Steps Beach is named after these concrete steps that have been there for many, many years

One thing that is great about Rincón is that there are so many different beaches for different types of activities. There are long stretches of sand to walk or run or search for shells and sea glass, there are great surf beaches, swimming beaches and snorkeling beaches and even a beach to launch boats (the Marina). Steps Beach, also known as Playa Escalera in Spanish, is part of the 3 Palmas Marine Reserve and is probably most famous for its snorkeling. Here you can often spot sea turtles and it has one of the best elk horn coral formations in the entire Caribbean. Now that we have a waterproof camera (thanks Sean!) we need to go out and take more underwater pictures.

Playing in the tide pools

But on this particular day, we got to enjoy another special part of Steps Beach: the tide pools! Especially for folks with young children or people with limited swimming skills, the tide pools are awesome. The sun warms the water up and they are just deep enough to sort of float on top. There are little hermit crabs and snails and small fish in there with you so it’s a lot of fun to search for creatures as you laze about in the warm water.

Floating and playing around in the tide pools

It was a great place to spend time with our friend Missy and her munchkins. We had a nice picnic lunch and watched the parasailors, snorkelers and boats as they floated past. And Britton and I each took a turn swimming in the deep area as well. But mostly we just hung out under the shade trees and in the pools. There were a few people out, but since it was a weekday it wasn’t too crowded. Just a really nice way to relax!

Cultivating a love of nature and the beach early! Missy and the newest member of the family

Cool finds!

Pretty palm trees and sexy beasts 😉