Cuba Liveaboards

[Diver-6873]

Trip Report Request: Has anyone seen or done a recent Avalon 1,2 or 3 liveaboard sailing in Cuba recently (2022?). I was searching for recent trip reports but couldn’t find any. Looking for members ideas, referrals, recommendation, and warnings. Thanks.

 

[Andrea1]

I have the same interrest, I would like to go to jardines dela reina in november 23, but the informations concerning the LOBs are confusing. There are a lot of "Avalons" (seems there are 5) , and the booking now is with "all star liveaboard", I have been with them on the Aquacat and I liked it, so no problem with that. But it seems they took over very recently, and thats maybe a point. And its not clear, on which "Avalon" one will end up.

There where some (very few) other LOBs, but I could not get any informations if they are still operating.

Anyway, I will start to contact All Star, and I try again to find other possibilitys. If anybody has some informations about the situation ,it would be very appreciatet from my side too.
Greetings from Vienna,
Andrea

 

[Wookie]

Aggressor Fleet still manages Jardines Aggressor I and II, located in Zapata (Jardines Aggressor 1) or Gardens of the Queen (Jardines Aggressor II). Additionally, they manage my old boat, Spree, now called M/V Oceans for Youth.

All Star Liveaboards manages Jardines Avalon II, Jardines Avalon III, and Jardines Avalon IV, all at Gardens of the Queen. From their website, it looks like you don't pick your boat, you pick the trip and they fill whatever boat is available/needs passengers. Gardens is all tender diving anyway, so the boat doesn't really matter, it;s just a place to sleep and eat.

 

[Andrea1]

Aggressor Fleet still manages Jardines Aggressor I and II, located in Zapata (Jardines Aggressor 1) or Gardens of the Queen (Jardines Aggressor II). Additionally, they manage my old boat, Spree, now called M/V Oceans for Youth.

All Star Liveaboards manages Jardines Avalon II, Jardines Avalon III, and Jardines Avalon IV, all at Gardens of the Queen. From their website, it looks like you don't pick your boat, you pick the trip and they fill whatever boat is available/needs passengers. Gardens is all tender diving anyway, so the boat doesn't really matter, it;s just a place to sleep and eat.

Thanks for the information! Aggressor is not suitable for us, as my husband dives with two tanks and they can not accomodate that, but I will see about Spree, thanks again!
Andrea

 

[BoltSnap]

my husband dives with two tanks

As in backmount double tanks or as in sidemount with two tanks?

 

[scubadada]

Trip Report Request: Has anyone seen or done a recent Avalon 1,2 or 3 liveaboard sailing in Cuba recently (2022?). I was searching for recent trip reports but couldn’t find any. Looking for members ideas, referrals, recommendation, and warnings. Thanks.

Ask @Dan

 

[Dan]

I was there in June last year. Avalon liveaboard is good dive operator.

Sorry for not writing the trip report, yet. I’ve been too busy going from one trip to another. Made 12 dive trips last year, half of them were rescheduled trips that got cancelled in 2020 & 2021 due to Covid. I still have 1 rescheduled trip in April and another one in February 2024.

I’m currently on my 2nd dive trip this year. However, I am slowing down this year. I plan to just do 6 dive trips. Hopefully I have time to write the Cuba trip report.

Just ask what you want to know specifically and I’ll dig out my notes on the subject.

This YouTube video is pretty much what you would experience in the Garden of the Queen. A lot of Grey Reef sharks would be following you like puppy dogs, to get lion fish handout from DMs.

 

[Diver-6873]

@Dan … thanks so much for your feedback and video. My wife and I live on Bonaire and dive 3-4 days a week with 1000+ dives on island alone. The sharks would certainly be a treat since we have very few of anything pelagic here. Also seeing the reefs, fish behavior, and anything macro and comparing it to our island home will be special. It would be her first LOB and my first in nearly 50 years (I did the first Cayman Diver back in the 1970s).

 

[Diver-6873]

Thanks for the information! Aggressor is not suitable for us, as my husband dives with two tanks and they can not accomodate that, but I will see about Spree, thanks again!
Andrea

Andrea … with most LOBs limiting dives to 45-60 minutes, does your husband need doubles for such a short bottom time? Just curious?

 

[Andrea1]

Andrea … with most LOBs limiting dives to 45-60 minutes, does your husband need doubles for such a short bottom time? Just curious?

He just uses too much air (bevore, he was breething from my tank). He doesnt need the second tank every dive, but it's saver and more relaxed to take it. He uses this configuration since allmost 10 years and I allways check, if it's okay for the company we dive with when we plan to there.
Greetings from snowy Vienna!