Best non-liveaboard diving in Cuba?

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I packed my equipment in my luggage except for my dive computer. Galeleo Sol. That brought out supervisors and big questions. They would not let be show them what it was but asked if it was a gps...

I came back from a different area of Cuba (Marea del Portillo, near Manzanillo) on February 22nd, and my wrist dive computer was in my purse as it always is while flying, and there were no questions at all and they did not ask me to take it out. I have never yet been asked to show or demonstrate my dive computer to security at any airport.

Sunwing has asked me twice though to open my free check-in scuba bag twice though at the Toronto airport, both times in the last 1.5 years going to Cuba, but no one else in our group was asked to open their scuba bag, and I've never been asked when going anywhere else. Both times they asked if the bag contained only scuba gear, as that is the requirement for the 20 kg (44 lb) free sporting gear check-in.
 
Can anyone say how the scuba diving is in the Zapata/Bay of Pigs area? Looking through this it was hard to tell what was actually in that area.
 
The Bay of Pigs is actually referred to in Cuba as Playa Giron, which you may have read about in the above posts. It was good diving, some of the most colorful corals I've experienced. Not many large fish.
 
It sounds like in Gardens of the Queen. In the sites they hadn't previously fed the bigger fish, there weren't a lot of large fish. Great corals and formations, and nice dives, but nothing "special". Then again, that is often the case with many Caribbean sites.
 
It sounds like in Gardens of the Queen. In the sites they hadn't previously fed the bigger fish, there weren't a lot of large fish. Great corals and formations, and nice dives, but nothing "special". Then again, that is often the case with many Caribbean sites.
When did you do Jardines de la Reina? I'm going there the end of this month. Sounds like you weren't impressed.
 
I did it last summer. I wouldn't say I wasn't impressed, just they did it kind of weird. We started out at multiple beautiful dive sites and were seeing sharks and big groupers swimming around, very nice. Then after several of those type of sites they take you to a "normal" site, with beautiful corals and just a normal amount of fish, but no bigger fish or sharks, it makes it seems like a let down, when it really wasn't. So they are all still good sites, just some have less big fish and sharks than others. But some great shark dives and sites for sure. And the gators were very cool. I would definitely go back there for the right price. Though I wouldn't pay $4k or more for it for sure and was glad I got a very good deal on it last year. I saw the Bay of Pigs/Zapata area was going for $2k for a week on the Aggressor and was intrigued by that.
 
I was on Aggressor last year. People on the Avalon seemed to enjoy their trip though. (We saw them in port)
 
Has anyone dived Isla de la Juventud? I'm wondering if the tanks are mostly DIN or yoke.

I went to Cuba twice last year and am on my way in a few days. This will be my first trip that includes diving. Regarding the U.S. restrictions, the rules seem to be changing. Last year it was basically fill out the form at the airport just before boarding and that was about it. Now the best info I have received (although I have not researched very deeply) is that the 'people-to-people' option is now limited to organized trips and not available for individual travel from the U.S. But supposedly it's still self-certified for educational, public performance (which requires a special visa from Cuba) and a few other reasons.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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