flareless
Contributor
A group of divers from my LDS recently visited ScubaCuba in Guardalavaca, Cuba. The op is located on the southern end of the island on the Atlantic side. Our group stayed at the Club Amigo Bungalos, part of the Club Amigo hotel resort located on the beach. Our goal was to keep our costs down on this last minute trip and the hotel was a reflection on this. It's a three star hotel which, while providing most of the amenities required, is not a place I'd highly recommend to the traveler seeking a luxury vacation. The rooms were clean, the pool wasn't and the food was, well, food. There are some nearby restaurants with slightly better fare but only slightly. The prices for food were pretty cheap as was the price of the beer. The only food and drink we had to pay for was outside the club as our package was all-inclusive. Overall, for the $500ish CDN (taxes in) we got a pretty good deal with no major disappointments. The one bummer was the problems with water in the rooms not working for one and a half days.
The ScubaCuba dive operation was about a 5 minute walk up the beach from the club. This wasn't too bad as we employed a horse and buggy to cart our gear as close to the club as we could making it only necessary to schlep the gear down a flight of stairs. The club offered a locked storage area where we kept the gear for the duration of the trip and happily nobody lost anything.
2 tank dives cost 50 Convertible Pesos and unfortunately we weren't given a bulk discount. The two DiveMasters who accompanied us on our dives were both professional and very helpful. Briefings were concise and easy to follow. The furthest site we visited was only a ten minute boat ride from the shop.
Unfortunately there were two VERY disappointing elements of the operation. First, the tanks were 80 cft steel tanks (no big deal) which look like they were last inspected when Castro came to power (a big deal). No reputable dive shop here in Toronto would even consider filling them. They left a rusty taste in our mouths after the dives and our regs all require service as the filters are now orange.
The second unimpressive feature was the dive boats. As a newcomer to the sport I've been on only a few types of boats but I'd have to say these were pretty bad. There was no room to move around and the boats were packed with divers and gear. Getting in to the boat was done on a flimsy ladder. One of our veteran divers, an older gent, stood down after the first dive as climbing into the boat was just too cumbersome.
The dive sites we visited were actually quite nice. Most of our group have dove at hot-spots around the world and they were even pleased with the quality of the dives. We were treated to a couple of small wrecks, some nice walls and beautiful coral formations. We managed to see a couple of Nurse Sharks, some large Groupers, numerous Tangs and other sea life. Overall the diving was a real treat and enjoyed by all.
I managed to achieve my Advanced Open Water dives and another member of the group got his Dive Master (way to go Scott and thanks for all the help).
Weather on the trip was pretty nice although rough seas nixed diving for two days on our trip. During that time we toured around the neighborhood visiting some local eateries and of course some beach bars. The Cuban people were very friendly and accommodating.
Overall I'd have to say the trip was a great time. Despite a few shortcomings the hotel and dive op were about what we expected for our low cost, last minute excursion. Everyone seemed to meet their trip objectives and nobody went home disappointed.
The ScubaCuba dive operation was about a 5 minute walk up the beach from the club. This wasn't too bad as we employed a horse and buggy to cart our gear as close to the club as we could making it only necessary to schlep the gear down a flight of stairs. The club offered a locked storage area where we kept the gear for the duration of the trip and happily nobody lost anything.
2 tank dives cost 50 Convertible Pesos and unfortunately we weren't given a bulk discount. The two DiveMasters who accompanied us on our dives were both professional and very helpful. Briefings were concise and easy to follow. The furthest site we visited was only a ten minute boat ride from the shop.
Unfortunately there were two VERY disappointing elements of the operation. First, the tanks were 80 cft steel tanks (no big deal) which look like they were last inspected when Castro came to power (a big deal). No reputable dive shop here in Toronto would even consider filling them. They left a rusty taste in our mouths after the dives and our regs all require service as the filters are now orange.
The second unimpressive feature was the dive boats. As a newcomer to the sport I've been on only a few types of boats but I'd have to say these were pretty bad. There was no room to move around and the boats were packed with divers and gear. Getting in to the boat was done on a flimsy ladder. One of our veteran divers, an older gent, stood down after the first dive as climbing into the boat was just too cumbersome.
The dive sites we visited were actually quite nice. Most of our group have dove at hot-spots around the world and they were even pleased with the quality of the dives. We were treated to a couple of small wrecks, some nice walls and beautiful coral formations. We managed to see a couple of Nurse Sharks, some large Groupers, numerous Tangs and other sea life. Overall the diving was a real treat and enjoyed by all.
I managed to achieve my Advanced Open Water dives and another member of the group got his Dive Master (way to go Scott and thanks for all the help).
Weather on the trip was pretty nice although rough seas nixed diving for two days on our trip. During that time we toured around the neighborhood visiting some local eateries and of course some beach bars. The Cuban people were very friendly and accommodating.
Overall I'd have to say the trip was a great time. Despite a few shortcomings the hotel and dive op were about what we expected for our low cost, last minute excursion. Everyone seemed to meet their trip objectives and nobody went home disappointed.
