Question: diving in Varadero, Cuba

[filutek]

I am going to Varadero in October with my son, we will stay in Club Puntarena. I heard that there is good diving there, also warnings about quality of rental gear...
Questions:
- any dive shops around worth recommendation?
- does it make sense to try dive shop in the Puntarena, or should I head straight for PADI shop next to the Kawama Hotel?
- what are the best dive sites for a sea critter lover?
Thanks for all pointers, I do not know Cuba, so I can use some advice.

[kiknads]

I dove with barracuda last time i was in cuba. Honestly, VERY unimpressed with their service. The try scuba people had instuction including "put this in mouth, put on fins, and kick your feet". The experienced people were taken on a bit of a tour down the wall, told "let me know when you are half tank" tried a couple of times to get the DM's attention he blissfully ignored us and motored off in his own little world. I would not dive with these people again, and I certainly wouldnt reccommend them to anyone

[BettyinToronto]

We are leaving in 4 weeks for Sandals at Varadero. We went there last year because no kids and couples only. Found out the diving was free so my husband did the resort course; which was also free. He got in 4 shallow dives and loved it so much we are going back this year for two weeks so he can get certified. Not free but comparable price. (Amazing since I've tried to get him interested for 17 years with no luck) You get two dives free per day. 9am to about 70 ft and then 10:30 to about 30 ft.

Not the best diving in the Caribbean but hey it's free ...:D The equipment was surprisingly good (but we're taking our own down this time) plus the instructors & DM were pretty good.

We'll try to get him some dives over the 11 days so we'll be more relaxed when we go to Roatan in Febbruary.

Hope you find a good place.

Betty

[yakpack]

I dove with Barracuda for a week in Varadero a few years ago, had a good week. The best dive was the two Russian wrecks, I'd put that one in the top 10 of my 300 dives. They took us on a day trip to the Bay of Pigs all the way across the island on a stormy day. It was a gorgeous wall. The trip out to the marine park in Varadero is a long boat ride and back, like Cozumel. Take a book.

[disco1999]

I'm heading to Varadero too in November to Be Live turquesa resort. TripAdvisor and other references seem to confirm that Barracuda dive shop should be avoided.
Any other suggestions as a dive shop in the area ?

[BettyinToronto]

Just got back from Varadero last Sunday. We stayed two weeks at Sandals where the diving is all free. The dive centre there is run by Barracuda which I'm told is government owned and runs everything.

My husband got his ACUC Open Water which was the purpose of the trip. The course was fine but the one English speaking instructor was stretched thin with the free resort courses every Mon-Wed-Fr + my husband OW + an AOW for a guy from England. Glad we were there for two weeks. Probably couldn't do it in just one week. They have now switched people around and the Sandals location now has 4 instructors; 3 who speak good English. It seems they want to become an advance dive centre. We even had people from the Ibostar resort next door. We'll see.

Or maybe we won't. Hubby is already talking about going somewhere else next September rather than returning to Sandals for a 3rd time. Maybe Sandals in Jamaica but I'm not liking the reviews here on Jamaica diving. We'll see as we've got a year to decided. Plus we're off to Roatan in February and that may make him really agree that diving at Sandals Varadero sucks.

Betty

[filutek]

Big thanks for advice, as it turned out... my Varadero trip was cancelled by the company, so I picked up replacement in Club Amigo Manayabo in Santa Lucia, leaving today, I will post my impressions.

[dive ladder]

I actually had a good experience with Barracuda. We did six dives in total and the "hands off approach" is something I am not used to but didnt mind. Bay of pigs was well worth the trip.

[Joe Cool]

I will be in Varadero this November and I plan to do some dives. My wife and I will be staying in the Iberostar Laguna Azul. According to my research, there is only one government agency that runs all the dive ops around Cuba. In Varadero, there are three dive operators. One at the south (Acua), in the middle (Barracuda), and one in the north end (Gaviota). As with the other posts, Breezes and a few other resorts have their own dive ops. My resort is at the north end so I am planning to dive with Gaviota.

I will take all my gear with me (less tanks and weights, of course). I have had bad experiences with rental gear and I don't want to take any chances in Cuba.

One question that I have is on yoke-type regs. Do they have yoke valves on their tanks or they use DIN?

[BettyinToronto]

If yes you can walk over to Sandals and get two dives for 70 or 75 CUC. We met a German couple who did that. First day they did the two dives (deep at 9am and shallow at 10:30) but a tip would be to do two days of deep diving. The shallow dive sucks plus you have to walk/swim out to the boat so having to come ashore to change tanks is tiring. Best to do two days one dive/day. That's what the German couple did for their next two dives.

Betty

[Joe Cool]

If yes you can walk over to Sandals and get two dives for 70 or 75 CUC. We met a German couple who did that. First day they did the two dives (deep at 9am and shallow at 10:30) but a tip would be to do two days of deep diving. The shallow dive sucks plus you have to walk/swim out to the boat so having to come ashore to change tanks is tiring. Best to do two days one dive/day. That's what the German couple did for their next two dives.

Betty

I believe Sandals is next door to Iberostar Varadero not the Laguna Azul. Based on a satellite photo, Sandals is quite aways from ILA.

[BettyinToronto]

OK wasn't sure about the Ibostar hotel. Just knew Sandals where the diving is free!!!!!!!!!

Betty

P.S. Hubby got his ACUC C-Card in the mail yesterday. Only 3 wks + 2 days all the way from Madrid, Spain. Yahoo! It's official so now we can go ahead and book our February trip to Roatan.

[Joe Cool]

OK wasn't sure about the Ibostar hotel. Just knew Sandals where the diving is free!!!!!!!!!

Betty

P.S. Hubby got his ACUC C-Card in the mail yesterday. Only 3 wks + 2 days all the way from Madrid, Spain. Yahoo! It's official so now we can go ahead and book our February trip to Roatan.

Congratulations on your hubby's getting his C-Card! On diving free with Sandals, I wouldn't exactly say its free. The cost is already built-into the package and you have already paid for it. Thus, the reason why Sandals AI packages costs a little bit more compared to other AI resorts :D

[BettyinToronto]

True but we got lots of free lobster at Sandals whereas the couple at Ibostar had to pay 25CUC for one. :D (Hubby had 4 tails at the Tuesday Night Seafood Gala)

12 possible free dives versus paying 70 CUC for 2 ... that's an extra $420. Don't believe Sandals cost that much more than Ibostar.

You get what you pay for.

Betty

[kiknads]

All the rental tanks I saw at barracuda were yoke style

[Joe Cool]

All the rental tanks I saw at barracuda were yoke style

Good to know!:cool3:

[BettyinToronto]

Just booked Fantasy Island in Roatan for February 14-21 and hubby is going for his AOW. Wow is he hooked! :banana:

[Joe Cool]

Just booked Fantasy Island in Roatan for February 14-21 and hubby is going for his AOW. Wow is he hooked! :banana:

Good for you! Wow, Roatan! I am filled with envy.

You guys who live in the center of the "Canadian universe" are lucky. You get a lot of choices for flights to a lot of Caribbean destinations. Us on the west coast don't have too many choices. If we want to fly to the Bahamas, Belize, Caymans, etc., we have to change planes once or twice. And, most of the time, need to spend a night in, for example Toronto, to catch a connecting flight. :(

[BettyinToronto]

Funny Joe cool. Toronto as the "Canadian universe"

Yes I guess we have more choice which is nice. Plus we're only about 30-40 minute drive to the airport (we're on opposite side of the city) so it's very convenient. Probably less time for our Roatan trip as the flight leaves at 6:20am. I bet no one is on the roads at 3-4am.

Your signature says "WOW Phillipines". I may need some info from you as we plan to take a 5-day dive trip when in Hong Kong for 3 weeks in January 2012. I keep looking at that forum too trying to educate myself so when the LDS in HK offers something I'll know which areas (Anilio or PG) and hotels are better than the others.

Thanks
Betty

[Stothart]

My wife & I are off to the Sandals Varadero resort this Saturday( Nov. 6th). We are looking for sun and Diving. So if I read your comments correctly the dive operation at the resort is pretty good? But the diving is mediocre? We are relatively new to diving (25 dives or so) and were a bit concerned with some of the post’s? Any Tips?

[BettyinToronto]

We've been to Sandals Cuba twice now. (Sept 2009 & 2010) The diving is not the greatest but it's free! And it was because of this that my husband even tried it last year; liked it and came back this year to get certified.

They do two dives a day. About 9am for the deep dive (~65ft) and then the boat comes back in to get the beginners (from the free pool sessions) for the shallow dive (~20 ft) around 10:30am.

The dive shop is good and the guys were great however they changed the staff (except for one instructor named Luis) just as we were leaving. Tell Luis hello from Betty & Joseph Li from Toronto. We dove with him 8 days over two weeks. I like that you carry your gear down once and then leave it at the dive shop for the entire trip which is nice. No wet gear going back to your room. Except of course our prescription masks and dive computers.

My biggest complaint is that I find it too hard to do two dives a day. First you gear up on the deck beside the dive shop. It's elevated so then you have to walk down the stairs; cross the wide beach; walk out to wait depth and fight the waves to put on your fins. Then you swim backwards out to the boat. Wheh! I'm exhausted before we even start. (OK I'm out of shape but hubby isn't and he hated the fin part the most.) Now if you suck air like we did (65ft for 35 mins) we had no air left for the 2nd dive or we could have just stayed on the boat like Luis. We had to come back in; swap tanks and then do the whole routine again. Not worth it for the shallow dive as the reef is geeting pretty beat up as that is where all the snorkellers go - from all the resorts via catamarans.

So we ended up just doing one dive per day. First 3 days shallow for hubby's course and then the rest only deep.

Are you in a congiere room? Madelin (Mgr) and her staff like Jorge are great. Say hello to them too. Jorge will remember us as he has a mini wiener dog like us.

Plus a good tip when going to the buffet is to pick a table or area and stick with it for the entire week. The waiter/waitress and helpers get to know you and are amazing. Look for our favourite waiter Carlos. He's a little guy with a Beatles kind of haircut. He's great. Tell him Betty & Joseph say hello too. We took gifts for his two sons and one was a remote car but we only brought batteries for the car and not the remote control. l:shocked2: Could you please do me a favour and let him know the 9 volt batteries are coming down Nov 13th with a friend of mine. He'll be happy that he can finally give his son the gift.

Ask anything about the resort. You'll love it!

Betty

[Joe Cool]

Funny Joe cool. Toronto as the "Canadian universe"

Yes I guess we have more choice which is nice. Plus we're only about 30-40 minute drive to the airport (we're on opposite side of the city) so it's very convenient. Probably less time for our Roatan trip as the flight leaves at 6:20am. I bet no one is on the roads at 3-4am.

Your signature says "WOW Phillipines". I may need some info from you as we plan to take a 5-day dive trip when in Hong Kong for 3 weeks in January 2012. I keep looking at that forum too trying to educate myself so when the LDS in HK offers something I'll know which areas (Anilio or PG) and hotels are better than the others.

Thanks
Betty

Well, in business and banking talk, Toronto is considered the center of the 'Canadian Universe'. Ha, ha, ha!

I have dived Anilao and PG. In Anilao, I stayed in a dive resort called Planet Dive. Anilao does not have nice beaches. The shoreline is rocky but lots of critters good for macro photography. As for Planet Dive, it has rustic accommodations but they have some upscale rooms. The resort sits on a rocky hillside like most resorts in Anilao. The terrain and layout of the resort is not my cup of tea but the diving is a must try when you are in the Philippines.

In PG, I stayed in Big La laguna. It is the second cove west of Sabang Beach. Sabang beach is where your ferry boat lands when it gets to PG. If you walk west along the beach, you'll end up in Small La Laguna. Sabang is the center of nightlife action if you go for that thing. The beach is a bit dirty in Sabang. Small La Laguna is a 10 to 15 minute walk from Sabang. Big La Laguna is around a 20 to 25-minute walk away. It is quiet there at night and you won't be bothered by the nightlife action in Sabang. For me, Sabang and Small La Laguna is crowded and noisy. Big La Laguna is quiet and relaxing. I highly recommend a dive resort called Big La Laguna Beach Club. Very nice rooms, resort, and well run dive op. Nice beach front too.

Anyway, your trip is still far away. You are more than welcome to quiz me on my Anilao and PG experience. I also dove Dumaguete/Apo Island Sanctuary, Panglao Island in Bohol, and Tubattaha (Liveaboard). I grew up in Manila so feel free to ask me some questions about that city, too:).

Regards,

Phil

[BettyinToronto]

Thanks Phil.

Yes the Phillipines dive trip if over a year away and it's hard to see what the Hong Kong dive shops offers from here so we'll probably have to wait until we arrive and go the very first day to check out the options. We have the first two weeks to go as the Monday of the 3rd week is CNY and we'll have to be around for that with family. Then we leave that Sunday. Three weeks flies by so fast. But we will be retiring there; hopefully August 2013 so we'll get to do a lot more diving in Asia.

We are not into night life (non-drinkers) so I have been leaning towards Anilao but it's a shame that the beaches aren't nice. But hey we're there for the diving, right?

Betty

[BettyinToronto]

If most diving in the Phillipines is off of long boats...I understand the backroll to get into the water but how do you get out??? :confused:

I don't have the strength to pull myself into a boat like that.

Betty

[Stothart]

Great information Betty Thanks. The manoeuvre out to the boat was skipped in the brochure! It is good to know about the afternoon dives because I as well suck air. Did/Do they offer a bay of pigs dive?

[BettyinToronto]

Both dives are in the morning. 9am for deeper and 10:30am for shallow. No afternoon dives free with the resort.

I think they could offer the Bay of Pigs as we asked too but they have to have a certain number of divers. Something like 10 and we would never get that during low season. Maybe the head office in Veradero could get that number from all the resorts combined. They do offer a wreck dive for additional $$$ but hubby is not interested in wrecks.

Betty

[Joe Cool]

Thanks Phil.

Yes the Phillipines dive trip if over a year away and it's hard to see what the Hong Kong dive shops offers from here so we'll probably have to wait until we arrive and go the very first day to check out the options. We have the first two weeks to go as the Monday of the 3rd week is CNY and we'll have to be around for that with family. Then we leave that Sunday. Three weeks flies by so fast. But we will be retiring there; hopefully August 2013 so we'll get to do a lot more diving in Asia.

We are not into night life (non-drinkers) so I have been leaning towards Anilao but it's a shame that the beaches aren't nice. But hey we're there for the diving, right?

Betty

As for HK diving, check our the ASIA regional sub-forums. I know there are HK divers on there that dive regularly around HK waters.

PG will have very good diving and a nice beach (Big La Laguna area). Anilao has very good diving, no beach, and mostly rustic accommodations. FYI, Anilao is a 3-hour + trip from Manila. PG will require that you get on a ferry from Anilao. If my memory serves me right, it is a 45 min. to 60-minute crossing.

If you want to avoid lengthy travels or transfers, I would also recommend that you consider Cebu. There are regional airline flights between HK and Cebu. Cebu diving is also highly recommended. There are three well-known dive areas around Cebu Island: Malapascua (North), Moalboal (NW), Mactan/Olango Island (East), and Santander/Sumilon Island (South). Mactan is closest to the airport (a few minutes) so travel time is not an issue. Malapascua (for Thresher Shark and other pelagic sightings) and Moalboal (Macro and some pelagics) are only three hours away by bus or taxi. Malapascua requires that you take a boat to get to that island. There are a lot of nice beach area choices around Cebu, too.

I have not dived Cebu (that next on my list of Philippine must-dive spots among others) but I have heard very good diving stories from friends who live there and have done that. I did dive Panglao Island in Bohol which is the next island south of Cebu. But, that's another story. I don't want to confuse you with too much Philippine info just yet :D

Regards,

Phil

[BettyinToronto]

Wow thanks! Lots of good info. New places for me to research. :rofl3:

I want to be fairly informed so when we go into a dive shop in HK to see what they have I know what`s good or not when we have to choose. Maybe I can even book my own trip like I just did last week for our trip to Roatan in February. Trciky part weill be the transfers from airport to hotel. :depressed:

Like I said `Lot sof good stuff`

THanks
Betty

[Luniverspin]

Just back from Varadero (Villa Cuba, a good price/quality ratio especially given the Christmas premium on rates). The sea was rough so the only dives available were at the Bay of pigs, on the Carribean side of the island (2 hrs bus ride). Barracuda appeared to be the only active operator. I have no negative comment on them. Ok they were late picking us up at the hotel... But that's Cuba! No problem with the tanks & weight (I have my own gear). This being said, rental looked ok from what I have seen. At destination, our bus was broken into groups of 5. Our dive-master helped getting us ready to go, and once in the water he spotted the sadly too few attractions that showed up (some lion-fishes and a barracuda). He did not seem overwhelmignly interested by the level of air in our tanks but - Hey! - these are shallow dives (25 m for no.1 and less than 20 m for no.2) and they are shore dives (no boat, no current) so I don't see why I would normally need more than the 3 bars supplied. All and all a pleasant day of diving that did not show any of the horrors I read about this operator on this thread. Maybe it's true that we should not believe everything we see on the internet ;-)

[NFLFan92]

Question about Barracuda ... I'm heading to Veradero at the end of the month, what do they charge for a dive (2 dive a day package) ... what are the highly rated dive sites to plan to see? Is there a place online to check them out/see prices and schedule?

[disco1999]

Book through your hotel, do it ahead of time, like upon arrival day, there could be up to 2 days delay for your first dives. The day of your dive, the bus will usually pick you up between 8 and 10am and take you to the dive center to pick any missing items, price is always 70cuc all included, no matter where you dive and no matter if you bring your gear or not.
If the sea is rough:
you'll be taken to southern Cuba in the bay of pigs (2 hours bus drive) and dive from shore, the bay is always calm.
if not, you'll dive northern Cuba (20mins boat ride).

I've done both and them and you'll want to go the the Bay of pigs, weather will decide. No extra cost, you can postpone for the next day hoping for rough sea if you don't want to go northern Cuba.

If you think of diving more then 1 day, don't hesitate to book them all at once and you'll save cuc'$

My advice is to save space for your luggage space, bring you only reg and mask, don't bother bringing the rest, their equipment is fine enough.

[NFLFan92]

thanks disco ... I received an e-mail from Barracuda as well saying basically the samething you posted. Were there any particular dive sites you went to that you would recommend besides the Bay of Pigs?

[disco1999]

I haven't done a lot of dives in Cuba, I appreciated the bay of pigs for the impressive cliffs with corals. Diving near Varadero will take you to a marine park where military vehicles and vessels were dumped.

[Charlie999]

All the rental tanks I saw at barracuda were yoke style

Hi

I'm going to Cuba next week and taking my regs which are a DIN fitting. Being new to diving am I right in saying that all tanks can rake both fittings? All the ones in my dive school were adjustable by removing a small screw in collar.

Charlie

[sammy631000]

Most Cuba dive shops are set up for International fitting (i.e. yoke style). You are correct that they can use an allen key to remove the yoke adapter so you are able to use your DIN fitting, however, sometimes they are reluctant to do so (perhaps lazy, or don't want the extra wear and tear...take your pick).

I also have a DIN fitting setup, however, I invested in an 'yoke adapter' for situations where dive centre staff unable or unwilling to switch over tank. It also makes sense to have your OWN allen key; one less excuse for them not to set up your preference ;).

Additonal Information: Note that DIN fittings are the norm for cenote diving in Cuba e.g. Bay of Pigs area has couple good cenotes- try dive shop at Playa Giron hotel. Also expect to be using the taller aluminum tanks for dive locations with long boat trips to sites e.g. Punta Frances- Isla de Juventad (likely an extra 4kg for average person with 3mm fullsuit); also domestic air flights to the 'Isla' have a 20kg bag restriction, compared to 25kg on international flights to Cuba, expect to get dinged an exta $10cuc for overweight (in cash).
.

[Jiheme]

Hi, last year I had 2 dives with Baracuda at Varadero.
The bus took me at the hotel around 8:30 and took us to the dive center in town.
whan everybody was equiped we took the bvus again to go to a shore near the airport's area. the 2 dives were from the shore.
The reef was great. not spectacular but great. Lot of fishes (muray, angelfish, parrotfish...)

I'm going back to Varadero next june and I'll do some dives for sure. The major difference will be that now I have my own gear :D