Cuba or Belize

[Dogman]

Best spots to dive???

Cost of diving??

Marine life to expect??

Cost of accomo, food etc.

Sites not to be missed???

Thanks again.......

DM

=-)

 

[jiveturkey]

You'll get answers quicker by posting these questions in the appropriate travel forum. People can be quite helpful there.

 

[wetman]

Don't know Belize, but Cuba is excellent. Spent a week diving in the Bay of Pigs. Vis was great. Sea life was great but not that big. If you're lucky you can find whale sharks there. There are cenotes in cuba but they are off limits apparently. We were lucky enough to get to one and it was pretty much my favorite dive to date. Theres nothing like the feeling of "why the hell am i being taken into the middle of the cuban jungle when the water is back that way, hmmm..." Food wasn't fantastic at the resort. We're doing another trip for just diving only in the next many months - no resorts, just travel and sleep where you dive and move on. There are some excellent shark dives if you know where to go and a blue hole apparently as well. Add that to the nice shore ocean dives and cenotes, and life doesnt get much better.

Cuba Pics

steve

 

[DeputyDan]

its an extra $10,000 (fine) to visit Cuba if you are found out about!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[wetman]

Ya, you guys miss out huge. So close but yet so far. But if you're not, take advantage of it before it changes and the americans take over the resorts.

steve

 

[zippy]

DeputyDan once bubbled...
its an extra $10,000 (fine) to visit Cuba if you are found out about!!!!!!!!!!!

Only if you are an american, no one else has an embrgo.

 

[drbill]

There is no fine for visiting Cuba, only if you are American and spend money there. Ridiculous position givn the "enemies" we are allowed to visit elsewhere.

There are ways for Americans to dive Cuba without violating the law. There are liveaboards from Mexico that are permitted to dive Cuban coastal waters. Since you make no payments to Cubans, you do not violate the law.

Personally I can hardly wait to dive there.

Dr. Bill

 

[wetman]

I can't wait to take more pictures there. We're kinda lucky - the local dive shop owner is a native cuban and still has family and all his old diving ties down there (he used to be a DM at a resort and knows everyone). It REALLY helps when you want to do the kind of diving we did. We had tanks for the groups all week and got fills when we needed them. We weren't tied to any dive shop or any schedule that way. It was pretty much ideal except for the fact we were tied to the resort and ended up coming back there to sleep every night. Thats the tie we're cutting next time.

We did have one occasion though that we were stranded in the middle of nowhere for a good chunk of a night but thats a different story. Damn crabs...

steve

 

[donacheson]

wetman once bubbled...
Ya, you guys miss out huge. So close but yet so far. But if you're not, take advantage of it before it changes and the americans take over the resorts.

Being American, it is a shame. It'll change someday, but not while the political conservatives are still in power here and Castro there. So enjoy while you have it to yourselves!

 

[Scubadude]

Try Scubacan. They are pretty good. Great diving, food is so so. Who cares, so you rough it for a week. That's the fun of it. They even take you as a group to Havana , twice during the week. Americans can go to China where human rights are blatenly violated, but we can't go to Cuba... ya Right ! They won't stop me ! You can go through Toronto, Cancun, Dominican Republic, Jamaica. Go for it. Too many bugs in Belize. Diving is just as good maybe better. Adios & Good Viz, George