tips for diving in Cuba?

[watersprite]

I'm not sure if this is the right forum to place a question about Cuba?

I wonder how Cuba is as far as scuba diving is concerned? is it a nice place? are there places that I shouldn't miss?

And how is the equipment there? Is it of a quality that I can trust? Has anyone suggestions for a good dive shop where I could rent reliable equipment?

Thanks for any tips!

Undine

 

[Tauch-Schlumpf]

Yeah, i went a couple of years to Cayo Largo del Sur - a nice tiny island in the southwest of Cuba. They had one dive center which pick u up from the hotel. I was booked at the Marina "Resort" close to this dive center. Well the dive boats where not the newest of course - but it works. The dive spots where beautiful, nice viz. About rental equipment - as I remembered it was safe.

Years later i was for diving in the north west of Cuba - Maria la Gorda. Thats nice too - if you´re diver. Because there´s nothing else than diving you can do there! Around these - I wanna call it "Dive Camp" is nothing than the ocean & rain forest... You have to travel approx. 5 Hours by Bus from Havana.
But diving is there really good! Clear viz, beautiful u/w topographic, big fish, really beauty walls to dive!

At the end we made a dive in Havana. There you can make wreck dives. Its just nice - but better stay for diving in Maria la Gorda.

I also heared about great diving at Isla Juventud and Jardines de la Reina in the south.

If you can visit Cuba - go for it and do some dives! :wave-smil

Cheers,

Rob

 

[bmaber]

I vote for Maria la Gorda too. I did try and dive in varidaro, but being a government run dive operation it is sort of up to the captain if he feels like going out, in a week I went all of once. Maria la Gorda is very nice, but there are some things you should be aware of, it is quite a drive over to the West coast, you often can not reserve in advance, in fact you may not even get through on the awfully phones. There is one hotel 40 rooms, and NOTHING else. Also you must often pay cash and they want convertible Pesos CDN $ or Euros only. That said the diving is first class, the equipment and staff are great, 2 new dive boats, Doctor on staff and it is wonderful atmosphere because everyone is a diver and wants to talk about diving. Since the Internet is Taboo in Cuba you will find little research can be done from outside CUBA.