What's the deal with Cuban diving anyway?

[weboflies]

I'm taking a trip to the Yucatan and Cuba in June, and I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to try and do any diving in Cuba. It seems there is very little info out there, and a lot of it is conflicting. I just finished watching a PBS documentary that said that from the lack of sea traffic and development in Cuba, it's reefs are some of the most pristine in the world. Any reviews I've found from diving info resources seem to be a very mixed bag though.

I am looking for dives that are on par or better sea-life-wise with the stuff around Cozumel/ Yucatan that are affordable and accessible by a reputable dive center. Maria la Gorda gets good reviews for the most part, but it's out of the way and I plan to head southeast from Havana. Jardines Del Reina looks wonderful but a don't have 2000 euro or a week of time to give it to do the liveaboards there. Thinking more along the lines of a couple of days at no more than $40 a dive. Anyone have any experience with this that they can relay please?

 

[Saagax]

I don't have first hand experience but a friend who went to Cuba recently told me that he went diving in Havana and he had a good experience, he didn't tell me the name of the shop that took him but what he told me is that a bus picked them up and left the group by the shore and they did a shore drift dive and the bus would pick them up in another beach (or bus stop).


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[Nosnhoj]

I was in Holguin a few months ago, and the hotel had diving included (though it was a 15 minute bus ride away). The diving was no where close to Cozumel standards, and the reefs weren't in the best of shape. Many of the divers were anchoring themselves on the coral to get a decent picture - and it showed. That being said, I still enjoyed it. Your mileage may vary...

 

[caribean-ted]

I dove in Cuba last year, went to Riu Veradero. you can organize dive pickups from there but they pick you up by bus and its 1.5 hours to the dive location on the other side of cuba The diving was spectacular. reefs and sea life all good. This was a shore dive. Also across the street theres an underwater cave system for cave divers. Theres great diving but not much else at the dive locations, few hotels there. Not the main area. Cuba has lots of great dive sites, I will definately return.
Theres dive opps right on the main drag of veradero and iberostar has a dive op right at the resort.

Hope this helps.

 

[nipi]

I'm taking a trip to the Yucatan and Cuba in June, and I'm trying to decide if it's worth it to try and do any diving in Cuba. It seems there is very little info out there, and a lot of it is conflicting. I just finished watching a PBS documentary that said that from the lack of sea traffic and development in Cuba, it's reefs are some of the most pristine in the world. Any reviews I've found from diving info resources seem to be a very mixed bag though.

I am looking for dives that are on par or better sea-life-wise with the stuff around Cozumel/ Yucatan that are affordable and accessible by a reputable dive center. Maria la Gorda gets good reviews for the most part, but it's out of the way and I plan to head southeast from Havana. Jardines Del Reina looks wonderful but a don't have 2000 euro or a week of time to give it to do the liveaboards there. Thinking more along the lines of a couple of days at no more than $40 a dive. Anyone have any experience with this that they can relay please?

If you are heading SE from Havana you should dive at Cienfuegos (Rancho Luna) or Trinidad (Playa Ancon).

 

[Bryan Cunningham]

Jardines De La Reina is the best diving in Cuba, but expensive. There is also good diving and cheap accommodation on Cayo Largo. The diving there is not as cheap as the rest of Cuba, but on a par with International prices.

 

[t4e]

one of the instructors at our local dive shop goes frequently to Cuba and she highly recommends Cayo Largo

ooh and btw Cozumel is overrated afaic, the mayan riviera has beautiful diving

 

[drbill]

Castro was a diver and spearfisherman. Whatever you think about his politics, he reportedly did a lot to protect the waters around the island. JY Cousteau was very impressed with his attitudes toward the marine environment when they met. Of course perhaps the reason some of the diving there is as good as it is is that in general people are too poor to afford SCUBA gear.

 

[Wookie]

Castro was a diver and spearfisherman. Whatever you think about his politics, he reportedly did a lot to protect the waters around the island. JY Cousteau was very impressed with his attitudes toward the marine environment when they met. Of course perhaps the reason some of the diving there is as good as it is is that in general people are too poor to afford SCUBA gear.

In fact, as far as percentages go, Cuba has more protected waters than any other country in the world. Cuba has protected fully 25% of their territorial waters (12 miles), far more than any other country in the world. By contrast, Florida has protected less than 1%, and the United States in general is around 8%

 

[cleung]

I dove off Maria la Gorda which is on the most western part of the island and a protected biosphere. The resort there was pretty good and caters mostly to divers. Nice rooms and dock right outside. Nice uncrowded private beach too. However, the food was laughable and the stupid cows that walk near the back of the resort made all sorts of noise during our sleeping hours.

As for the diving, the divemasters were terrible - we did two deep dives one after another! Total lack of safety. The quality of the diving was okay in my opinion and on par with some of the average to better Caribbean spots but really no better. I would not return there to dive.