Cuba

[alanfield]

I am off to Cuba in early March.

Staying at Guardalavaca for the first week and then down to Santiago de Cuba.

Anyone dived either of these places and can give me the low down??

Regards
Alan

 

[scubakat]

Nice! I don't know anything about Cuba (yet). It has just entered my consciousness as a destination for someday... Please post your info here & a trip report when you return...

-K

 

[SubMariner]

A good friend of mine spent a recent vacation down there & came back severely disappointed. He said that the reefs are a mess: overfished & damaged. Also, he thought the dive guides very unprofessional. He said they seemed to care more about getting tips than safety or making the dives pleasurable for their clients.

~SubMariner~

 

[DocVikingo]

Hello alanfield,

I'm with SubMariner. I've been getting regular feedback on Cuba diving for many years now, and the reports are of disappointing to mediocre scuba.

Sorry.

DocVikingo

 

[Darian Dunn]

That is really sad, because I have talking to someone who dove there just before (or maybe just after) Castro took over. He said it was amazing.

 

[dvleemin]

I was in Cuba in late October. My experience is that the reefs are in absolutely pristine conditions. No damage at all. Tons and tons of life - this was between Havana and Veradero.

I did stay at a resort that has diving included, but it certainly wasn't geared towards diving. So if the water wasn't perfect they wouldn't take us out. AS well, they only had one small boat, and we didn't go far from the resort. So that was the downside.

Darryl

 

[fredk]

i have been diving in cuba maybe 15 times the reefs are in great shape there is an abundance of marine life. as for the divemasters be aware they like to dive very deep and don't take into consideration the level or skills of the divers they are with. but the cuban people are wonderful and the country is very pretty.enjoy it it's a little piece of paradise not many of them left

 

[canuckme]

I was diving at Guardalavaca this past oct , the diving was great the dive masters are accomodating and very professional .They would rather dive than cut sugar cane so your safety is very important to them . I would suggest that you stay at a resort that has a dive center attached to it. Brisas Guardalavaca would be a good choice. Exhibit good bouyancy skills and they will take you to the best reef and wall sites(they take the rookies to the beat up shallow reefs..) . Lots of fish including shark , barracuda , grouper . I am going to the Cienfuegos area(opposite coast) diving this week for the 3rd time , not only is the diving and visibility excellent( reef and deep wall ) but the total tab in cdn funds for this basic all inclusive resort including airfare is less than $ 600. An 8 dive package costs less than $200 U.S. So it costs less to go diving for a week than to stay home , well thats how i justify it anyway,
I was diving at Santa Lucia which is just down the coast from guardalavaca last April , again good diving , reef and wreck mostly , saw reef or bull sharks on most dives. All in all I prefer diving in cuba more than the keys, mexico or the dom. republic , less diving pressure and wonderful people that treat you as guests more than tourists. Cuba will never compete with the more exotic dive destinations but it is a terrific bargain for those that want to get away for a weeks diving without having to take out a second mortgage on the farm.
Doc, Sub mariner , I would be curious to know where your friends dove in Cuba . It is a huge island with hundreds of miles of coast and off shore reefs, A little research may have increased their diving pleasure.

 

[alanfield]

Thanks guys for your comments - anyone else feel free to add either good or bad news!

CANUCKME - thanks for your information particularly. We are actually a group of around a dozen from the UK, who are actually going over for good friends wedding - half of us are divers so be sure we will make the most of it!

We are staying at the Melia de Oro in Guardalavaca and the Sierra Mar in Stantiago de Cuba.

We are all really looking forward to it as we have been working hard all Winter and desperately need the break. Havana has a particular fascination to me.

Anyway thanks again for all of the info and safe diving to you all.

 

[canuckme]

Al ... Have a great time in Cuba. I may try diving the Satiago coast In April and stay at Seirra Mar as well . I will look forward to your report . You are in for some great diving in Guardalavaca. Be sure you ask to dive the aquarium dive site. It is only 45 ft or so in depth but it will put all the nay sayers to rest regarding the health of Cuban reefs. It is one of those easy dives i could do everyday and not get bored with. I believe In Santigo you will get to dive on a 7000 ton Spanish war ship that was sunk by the U.S during their tiff in Cuba in 1898.You will also see the contrast of the powder white sand in Guardalavaca and the black sand of Santiago. I will be most interested in hearing your opinion on the visibility differences of the 2 areas.
Safe diving... great memories .
Cheers