Question: diving in Varadero, Cuba

[BettyfromToronto]

We've been to Sandals Cuba twice now. (Sept 2009 & 2010) The diving is not the greatest but it's free! And it was because of this that my husband even tried it last year; liked it and came back this year to get certified.

They do two dives a day. About 9am for the deep dive (~65ft) and then the boat comes back in to get the beginners (from the free pool sessions) for the shallow dive (~20 ft) around 10:30am.

The dive shop is good and the guys were great however they changed the staff (except for one instructor named Luis) just as we were leaving. Tell Luis hello from Betty & Joseph Li from Toronto. We dove with him 8 days over two weeks. I like that you carry your gear down once and then leave it at the dive shop for the entire trip which is nice. No wet gear going back to your room. Except of course our prescription masks and dive computers.

My biggest complaint is that I find it too hard to do two dives a day. First you gear up on the deck beside the dive shop. It's elevated so then you have to walk down the stairs; cross the wide beach; walk out to wait depth and fight the waves to put on your fins. Then you swim backwards out to the boat. Wheh! I'm exhausted before we even start. (OK I'm out of shape but hubby isn't and he hated the fin part the most.) Now if you suck air like we did (65ft for 35 mins) we had no air left for the 2nd dive or we could have just stayed on the boat like Luis. We had to come back in; swap tanks and then do the whole routine again. Not worth it for the shallow dive as the reef is geeting pretty beat up as that is where all the snorkellers go - from all the resorts via catamarans.

So we ended up just doing one dive per day. First 3 days shallow for hubby's course and then the rest only deep.

Are you in a congiere room? Madelin (Mgr) and her staff like Jorge are great. Say hello to them too. Jorge will remember us as he has a mini wiener dog like us.

Plus a good tip when going to the buffet is to pick a table or area and stick with it for the entire week. The waiter/waitress and helpers get to know you and are amazing. Look for our favourite waiter Carlos. He's a little guy with a Beatles kind of haircut. He's great. Tell him Betty & Joseph say hello too. We took gifts for his two sons and one was a remote car but we only brought batteries for the car and not the remote control. l:shocked2: Could you please do me a favour and let him know the 9 volt batteries are coming down Nov 13th with a friend of mine. He'll be happy that he can finally give his son the gift.

Ask anything about the resort. You'll love it!

Betty

 

[Joe Cool]

Funny Joe cool. Toronto as the "Canadian universe"

Yes I guess we have more choice which is nice. Plus we're only about 30-40 minute drive to the airport (we're on opposite side of the city) so it's very convenient. Probably less time for our Roatan trip as the flight leaves at 6:20am. I bet no one is on the roads at 3-4am.

Your signature says "WOW Phillipines". I may need some info from you as we plan to take a 5-day dive trip when in Hong Kong for 3 weeks in January 2012. I keep looking at that forum too trying to educate myself so when the LDS in HK offers something I'll know which areas (Anilio or PG) and hotels are better than the others.

Thanks
Betty

Well, in business and banking talk, Toronto is considered the center of the 'Canadian Universe'. Ha, ha, ha!

I have dived Anilao and PG. In Anilao, I stayed in a dive resort called Planet Dive. Anilao does not have nice beaches. The shoreline is rocky but lots of critters good for macro photography. As for Planet Dive, it has rustic accommodations but they have some upscale rooms. The resort sits on a rocky hillside like most resorts in Anilao. The terrain and layout of the resort is not my cup of tea but the diving is a must try when you are in the Philippines.

In PG, I stayed in Big La laguna. It is the second cove west of Sabang Beach. Sabang beach is where your ferry boat lands when it gets to PG. If you walk west along the beach, you'll end up in Small La Laguna. Sabang is the center of nightlife action if you go for that thing. The beach is a bit dirty in Sabang. Small La Laguna is a 10 to 15 minute walk from Sabang. Big La Laguna is around a 20 to 25-minute walk away. It is quiet there at night and you won't be bothered by the nightlife action in Sabang. For me, Sabang and Small La Laguna is crowded and noisy. Big La Laguna is quiet and relaxing. I highly recommend a dive resort called Big La Laguna Beach Club. Very nice rooms, resort, and well run dive op. Nice beach front too.

Anyway, your trip is still far away. You are more than welcome to quiz me on my Anilao and PG experience. I also dove Dumaguete/Apo Island Sanctuary, Panglao Island in Bohol, and Tubattaha (Liveaboard). I grew up in Manila so feel free to ask me some questions about that city, too.

Regards,

Phil

 

[BettyfromToronto]

Thanks Phil.

Yes the Phillipines dive trip if over a year away and it's hard to see what the Hong Kong dive shops offers from here so we'll probably have to wait until we arrive and go the very first day to check out the options. We have the first two weeks to go as the Monday of the 3rd week is CNY and we'll have to be around for that with family. Then we leave that Sunday. Three weeks flies by so fast. But we will be retiring there; hopefully August 2013 so we'll get to do a lot more diving in Asia.

We are not into night life (non-drinkers) so I have been leaning towards Anilao but it's a shame that the beaches aren't nice. But hey we're there for the diving, right?

Betty

 

[BettyfromToronto]

If most diving in the Phillipines is off of long boats...I understand the backroll to get into the water but how do you get out???

I don't have the strength to pull myself into a boat like that.

Betty

 

[Stothart]

Great information Betty Thanks. The manoeuvre out to the boat was skipped in the brochure! It is good to know about the afternoon dives because I as well suck air. Did/Do they offer a bay of pigs dive?

 

[BettyfromToronto]

Both dives are in the morning. 9am for deeper and 10:30am for shallow. No afternoon dives free with the resort.

I think they could offer the Bay of Pigs as we asked too but they have to have a certain number of divers. Something like 10 and we would never get that during low season. Maybe the head office in Veradero could get that number from all the resorts combined. They do offer a wreck dive for additional $$$ but hubby is not interested in wrecks.

Betty

 

[Joe Cool]

Thanks Phil.

Yes the Phillipines dive trip if over a year away and it's hard to see what the Hong Kong dive shops offers from here so we'll probably have to wait until we arrive and go the very first day to check out the options. We have the first two weeks to go as the Monday of the 3rd week is CNY and we'll have to be around for that with family. Then we leave that Sunday. Three weeks flies by so fast. But we will be retiring there; hopefully August 2013 so we'll get to do a lot more diving in Asia.

We are not into night life (non-drinkers) so I have been leaning towards Anilao but it's a shame that the beaches aren't nice. But hey we're there for the diving, right?

Betty

As for HK diving, check our the ASIA regional sub-forums. I know there are HK divers on there that dive regularly around HK waters.

PG will have very good diving and a nice beach (Big La Laguna area). Anilao has very good diving, no beach, and mostly rustic accommodations. FYI, Anilao is a 3-hour + trip from Manila. PG will require that you get on a ferry from Anilao. If my memory serves me right, it is a 45 min. to 60-minute crossing.

If you want to avoid lengthy travels or transfers, I would also recommend that you consider Cebu. There are regional airline flights between HK and Cebu. Cebu diving is also highly recommended. There are three well-known dive areas around Cebu Island: Malapascua (North), Moalboal (NW), Mactan/Olango Island (East), and Santander/Sumilon Island (South). Mactan is closest to the airport (a few minutes) so travel time is not an issue. Malapascua (for Thresher Shark and other pelagic sightings) and Moalboal (Macro and some pelagics) are only three hours away by bus or taxi. Malapascua requires that you take a boat to get to that island. There are a lot of nice beach area choices around Cebu, too.

I have not dived Cebu (that next on my list of Philippine must-dive spots among others) but I have heard very good diving stories from friends who live there and have done that. I did dive Panglao Island in Bohol which is the next island south of Cebu. But, that's another story. I don't want to confuse you with too much Philippine info just yet

Regards,

Phil

 

[BettyfromToronto]

Wow thanks! Lots of good info. New places for me to research.

I want to be fairly informed so when we go into a dive shop in HK to see what they have I know what`s good or not when we have to choose. Maybe I can even book my own trip like I just did last week for our trip to Roatan in February. Trciky part weill be the transfers from airport to hotel. :depressed:

Like I said `Lot sof good stuff`

THanks
Betty

 

[Luniverspin]

Just back from Varadero (Villa Cuba, a good price/quality ratio especially given the Christmas premium on rates). The sea was rough so the only dives available were at the Bay of pigs, on the Carribean side of the island (2 hrs bus ride). Barracuda appeared to be the only active operator. I have no negative comment on them. Ok they were late picking us up at the hotel... But that's Cuba! No problem with the tanks & weight (I have my own gear). This being said, rental looked ok from what I have seen. At destination, our bus was broken into groups of 5. Our dive-master helped getting us ready to go, and once in the water he spotted the sadly too few attractions that showed up (some lion-fishes and a barracuda). He did not seem overwhelmignly interested by the level of air in our tanks but - Hey! - these are shallow dives (25 m for no.1 and less than 20 m for no.2) and they are shore dives (no boat, no current) so I don't see why I would normally need more than the 3 bars supplied. All and all a pleasant day of diving that did not show any of the horrors I read about this operator on this thread. Maybe it's true that we should not believe everything we see on the internet ;-)

 

[NFLFan92]

Question about Barracuda ... I'm heading to Veradero at the end of the month, what do they charge for a dive (2 dive a day package) ... what are the highly rated dive sites to plan to see? Is there a place online to check them out/see prices and schedule?