Playa La Chiva (Blue Beach)

Locals call it La Chiva; the English nickname 'Blue Beach' dates to the decades the US Navy used this stretch of Vieques for training. Today the beach sits inside the Vieques National Wildlife Refuge, a mile-long bay broken into several scattered coves rather than one continuous stretch of sand, with seagrass beds close enough to shore that schools of fish are visible without much effort. It stays undeveloped by design: no restaurants, no bars, just refuge land and very clear water, which is exactly why snorkelers make the drive out.