Playa de la Chiva was the Navy's favorite beach to practice amphibious landings and assaults. It is now a favorite of many locals and visitors who come to swim, snorkel, picnic and relax.

There are actually three beaches, separated by small rocky points of land, within the Bahía de la Chiva, stretching for almost two miles.

How to get there
Enter through the Camp Garcia gate on route 997. Proceed 1.7 miles where you will see a sign directing you to either Playa Caracas (Bahia Corcho or Red Beach) on the right or Playa de la Chiva (Manuel Cay or Blue Beach) straight ahead. About one mile from the sign the road forks, bear right. The first entrance to Bahía de la Chiva will be just a little more than one mile away.

To reach the eastern section of the beach or the other two beaches, continue along the coast road crossing an iron bridge over a quebrada, which leads to a laguna (salt pond). Continue along the main coastal road. All of the roads that go off to your right will lead to some section of one of the Playa de la Chiva beaches.

The Name
Playa de la Chiva is also known as Cayo Manuel or Manuel Cay after a man named Manuel who lived on the Cayo de la Chiva and Cayo Coca Cola.

The Navy renamed Playa de la Chiva, Blue Beach.

Western Beach
The first beach that you come to (the westernmost beach) is the longest and widest of the three. It has the softest sand, but no facilities at all. It is the most exposed to the trade winds and frequently has some surf breaking near shore.

Coconut Palms
This coconut palm on the eastern end of Bahía La Chiva is one of the few left on the beach. In the past, the beach was lined with beautiful coconut palms, the icon of the Caribbean. The palms, however, were cut down by marines for war games.

From Puerto Rico's fighting 65th Infantry, by Brigadier General W.W. Harris: In a 1950s war game, Harris in charge of the 65th U.S. Infantry was charged with defending the island in a mock battle. In order to prevent the opposing side from making an easy landing, he needed to establish beach fortifications and obstacles. In his book Puerto Rico's Fighting 65th Infantry, he explains how he accomplished this goal

"We had noted that the growth of coconut trees extended from the water's edge to a line about 100 yards inland. We decided to use them in our defense of the beaches. We would cut them down, leaving about a seven foot stump, and not completely sever the trunk so that the entire thicket could be interlaced with barbed wire and demolitions."

It was a brilliant defense and largely through this tactic the 65th infantry won the battle. The opposing team was stopped in their tracks, when they tried to land on the beach. The umpires charged with assessing the damage attributed a 40% casualty rate to the attacking forces and the games had to await the clearing of the obstacles before they could continue.

"This was going to pose a problem. If the 3rd division had not been able to cut their way through, how were we going to accomplish the job? After some discussion it was finally decided to hitch some tanks to the mass of tangled rubble and literally pull it apart."

So much for the palm trees however.

On October 12, 2003, people participating in “The Second Rally for Peace” planted 100 coconut palms at Playa de la Chiva.

Center Beach
The next beach is somewhat calmer than its neighbor to the west and has several bohios (covered pavilions) with picnic benches.

Eastern Beach
The furthest beach to the east, protected by the rocky headland that juts out to the south, Punta Conejo, is the calmest and probably the least frequented. There is one bohio.

View
Looking out from the beaches, you will see Isla Chiva, which lies offshore in the center of the bay. Punta Conejo and the small island next to it are located at easternmost portion of the bay.