CUBA SCUBA DIVING ADVENTURES FOR AMERICANS
We offer custom SCUBA diving tours throughout Cuba for individual divers and groups. Cuba is the main island of an archipelago which has over 4,000 islands and cays. The three main archipelagos that surround the large island are Jardines de la Reina and Canarreos on the southern coast, and Colorados on the north coast. Sea life of interest to SCUBA divers in Cuba includes the Cuban crocodile, dolphins, eagle rays, manatees, sharks, sponges, whale sharks, and sea turtles. Water temperatures in Cuba range from 20°C in the winter to 30°C in the summer. Visibility is excellent in the seas around the island and spectacular in the few fresh water cenotes that are open to SCUBA divers. Of the six-thousand plant species that are found in Cuba approximately half are endemic and not found anywhere else on earth, and no point of Cuba is more than 80 kilometers from the sea. Cuba is a true diver’s paradise with seemingly infinite visibility and a great mix of reef, cave, wall, wreck, and even cenote diving. With little development in the past fifty years the island is the most pristine diving destination in the Caribbean, discover it yourself! Remember that the most active part of hurricane season is from August to October, so plan your SCUBA in Cuba trip accordingly.
SCUBA Points of interest in Cuba;
Cayo Coco; The resorts on Cayo Coco offer many options for diving both from shore and dive boat. Located on the north coast of Cuba the area around Cayo Coco is full of sea life and corrals that are accessible to novice divers.
Playa Giron; Notorious for the ill-fated American invasion of the Bay of Pigs of 1961, Playa Giron offers divers cave, reef, wall, and wreck dives, and a short drive away are the best fresh cater cenotes at Hatos de Jicarita.
Maria la Gorda; The waters around Maria La Gorda are pristine and protected. The Ensenada de Corrientes offers divers many options from wall dives to shallow water corrals, and all are accessible by the areas dive boats which can reach the dive sites furthest from shore in less than one hour, while most sites are only require a short twenty to thirty-minute boat ride. The area has abundant sea life including whale sharks. Maria la Gorda is considered a SCUBA only site by us, since it is a long drive from any large city and offers visitors few activities aside from diving.
Santiago de Cuba; The battle between the Spanish and American fleets in 1898 turned Santiago Harbor into a paradise for wreck divers, where the wrecks of the Spanish cruisers Cristobal Colon and Almirante Oquendo are easily accessible from the shore. The wrecks of Spanish Admiral Cervera’s fleet makes for one of Cuba’s best dives.
Trinidad + Cienfuegos; the beautiful colonial city of Trinidad is the base for some of Cuba’s best wall dives, and offers cave, wreck, and beautiful shallow water reef dives. Cienfuegos offers divers the option of going out on a die boat and is a great destination to see whale sharks from the end of October through mid-December.
Bacunayagua; Famous for the bridge and lookout located nearby, Bacunayagua in Mayabeque Province is on Cuba’s north coast, and has easily accessible reefs for novice divers. Varadero; Varadero is one of Cuba’s top SCUBA destinations, with boat diving, wrecks, and reefs open to SCUBA divers.
El Salado; Located a short drive from Havana, el Salado is home to an extensive reef system that almost starts at the shoreline.
Contact us for your custom SCUBA diving adventure in Cuba, we handle everything from your transfers, accommodations, guides, and if you need help with your flights we can handle that too. Our dive leaders are some of the most experienced in Cuba, and we maintain a ratio of four to six divers per dive master, depending on your groups qualifications and experience. Please remember to bring your diving certifications and ID, and as much of your equipment as you feel necessary.
We can be reached at salescubatraveltrips@gmail.com. We are your guide to Cuba!
By Frank Gonzalez