PUERTO VALLARTA — New floating docks are being built and installed this summer at Marina Nuevo Vallarta near Puerto Vallarta, according to Licensado Emelio Oyarzabal, the marina’s director general.

Photo by: www.MexicoBoating.com photo What’s Up: Dock — Concrete floating dock sections are being built for Marina Nuevo Vallarta, near Puerto Vallarta. General manager Emelio Oyarzabal (right) oversees the new docks.

Nuevo Vallarta Marina was originally constructed in 1984 by a Texas company that dredged the mouth of an estuary one-half mile north of Rio Ameca. After development, the estuary was named Nuevo Vallarta Inlet, in honor of the marina on its south shores. Eventually, the much larger Paradise Village Resort and Marina was built along the inlet’s north shore, and the smaller marina fell into disrepair.

Year-round popularity of the Puerto Vallarta region created a strong demand for slips and yacht services — so, when this marina is reopened this fall or winter, the number of slips is expected to increase by about 100.

Marina Nuevo Vallarta lies 3.6 nautical miles northwest of Puerto Vallarta’s municipal harbor, or 7.5 southeast of Marina Riviera Nayarit at La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, which opened last January.