the glowing water—magical.

Final Thoughts

We were thrilled we brought our own boards. It gave us the independence to tour at our own pace with our own itinerary, save money, and find solitude along the way.

Paddleboarding is a way to express our independence, creativity, and sense of adventure. We will not name all the places we visited in the ten days we spent traveling in Puerto Rico. But we will say there are wonderful places waiting for you if you go.

Check out the vlog from our trip!

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Paul Clark is SUPPAUL, Hala Gear Content Creator, Social Media Curator, and SUP board aficionado. Today, he travels representing Hala and documenting the experience along the way, highlighting the unique quality of Hala Gear in amazing places with inspiring people.

As of 2024, he has SUP paddled more than 140 rivers and has traveled throughout the US, Canada, Baja, Costa Rica, Panama, Chile, Europe, Japan, New Zealand, and Puerto Rico with paddle boards.