Looking for reliable dive center in Cuba

[thickbrain]

Hi, we are new to scuba diving. Got our PADI open water certification in TurKs and Cacois and loved it. We are interested in visitng Cuba and would like to dive while there. We don't have equipment. We are looking for a reputable center for guide and equipment and maybe advanced certifications like ship wreak and 100 ft. dive.

Any leads would be greatly appreciated.

Dorothy and Yves.

 

[oldmaninthesea]

You won't get PADI certification in Cuba. PADI is an American company and is prevented from doing business in Cuba by the American government. The trade embargo is still in place.
Why do you want to go to Cuba? It's cheap and it's easy for Canadians to go for a vacation but there are better places to dive in the Caribbean like Cozumel or Roatan. I spent a week in Cayo Largo and found it to be a bit disappointing by comparison. There were no problems with rental equipment but the diving just wasn't as exciting as I hoped. Not a lot of fish, so-so coral, lots of lionfish.

Cuba is a fascinating place to visit if you like to travel around independently. But if you go on a package trip to a resort in Varadero, Cayo Coco, Holguin, etc you will be spending all your time with other Canadians and being waited on by well educated Cubans who can't find work in the fields they were trained for.
If you want to focus on diving and getting more PADI certification then go to Playa Del Carmen, Cozumel or Roatan.

 

[thickbrain]

Thanks for the info oldmaninthesea. We are interested in visiting Cube. Especially Havana. I understand Havana is not the place to go for diving in Cuba so we would split the trip in two portions. Havana and diving. We heard of the whale sharks in November and thought that would be an interesting diving activity.

Thanks for the comments.

 

[oldmaninthesea]

Hi There is some diving around Havana. I can send you the e-mail and phone number of one of the divemasters from Cayo Largo if you want to contact him. He lives in Havana and works in Cayo Largo. He is an excellent diver and his english is good.

 

[thickbrain]

Hi oldmaninthesea,

Yes please. Send me the contact info. I would like to hear what he has to offer.

Thanks for your help.

 

[pepon]

if you are planning to dive from Havana have alook at Diving from Havana - Diving Varadero Cuba varadiving if u is planning to spend some time in Varadero it is a good idea to have a look at the next but they can also arrange the dives from Havana Scuba Diving - Diving Varadero Cuba varadiving

 

[thickbrain]

Thanks Pepon. We are looking into these possibilities that look great at first glance.

 

[cleung]

I went to Cuba last year and did exactly the type of trip you are thinking of doing - Havana and then diving. For diving, I went to the west part of the island which is a biosphere called Maria La Gorda, which is suppose to be one of the top places in Cuba to dive. It's quite remote and about 4-5 hours out. But after diving there, I can tell you that it's average Caribbean diving, not spectacular. The dive operators there were okay but I think they lacked safety. We usually did two deep dives back to back in a two tank dive and as you know, divers are not suppose to do that. So I thought it was kind of unprofessional.