Cuba liveaboards?

[mikebyron]

first off - not sure where cuba is categorized and found threads in central america etc.

I have heard there are liveaboards that travel from mexico to dive cuba therefore are not illegal for americans to visit. I found the oceanus - but curious if there are others.

Any others or other recommendations for cuba?

 

[nipi]

This is only one I have heard of - off the south coast - Jardines de la Reina Cuba the best diving in the Caribbean

 

[mrlipis]

The Oceanus is no longer and as an US citizen, you are not allowed to travel to Cuba. I have heard of stories where Americans could get a separate stamped document but if you were to get your passport stamped by Cuba... you would have problems coming home.
Bottom line... Forget Cuba

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

When we went to Cuba, they gave us an actual gold foil stamp to show the customs guy instead of stamping your passport. We still have the stamp. There were about 10 people on our plane from the U.S.

 

[Doc]

The above mentioned methods of avoiding a Federal Felony are by no means foolproof.

US Customs has noted any number of US passports that were "inadvertently" or mistakenly stamped by a Cuban authority... when they were supposed to have stamped a separate sheet.

Here is one live aboard that might still be operational Cuba scuba at Cubalinda.com - plenty of information & pictures for scuba diving in Cuba., but again, you suffer the vagaries of US Law by showing up at her departure docks at Cienfuegos.

That said, there are no liveaboards that make a crossing from another country (like Mexico, as mentioned above)- none that I am aware of. (I think the Oceanus might be off line). You'd have to be in for a long, rough ride and it would be very costly in fuel prices alone. The Nekton Nekton Diving Cruises - Comfort, Stability, Worldclass Diving has run trips to rocks where you could pretty well see the forbidden land. Suffice to say, the best diving is way on the other side of this long, skinny island.

When this island is opened up to the US diver and their US Dollars, all bets are off. Katy- bar the door.

 

[Capt. Rib]

Doc is pretty much on the money. Any means of spending money in Cuba without an OFAC license is illegal. By the way, it is not illegal to travel to Cuba, just illegal to spend money there even from a third party such as Canada, Mexico, etc.

Also, it is my understanding that the Oceanus is not running divers any longer. I took 4 trips on that boat in 2001-2002.

With that being said, I recently re-obtained my license from the OFAC to do marine research in Cuba. We simply utilize R.E.E.F.'s roving diver methods of fish quantification and publish the data on their site. I am working on at least 3 expeditions for 2008.

There is more information on my website at African Insights – Responible Tourism South Africa

Rib

 

[ranger]

Capt Rib,
Is it possible to get in on the expeditions?