Trip Report A couple days of diving in Cuba near Varadero

[Evcam]

Can you please elaborate a bit on how your arranged a boat dive in El Jardin? Perhaps even a contact or name of guide? I'm headed down there with some friend and had the impression you had to stay on one of the approved livaboards to dive there (we don't have time to stay a week on a live aboard but would love to dive there a day or two)/

 

[scrane]

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of fish. What was your impression?

 

[tarponchik]

I see plenty of flourishing soft coral, sea fans and gorgonians, plus sponges, all over the Caribbean, but not much of healthy stony corals. Is Cuba the same?

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Can you please elaborate a bit on how your arranged a boat dive in El Jardin? Perhaps even a contact or name of guide? I'm headed down there with some friend and had the impression you had to stay on one of the approved livaboards to dive there (we don't have time to stay a week on a live aboard but would love to dive there a day or two)/

It was this place: Barracuda Dive Center in Varadero

I'm neutral about the operation. It wasn't anything great nor anything bad. Equipment wasn't exactly high end, but what do you expect from a country suffering under an embargo?

There doesn’t seem to be a lot of fish. What was your impression?

It was better than Belize (Southwater Caye, Glover's Reef), but not impressive. On the small side as I did see a fair number of lionfish.

I see plenty of flourishing soft coral, sea fans and gorgonians, plus sponges, all over the Caribbean, but not much of healthy stony corals. Is Cuba the same?

I dived 3 different sites around Varadero. I can't speak for all of Cuba, so I will decline to answer other than to say that around Varadero, there wasn't much in the way of stony coral.