Varadero or Holguin... which is better?

[Will Mansell]

Looking to travel to Cuba for our yearly vacation and wanted to stay in either Varadero or Holguin... been to both before but haven't dove at either.

Varadero seems to have a better developed dive shop.

Wanted to know which area would offer the better dives.

BTW, I'm SSI OWD certified and very green so I'd be looking to do shallower dives to start out (around 60 feet or so).

Suggestions?

 

[halocline]

I think that Varadero was badly damaged during the hurricane, I don't know about Holguin. I would consider the southern dive sites in Cuba.

 

[RyanNM]

The Caribbean side of the island is known to have significantly superior diving, but you find the all-inclusive resort areas on the northern, Atlantic side, if that's what you're looking for. I've only dived Santa Lucia on the Atlantic side, which was ok. I have found the Caribbean much better. Check out Playa Giron (Bay of Pigs). Good diving there. Also, Isla de la Juventud in the south has great diving, I've heard. Varadero is crawling with foreign tourists, I've been told (lots of more economical vacation packages to there). Coastal Holguin is less touristed, I believe. I have not visited either.

 

[foresterab]

I've been to both pre-certification. Personally I liked Varadero better due to the higher amount of options to do outside of the water where as Holguin was not an ideal trip (6 days of rain/storms/beach closed) for us. There was also a great restaurant in the middle of the town park in Varadero in a cave (right by the pond in center of the park) and there is a good cave system on the north end of the island full of bats/pictographs/nature trail.

Snorkling was better on Holguin but when I signed up to go in Varadero due to the weather we actually bused south across to go Bay of Pigs. Reef was in okay shape then (2012) and there are few small boat wrecks etc. you could see divers on. Very good visibility and was a nice change of pace due to seeing more of the country than just the resort strip. So check the shops and see if there is a way to go south for the diving for the day ?

Either way enjoy the trip and have a mojito for me.
foresterab