We joined a 12-night voyage to Cuba’s Jardines ("HarDEENes") de la Reina aboard Jardines Avalon III. We flew American from Cincinnati through Miami; the whole trip was about six hours. Arrival at Havana was easy, baggage operations were efficient, and customs was simple (all arriving bags were x-rayed).
The voyage was geared to serious-to-fanatical photographers, and while the Avalon III accommodates 30, we numbered just 20 divers, all of whom have substantial experience. Although several very large camera rigs were aboard, there was adequate room on two large tables on the huge dive deck; crew members moved camera rigs from skiffs to the camera tank, and then the tables. Three skiffs were available, and ours had five or fewer divers on most trips. The skiffs are 10m fiberglass boats with twin 150HP outboards, smooth and fast. Dive gear stays on the skiffs after initial setup and is hosed off after the last dive of the day.
JAIII is a 160'/49m vessel only a few years old. It is very solid and had ample room for our smallish group. The crew members, all of whom are Cuban, were warm and friendly, and the dive staff joined the group most evenings.
To digress, most of the group gathered in Havana on the Wednesday afternoon before a Saturday sailing. On Thursday, we did a walking tour and an obligatory (but very fun) ride in restored convertibles and, for Ry Cooder fans, Buena Vista Social Club, and on Friday, we visited Hermingway’s farm and Fusterlandia (look it up), among other attractions. We stayed in a very modern two-tower hotel on the Malecon. On Saturday, we boarded a bus for what became a seven-hour trip to the port of Jucaro, where the Avalon boats tie up. We arrived well after dark; the ship left port as soon as the gear was aboard. (The return to Havana, on a sunny Wednesday morning, took only five hours.) Several folks flew into the airport at Camaguey, which is a few hours closer to Jucaro, but we wanted to see Havana.
JAIII is an excellent boat with an excellent crew, both in and out of the water. Cabins are freshened every day, and laundry is available three times weekly. 32 dives, plus two night dives, were offered. We did 29, including one of the night dives (lots and lots of worms. Depths ranged from very shallow (in a mangrove channel) to 109', with about half deeper than 90'. All divers were using Nitrox. The dive rhythm was breakfast before the first dive briefing at 7:45 for at 8:00 departure, with an interval on the ship for 40-45 minutes before the second dive at 10:30-10:45; lunch around 1:30; and the third dive around 4:00, with dinner usually 7:30. (I think night dives left at 6:30, with dinner adjusted accordingly; of the two night dives offered, four of us dived the first, and none dived the second.)
Food was excellent and ample. A mild criticism is that it was not always hot, but a constant supply of lobster fixed every possible way, and fresh fish, made up for cooling rice, and the chef and his staff did a marvelous job. Basically-unlimited red and white wine was served with dinner; beer and soft drinks were available, and something like five per day were included at no extra charge, recorded on an honor sheet. Several folks brought liquor from Havana.
The Jardines, an archipelago of hundreds of islands/islets 40-50 miles off the southern coast of central Cuba, are glorious. The only inhabitants are crocodiles, mangroves, birds, a large endemic rodent, crabs, and iguanas. We did see another Avalon (Aggressor-branded) boat a few times, and one of our groups encountered divers from another vessel on one occasion.
The diving revolved around the numerous Caribbean reef and silky sharks which inhabit the area. Every dive included deployment of a scent box, resulting in gatherings of several to a dozen or more animals; not surprisingly, the mere arrival of a skiff brought a gang of sharks. It is our understanding that the scent boxes are no longer used routinely, but the animals certainly know that skiffs mean sniffs. (Crocodiles are also sought-after photographic subjects, but only one skiff-load had a shot at one on this trip.)
The underwater topography is interesting, with lots of channels between rocky fingers. There are some walls of decent size, and sandy bottoms hide the usual Caribbean critters. Visibility ranged from not-too-bad to pretty cloudy, and currents were mild to moderate. I don't want to sugarcoat the condition of the reefs: 2023 was a terrible awful year for them, and about the only color on the reefs from was sponges.
When we booked the trip, in the spring of 2023, the Jardines de la Reina was recognized as having among the best remaining hard corals in the Caribbean. By the time we got there in January 2024, the hard corals were badly bleached and many of the sea fans were dead, either covered in slime or reduced to skeletal remains. The locals contend that there is no SCTLD in the Jardines, and perhaps this is so; Little Cayman reportedly has none, it is only 100 miles or so from where we were. We saw fewer reef fish than expected, although some nice schools of snapper, porkfish and schoolmasters were frequent on the reeftops, and on many dives we were accompanied by one or two ever-curious Goliath groupers (our first–what great animals), as well as other (mostly Nassau) groupers. Indeed, it was aggregation time for the Nassau, so they were seen in large groups as their changed to their pale mating dress.
Thanks to our excellent guide, Irain, we saw an uncommon (perhaps endemic), golden basslet, several species of hamlet, a number of jawfish, sexy and cleaner shrimp; there were numerous barracuda, various jacks, a variety of triggerfish (ocean and queen) and various jacks; a few each of green and spotted eels, stingrays, hawksbills, lots of lobsters, and lionfish, which were routinely speared and fed to the ever-present sharks. A few stingrays, including Caribbean; others saw eagle rays. We saw very few parrotfishes, although we did encounter a large midnight parrotfish–always a treat. (Each diver was assigned a fish to count and record the number seen on each dive, but I suspect most folks were not faithful reporters.)
So, is the Queen’s Garden still the place to find the best corals in the Caribbean? I don’t know the answer, but I do know it’s not what it was a few months ago. A day or so after our return, X-Ray Magazine #123 included an article by Robert Osborn with before-and-after photos (from May and September 2023) documenting this tragedy, and informative commentary; it’s available for download at xray-mag.com. One can only hope meaningful recovery is possible.
Although the condition of the reefs was dispiriting, we had an excellent trip. Our time in Havana was short, but made a big impression; and of course, the remoteness and vastness of the Jardines is without compare, as far as I know, in the Caribbean; a favorite part of the trip was several long skiff-rides through the maze of mangroves. The shark experiences were intense, but mostly well-managed, and the diving was great.
We will never forget the dancing crew members who greeted every return with cries of "HOT TOW-ELS" and lots of great cheer. We raise a glass to JAIII and her outstanding crew, and fervently hope that the Jardines and its fauna recover from the current stresses.
I have a set of photos up at Cuba, January 2024 - Rick Morgan.
The voyage was geared to serious-to-fanatical photographers, and while the Avalon III accommodates 30, we numbered just 20 divers, all of whom have substantial experience. Although several very large camera rigs were aboard, there was adequate room on two large tables on the huge dive deck; crew members moved camera rigs from skiffs to the camera tank, and then the tables. Three skiffs were available, and ours had five or fewer divers on most trips. The skiffs are 10m fiberglass boats with twin 150HP outboards, smooth and fast. Dive gear stays on the skiffs after initial setup and is hosed off after the last dive of the day.
JAIII is a 160'/49m vessel only a few years old. It is very solid and had ample room for our smallish group. The crew members, all of whom are Cuban, were warm and friendly, and the dive staff joined the group most evenings.
To digress, most of the group gathered in Havana on the Wednesday afternoon before a Saturday sailing. On Thursday, we did a walking tour and an obligatory (but very fun) ride in restored convertibles and, for Ry Cooder fans, Buena Vista Social Club, and on Friday, we visited Hermingway’s farm and Fusterlandia (look it up), among other attractions. We stayed in a very modern two-tower hotel on the Malecon. On Saturday, we boarded a bus for what became a seven-hour trip to the port of Jucaro, where the Avalon boats tie up. We arrived well after dark; the ship left port as soon as the gear was aboard. (The return to Havana, on a sunny Wednesday morning, took only five hours.) Several folks flew into the airport at Camaguey, which is a few hours closer to Jucaro, but we wanted to see Havana.
JAIII is an excellent boat with an excellent crew, both in and out of the water. Cabins are freshened every day, and laundry is available three times weekly. 32 dives, plus two night dives, were offered. We did 29, including one of the night dives (lots and lots of worms. Depths ranged from very shallow (in a mangrove channel) to 109', with about half deeper than 90'. All divers were using Nitrox. The dive rhythm was breakfast before the first dive briefing at 7:45 for at 8:00 departure, with an interval on the ship for 40-45 minutes before the second dive at 10:30-10:45; lunch around 1:30; and the third dive around 4:00, with dinner usually 7:30. (I think night dives left at 6:30, with dinner adjusted accordingly; of the two night dives offered, four of us dived the first, and none dived the second.)
Food was excellent and ample. A mild criticism is that it was not always hot, but a constant supply of lobster fixed every possible way, and fresh fish, made up for cooling rice, and the chef and his staff did a marvelous job. Basically-unlimited red and white wine was served with dinner; beer and soft drinks were available, and something like five per day were included at no extra charge, recorded on an honor sheet. Several folks brought liquor from Havana.
The Jardines, an archipelago of hundreds of islands/islets 40-50 miles off the southern coast of central Cuba, are glorious. The only inhabitants are crocodiles, mangroves, birds, a large endemic rodent, crabs, and iguanas. We did see another Avalon (Aggressor-branded) boat a few times, and one of our groups encountered divers from another vessel on one occasion.
The diving revolved around the numerous Caribbean reef and silky sharks which inhabit the area. Every dive included deployment of a scent box, resulting in gatherings of several to a dozen or more animals; not surprisingly, the mere arrival of a skiff brought a gang of sharks. It is our understanding that the scent boxes are no longer used routinely, but the animals certainly know that skiffs mean sniffs. (Crocodiles are also sought-after photographic subjects, but only one skiff-load had a shot at one on this trip.)
The underwater topography is interesting, with lots of channels between rocky fingers. There are some walls of decent size, and sandy bottoms hide the usual Caribbean critters. Visibility ranged from not-too-bad to pretty cloudy, and currents were mild to moderate. I don't want to sugarcoat the condition of the reefs: 2023 was a terrible awful year for them, and about the only color on the reefs from was sponges.
When we booked the trip, in the spring of 2023, the Jardines de la Reina was recognized as having among the best remaining hard corals in the Caribbean. By the time we got there in January 2024, the hard corals were badly bleached and many of the sea fans were dead, either covered in slime or reduced to skeletal remains. The locals contend that there is no SCTLD in the Jardines, and perhaps this is so; Little Cayman reportedly has none, it is only 100 miles or so from where we were. We saw fewer reef fish than expected, although some nice schools of snapper, porkfish and schoolmasters were frequent on the reeftops, and on many dives we were accompanied by one or two ever-curious Goliath groupers (our first–what great animals), as well as other (mostly Nassau) groupers. Indeed, it was aggregation time for the Nassau, so they were seen in large groups as their changed to their pale mating dress.
Thanks to our excellent guide, Irain, we saw an uncommon (perhaps endemic), golden basslet, several species of hamlet, a number of jawfish, sexy and cleaner shrimp; there were numerous barracuda, various jacks, a variety of triggerfish (ocean and queen) and various jacks; a few each of green and spotted eels, stingrays, hawksbills, lots of lobsters, and lionfish, which were routinely speared and fed to the ever-present sharks. A few stingrays, including Caribbean; others saw eagle rays. We saw very few parrotfishes, although we did encounter a large midnight parrotfish–always a treat. (Each diver was assigned a fish to count and record the number seen on each dive, but I suspect most folks were not faithful reporters.)
So, is the Queen’s Garden still the place to find the best corals in the Caribbean? I don’t know the answer, but I do know it’s not what it was a few months ago. A day or so after our return, X-Ray Magazine #123 included an article by Robert Osborn with before-and-after photos (from May and September 2023) documenting this tragedy, and informative commentary; it’s available for download at xray-mag.com. One can only hope meaningful recovery is possible.
Although the condition of the reefs was dispiriting, we had an excellent trip. Our time in Havana was short, but made a big impression; and of course, the remoteness and vastness of the Jardines is without compare, as far as I know, in the Caribbean; a favorite part of the trip was several long skiff-rides through the maze of mangroves. The shark experiences were intense, but mostly well-managed, and the diving was great.
We will never forget the dancing crew members who greeted every return with cries of "HOT TOW-ELS" and lots of great cheer. We raise a glass to JAIII and her outstanding crew, and fervently hope that the Jardines and its fauna recover from the current stresses.
I have a set of photos up at Cuba, January 2024 - Rick Morgan.
