VIEQUES, Puerto Rico – I pulled my paddle through the water and watched as a thousand streaks of light followed. Then I dipped my hand in, swirled it around and stared, mesmerized, as the bay glowed.

It’s hard not to speak in clichés when describing Puerto Rico. After all, this is a landscape where white sand beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and lush jungles are kind of the thing. But if ...

Vieques (pronounced Vee-ek-ez) is located about 8 miles off the east coast of mainland Puerto Rico, one of two inhabited sister islands – the other is Culebra – easily accessible by ferry or small ...