Diving in Cuba

[Shugrnutz]

X2 about chambers, and excellent health care in Cuba. If you diving around Havana you will be underwelmed. Gardens of the Queen, and Gardens of the King are world class. Varadero, and Holguin are very good too, but not as good as the other two.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post!

I just finished my OW certification - the signature on my temp card is still damp. Some diving friends are going to Cuba in 2 weeks and they had invited me along. I was unsure if I wanted to fall down that hole into scuba diving since it has a reputation for being kind of an expensive hobby... I'm sure you can understand.

But my friends kept hounding me and hounding me. And they found out that the Havana Marathon is during their trip (I'm a runner) so enticed me to Cuba that way. And after some more hounding, I figured I might as well get certified so I can dive with them and not spend the rest of the trip by myself while they are underwater!

Anyway, I am really glad that I decided to get certified. I've only been on 2 days of diving for my class so far, at Catalina Island, and I am already hooked. I can't wait to dive in Cuba. We will be diving out of Havana the whole time (unfortunately work dictated a short trip so we won't be moving around much). I was just wondering if anyone has any experience there or any advice on stuff to look out for or anything must-see.

Thanks in advance,

Not to repeat what others have said, but you realize you can't just book and hop on a flight to Cuba if you're a US citizen or permanent resident, right? You would have to be part of an organized visit that has the requisite license from the Treasury Dept. Some scuba trips of this type have recently been offered, as Wookie said. There may be something like that for the marathon, too. There are more such organized visits available now than ever before. But without being part of such a visit group, you would have to skirt the law and travel through a third country, such as Canada. I don't know if things have loosened up, but Americans returning on flights from Canada with suntans in the winter used to raise a red flag at Customs. That said, if you're NOT a US citizen or permanent resident, then these restrictions don't apply to you. But I still don't think you could book a flight directly from the US.

 

[Wookie]

Not to repeat what others have said, but you realize you can't just book and hop on a flight to Cuba if you're a US citizen or permanent resident, right? You would have to be part of an organized visit that has the requisite license from the Treasury Dept. Some scuba trips of this type have recently been offered, as Wookie said. There may be something like that for the marathon, too. There are more such organized visits available now than ever before. But without being part of such a visit group, you would have to skirt the law and travel through a third country, such as Canada. That said, if you're NOT a US citizen or permanent resident, then these restrictions don't apply to you. But I still don't think you could book a flight directly from the US.

Kind of. I am not a lawyer, nothing I say should be construed as permission to do anything aside from have a beer. With that out of the way, you may hop a plane and go to Cuba. If you do so, you are required to certify to Customs, OFAC, and others who may inquire as to the purpose of your visit, which of the 12 categories Americans are allowed to travel in was your reason, keep receipts for every dollar spent, and maintain those records for 5 years. Alternatively, you may do business with a licensed (US and Cuba) tour operator who will keep those records for you. Aggressor Fleet and Spree, through their non-profit organizations Oceans for Youth and the Gulf Reefs Environmental Action Team, respectively, have obtained permission from OFAC to conduct those tours, and keep records of your visit.

If you are going as an individual to run in the Havana Marathon, I would think you may do so, but you may face pointed questions upon your return. If you go with your running club (Let's say the Bay Area Running Club) which has been licensed to provide participants for a sporting event (the Havana Marathon), well, that is participating in a sanctioned, licensed event. The Bay Area Running Club (BARC) will make sure you go, attend the sporting event, and do not participate in tourism, and will certify to the US government that you only participated in the sanctioned event. Going off Scuba Diving when you say you are running in that case would be considered tourism, and therefore not allowed under current regulations.

Regarding the citizenship quote. Again, kind of. The actual wording is "People under US Jurisdiction". I guess that's important. When I spoke to Customs and OFAC regarding the group of Australians who want to go wreck diving in Cuba, if they fly through the United States, (which they have to, because my license only allows me to travel from the US to Cuba, and not pass through another country) then they are subject to US jurisdiction. I have not tested this with a lawyer, because I have to get the same permits for each trip, regardless, but if you are here, you are subject to the same regulations that Americans and residents are.

 

[Ayisha]

You'll need to travel with a Cuba travel organization that has an official license from the U.S. State Department, like Insight Cuba and Central Holidays.

And, while your tour may include stops at museums, historic sites, or even the Bay of Pigs or a local Communist Party block meeting, purely recreational activities -- like visiting the beach or scuba diving -- are prohibited from tour itineraries, which are limited to experiences that brings American and Cuban people together.

In order to get a permit for a supervised visit to Cuba, Americans have to do some humanitarian or journalist or other sanctioned work, and not spend money while in Cuba. Some Canadian travel agencies have been specializing in American tours to Cuba for the last 14 years or so, originally in Quebec. They spend about an hour out of their week volunteering at a hospice or other humanitarian effort and the all-inclusive trip is paid for up front to the Canadian travel agency to fulfill their requirements, and I believe this is still an ongoing practice.

BTW, back in the day, Cuba used to just stamp a piece of paper with a star and tuck it into our passports, but this time, a visa page of our passports was stamped directly with a stamp that clearly says Cuba. The Cuban stamp doesn't matter for us, since we're Canadian, but for someone who is thinking about entering Cuba from Jamaica or Grand Cayman or another island, it's something to think about when returning to the US, even perhaps on future trips returning to your country.

Ocean Doctor, with Dr David Guggenheim, runs supervised trips to Cuba, particularly Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen) but the prices are over 4 times what we paid, and the prices are high to begin with: Ocean Doctor | Gardens of the Queen – An Unforgettable Learning Adventure in Cuba

 

[Wookie]

Ocean Doctor, with Dr David Guggenheim, runs supervised trips to Cuba, particularly Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen) but the prices are over 4 times what we paid, and the prices are high to begin with: Ocean Doctor | Gardens of the Queen – An Unforgettable Learning Adventure in Cuba

The number of Cubans Divemasters and Tour guides that you have to hire to stay in compliance with US and Cuban regulations is kind of staggering.

 

[TMHeimer]

When we went, though it was 12 years ago, they didn't stamp passports and I heard that was specifically to protect American tourists. Guess things changed. When there, they had scuba trips from the N. Coast (Havana I assume) down to Cienfuegos on the S. coast--by bus I think. I wasn't a diver then, but heard the diving down there was quite good.

 

[Lorenzoid]

In order to get a permit for a supervised visit to Cuba, Americans have to do some humanitarian or journalist or other sanctioned work, and not spend money while in Cuba. Some Canadian travel agencies have been specializing in American tours to Cuba for the last 14 years or so, originally in Quebec. They spend about an hour out of their week volunteering at a hospice or other humanitarian effort and the all-inclusive trip is paid for up front to the Canadian travel agency to fulfill their requirements, and I believe this is still an ongoing practice.

I would be surprised if such trips through Canadian travel agencies 14 year ago, even for humanitarian efforts, complied with the requirements for Americans to do it legally. From what I understand, those trips were always considered gray area under US law, and some US travel companies that tried to do the same thing found themselves being investigated. The "People to People" provisions that allow Americans to visit have only been in place since something like 2011. Before that, it was virtually impossible for an American to legally visit Cuba unless you had family there, were a journalist, or (well, Wookie says there are 12 categories, and he's obviously researched this pretty thoroughly). Since 2011, the People to People provision has made trips like Ocean Doctor's possible.

BTW, back in the day, Cuba used to just stamp a piece of paper with a star and tuck it into our passports, but this time, a visa page of our passports was stamped directly with a stamp that clearly says Cuba. The Cuban stamp doesn't matter for us, since we're Canadian, but for someone who is thinking about entering Cuba from Jamaica or Grand Cayman or another island, it's something to think about when returning to the US, even perhaps on future trips returning to your country.

I have heard they are well aware not to stamp American passports. Anyway, an American can easily travel there illegally. Just sayin'. I would of course not advocate any illegal act here on a public forum.

 

[Ayisha]

The number of Cubans Divemasters and Tour guides that you have to hire to stay in compliance with US and Cuban regulations is kind of staggering.

Ok, maybe that's why. I wonder how much they're paying them though.

When we first went to Cuba 14 years ago, our (Cuban) resort manager told us that he made $20 US per month and the other resort workers made $16 US per month.

Fast forward to 2015 - our (Cuban) dive group leader told us he makes 16 CUC ($16 US) per month. Our travel agency tour guide told us he makes 12 CUC per month, while people in non-tourism fields make about 10 CUC per month.

The Cubans rely heavily on tips.

Of course, they get a small amount of food per day, a small amount of milk only for children, medicine, lodging, education, etc. Apparently it is not enough food or milk each day, and they are often hungry. They can buy clothes and other things at the ration stores with their cuban pesos (as opposed to the convertible pesos tourists use). Unfortunately, there is a lot of prostitution by women and men to make ends meet, charging about 5 to 10 CUC to tourists, and there are unfortunately quite a lot of HIV infections on the island. The black market now appears way bigger to me than it used to be for cigars and alcohol, and even drugs have started to infiltrate the black market.

Ocean Doctor uses Avalon, which I went with last month. I also found out that while the Italian company Avalon pays heftily for the services of the Cuban dive/liveaboard crew, that money is kept by the Cuban government - and the Cuban crew still only gets their 16 CUC or less per month. Including the weeks Ocean Doctor is there and has paid their hefty fees to the Cuban government.

So I wonder if the Cubans will be paid fairly in these new systems or still paid by the Cuban government their meager wages?

---------- Post added October 31st, 2015 at 03:47 PM ----------

I would be surprised if such trips through Canadian travel agencies 14 year ago, even for humanitarian efforts, complied with the requirements for Americans to do it legally. From what I understand, those trips were always considered gray area under US law, and some US travel companies that tried to do the same thing found themselves being investigated. The "People to People" provisions that allow Americans to visit have only been in place since something like 2011. Before that, it was virtually impossible for an American to legally visit Cuba unless you had family there, were a journalist, or (well, Wookie says there are 12 categories, and he's obviously researched this pretty thoroughly). Since 2011, the People to People provision has made trips like Ocean Doctor's possible.

When I went in January 2002, there were full page ads in American owned magazines promoting the new trips for Americans to Cuba through a company in Quebec, and they apparently received their permit to take the supervised groups of Americans. They were apparently pretty successful and other travel agencies followed suit. I was there the week they transported the first prisoners to Guantanamo Bay and Americans had recently started the supervised visits through Canada.

 

[Scared Silly]

I have heard they are well aware not to stamp American passports. Anyway, an American can easily travel there illegally. Just sayin'. I would of course not advocate any illegal act here on a public forum.

I can confirm that Cuban officials do not stamp passports of Americans who travel to Cuba sans a license.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I can confirm that Cuban officials do not stamp passports of Americans who travel to Cuba sans a license.

You mean to say a good friend told you.

---------- Post added November 1st, 2015 at 11:47 AM ----------

. . .
When I went in January 2002, there were full page ads in American owned magazines promoting the new trips for Americans to Cuba through a company in Quebec, and they apparently received their permit to take the supervised groups of Americans. They were apparently pretty successful and other travel agencies followed suit. I was there the week they transported the first prisoners to Guantanamo Bay and Americans had recently started the supervised visits through Canada.

Interesting. Well, in any case, the situation 14 years ago is moot at this point, and I am glad. I recalled reading about a crackdown by US authorities against travel agencies offering trips to Americans as "legal" when it was not entirely clear to the authorities. I suppose it's possible that some agencies were legitimate and others did not satisfy the requirements. Again, water under the bridge. The real question is how will it be for us Americans going forward. Thanks for your trip report, by the way.