Varadero

[mjc]

Bonjour from Montreal!

I will be in Varadero for a week as of January 24th, for a week :shades: and would love to get some diving done. I need a full rental and believe that very few operators are available, any suggestions
I tried to contact Marina Gaviota by email but no luck

Thank you,

M-Jay

 

[Torontonian]

Which resort are you going?

Every resort will have contacts for diving. When I stayed at Beaches Veradero, they had an onsite dive op that they contract with. Guests from several other nearby resorts are picked up and come to this shop for lessons/diving. So each resort will either have their onsite shop, or arrangements to get their guests to some dive shops.

At the very beginning of the Veradero strip, there are two dive shops, one is Baracuda. I went with them once, with a bus to south of Cuba, at Bay of Pigs. If necessary, taxi is cheap that you can use to get there.

Note the nearby shore diving in Veradero is not very good. But a lot better than near Montreal -- it'll be warm water, clear viz, unlike the -10 temp at home.

 

[mjc]

Thanks TO

I am staying at the Bella Costa, don’t think they have a dive op on site. I have read conflicting reviews about barracuda but it looks like its pretty much all the same, no matter who you dive with.

Regardless, sure beats MTL or TO in January!!!

Thanks again,

MJ

 

[emmaboo]

I'll be in Varadero Feb 8/09 and I'm looking to do some diving out there as well! When you get back you should definitely pm me and let me know how it went! Have you booked yet?

I'm just wondering if you should book in advance or is there never really an issue booking when you get there? I'm lugging all my gear out there so I really don't want to get there and find out I won't be able to dive

Have a great trip!

 

[NB DIVER]

I was in Veradero the beginning of jan and stayed at the Sandals Royal Hicacos (because we were getting married). They have a dive op on site and the folks there are great and the main instructor whos name I forget speaks perfect english. They have a shallow dive around 10 am maybe 33 feet a deeper dive around 9am 60 feet or so and a wreck dive which includes a ship tanks and jeeps. This dive cost 50cuc (convertable cuban pesos about 1.38 CAN for 1 peso about .90 US) but was worth it from what I was told (never made this dive as I am very new at diving), Well hope this helps. As far as gear they have scubapro mk2 with r190 SP classic bcd belts weights masks ans fins as well as shorties probably 3 mil and they use steel tanks. Best of luck there and enjoy the water is warm and the vis was great on my dives.
Corry

 

[Torontonian]

I was in Veradero the beginning of jan and stayed at the Sandals Royal Hicacos (because we were getting married). They have a dive op on site and the folks there are great and the main instructor whos name I forget speaks perfect english. They have a shallow dive around 10 am maybe 33 feet a deeper dive around 9am 60 feet or so..

Corry

When we stayed at Beaches Veradero, that was also their dive time. 9am for certified divers, and 10am for beginners.

When I went to them to sign up and showed my NAUI Scuba Diver ID, they said I can only go to the 10am beginner dives, not the morning certified divers. So that's what I went to . After coming back from Cuba, I then found out PADI had a Scuba Diver (2 OW dives) certification that was between beginner and OW certification. The guy there in Cuba must had thought the NAUI Scuba Diver is not OW certification, because they are certainly not familiar with NAUI. They offered some certification by an agency starting with S (not SSI), that I don't remember. They didn't offer PADI or NAUI certification (guess it's because those are based in US).

I also later complained to Beaches that they advertised a certified diver can do 2 dives a day, but their schedule of dives at 9am and 10am, does not allow a certified diver to do both dives. You need SI. I was surprised that after my trip, Beaches Veradero wrote back to me to say they were addressing my concern and were discussing with the dive shop to adjust the timing. Don't know if they eventually adjusted the timing or not. But your experience of them have 9am and 10am dives, will have the same issue.

Anyway, the dives at Veradero were so so. Later in the week when I got to dive at Bay of Pigs, after 2.5hr bus ride, they were very good. That's where I remember going down 27m by the walls and it was very pretty.

 

[NB DIVER]

It seems that most places in Cuba recognise ACUC certification. Also there didn't seem to be a problem at Sandals with back to back dives since depth and bottom time didn't affect divers from doing back to backs and there was enough time to get new tanks.

 

[Gene]

I traveled to Cuba in 1993 and spent most of the week in the Varadero area. (I'm a US citizen but was living in upstate New York at the time and we flew from Toronto directly there.)
We only did some snorkel-skin diving while there from the beach, (which was beautiful, and I say that as a native Floridian).
If I were to go back, as I plan to do, I would plan on diving some of the wrecks and artificial reefs off-shore near Varadero as well as visit the cavern/cave nearby.
(I would say the cave is a must-see for any divers certified for it.)

 

[vancouverdiver]

I'm going to varadero for a wk staying at serenis las salina veradero resort. Any info on dive shops near there, who has steel tanks, and who is more geared to technical, wreck diving would be much appreciated.

 

[vancouverdiver]

also, does anyone know if Barracuda has any din valve tanks, or are they all yoke?