How good is the diving in Cuba?

[wildbill9]

Does it compare to Little Cayman? Bonaire? Belize? Is it worth the extra money to go? Trying to decide if it needs to be added to my bucket list. Thanks.....Bill

 

[Ayisha]

Depends where you go in Cuba. Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen) is fantastic, very healthy with an abundance of big life. 25% of Cuban water is protected marine area, and Jardines de la Reina has strict limits on diving, allows no commercial fishing, and very limited sport fishing. Jardines is just north of the Cayman islands, so it should be similar. I've been diving in the west end of Grand Cayman, and that didn't compare at all. I was diving in Belize 10 years ago and that was pretty breathtaking around Turneffe and Lighthouse with so much life, and yet Gardens of the Queen in Cuba was even healthier and had even more life. I've heard Belize isn't as healthy now, however. I haven't been to Bonaire so I can't compare.

The diving around Bay of Pigs in Cuba was decent, but not fantastic.

The diving around Varadero was just ok, not very colourful or a lot of life, similar to other areas of the Caribbean.

I would say that the area of Gardens of the Queen in Cuba is a bucket list dive, it certainly was for me. For Americans though, so far it seems very expensive. You could get half way around the world and dive in Palau for that kind of money.

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . . For Americans though, so far it seems very expensive. You could get half way around the world and dive in Palau for that kind of money.

You're referring to the trip that Ocean Doctor offers to Americans that satisfies the legal requirements for us to visit? Yes, the price is extortionate and apparently intended to capitalize on their near-monopoly on US-legal dive trips. I can't wait until we Americans are on an even footing with the rest of the world's tourists as far as our ability to visit Cuba.

 

[Ayisha]

You're referring to the trip that Ocean Doctor offers to Americans that satisfies the legal requirements for us to visit? Yes, the price is extortionate and apparently intended to capitalize on their near-monopoly on US-legal dive trips. I can't wait until we Americans are on an even footing with the rest of the world's tourists as far as our ability to visit Cuba.

Yes, that is what I was referring to. We went with Avalon's old prices minus 25% for getting a group together. In mid-July, they had a buy 3, get one free special if booked by the end of July, and we got 7 people booked and paid in 5 days. By the time we had 5 people together, we negotiated 25% off for each person, knowing we might not get 8 people to put their money down right away, and they honoured it for the 7 of us. The 4th person wouldn't exactly have been free, since they still had to pay the gas surcharge and taxes, but the total charge per person including all taxes and fees was 1822 CDN, which was/is about $1392 US. That is extortionate considering that we pay about $500 CDN all-inclusive for about anywhere else in Cuba. We were booked on the cheapest boat, La Reina, but were upgraded to Tortuga, which would have cost $2347 CDN with the special, so we lucked out.

The special price trip had to be taken by the end of September, and they sent us the new price list effective October 31st. The already crazy high prices were going up by $1100 even for the cheapest boat from October 31st! They told us that the new price list was in anticipation of the even greater American interest than they already had.

Yup, Avalon already has ridiculously high prices, but Ocean Doctor is even way more high priced!

 

[gr8jab]

How much does it cost the rest of the world to visit Cuba? To what does it compare in price, Dominican Republic or Grand Cayman?

 

[Wookie]

Yes, that is what I was referring to. We went with Avalon's old prices minus 25% for getting a group together. In mid-July, they had a buy 3, get one free special if booked by the end of July, and we got 7 people booked and paid in 5 days. By the time we had 5 people together, we negotiated 25% off for each person, knowing we might not get 8 people to put their money down right away, and they honoured it for the 7 of us. The 4th person wouldn't exactly have been free, since they still had to pay the gas surcharge and taxes, but the total charge per person including all taxes and fees was 1822 CDN, which was/is about $1392 US. That is extortionate considering that we pay about $500 CDN all-inclusive for about anywhere else in Cuba. We were booked on the cheapest boat, La Reina, but were upgraded to Tortuga, which would have cost $2347 CDN with the special, so we lucked out.

The special price trip had to be taken by the end of September, and they sent us the new price list effective October 31st. The already crazy high prices were going up by $1100 even for the cheapest boat from October 31st! They told us that the new price list was in anticipation of the even greater American interest than they already had.

Yup, Avalon already has ridiculously high prices, but Ocean Doctor is even way more high priced!

You are paying for quality and reliability. If you book with Avalon, you know you are going diving, you know the food will be anywhere from edible and safe to very good. You have a 60 mile boat ride to get out to the reef, and divemasters and boat captains and staff who don't go home at night. That costs more than when you go to an all inclusive, where the staff gets to sleep in their own bed, you might have a 10 minute ferry ride from the mainland to the resort, and the dive boats may or may not work. When we were at Cayo Levisa last week, one of the 3 dive boats was running, although it was on one engine, and they were using it as a mainland ferry, so if you wanted to go diving, you were SOL.

If you go as a Canadian (what else) you can hop on any cheap plane and go. If you are an American, you have to go with Ocean Doctor or Oceans for Youth or the Gulf Reefs Environmental Action Team where we have to make sure that you are meeting the US government requirements. You are paying the extra salaries of 4 or 5 folks to escort you around. It isn't as bad for me, I can use divemasters as tour guides when Americans are in Havana, because if we're seeing the educational sights of Havana, we aren't diving. Guggenheim has to have tour guides who work for him who have nothing else to do when Americans aren't touring, but he still has to pay them.

 

[scubafanatic]

You are paying for quality and reliability. If you book with Avalon, you know you are going diving, you know the food will be anywhere from edible and safe to very good. You have a 60 mile boat ride to get out to the reef, and divemasters and boat captains and staff who don't go home at night. That costs more than when you go to an all inclusive, where the staff gets to sleep in their own bed, you might have a 10 minute ferry ride from the mainland to the resort, and the dive boats may or may not work. When we were at Cayo Levisa last week, one of the 3 dive boats was running, although it was on one engine, and they were using it as a mainland ferry, so if you wanted to go diving, you were SOL.

If you go as a Canadian (what else) you can hop on any cheap plane and go. If you are an American, you have to go with Ocean Doctor or Oceans for Youth or the Gulf Reefs Environmental Action Team where we have to make sure that you are meeting the US government requirements. You are paying the extra salaries of 4 or 5 folks to escort you around. It isn't as bad for me, I can use divemasters as tour guides when Americans are in Havana, because if we're seeing the educational sights of Havana, we aren't diving. Guggenheim has to have tour guides who work for him who have nothing else to do when Americans aren't touring, but he still has to pay them.

The average Cuban Monthly wage is less than $ 20 (US) a Month. They appear to be milking the Yankees while the getting is good.......just sayin'.

 

[Wookie]

The average Cuban Monthly wage is less than $ 20 (US) a Month. They appear to be milking the Yankees while the getting is good.......just sayin'.

I assure you that is not my price to hire the local talent.

 

[Scubalibre varadero]

Everytime there is a topic about diving in Cuba , it ends up switching to the Americans!!! diving in Cuba it is fantastic!! we got all kind of dives , from reefs,walls,wrecks, and amazing cenotes!! Varadero/bay of pigs where we operate it has one of the best Cenote dives in the Caribbean,but nobody knows them until now that us after opening one of the few private dive shop,we started diving in them, i have been to mexico,, i dove there and they are more less same thing,dominican nothing spectacular , but i was just diving 15min on a boat from the resort ,it is obviously if you book a diving trip with one of government owned dive shop, that has been operating since 1959, when the revolution started, where all they care is about making money and not the service, you will be going to dive in a place that takes around 5000 divers a year,an nothing to see, if you are planning to go to Cuba get the right info and talk to the right people on the island that knows where to dive.if anyone is planning to go to varadero , drop us a line! scubalibre varadero
Regards!!

 

[mockney]

Thanks for your message, I am planning my honeymoon early next year, Miami, Cuba and Bahama's. I want to do some diving in both Cuba and Bahama's so I will keep you in mind when I want to book a few dives. I have to keep the wife in mind though so it will probably only be 1 day double dive and the remainder of our time will be sightseeing. How far is the drive from Havana?.