Cuba, “the key to the Gulf” and “pearl of the Caribbean,” has its shores washed by the Atlantic Ocean to the North and the Caribbean Sea to the South. Cuba is in fact an archipelago which includes more than 4,100 small coral cays and islets that emerge from an insular shelf of almost 70,000 square kilometres and contains over 200 bays and 300 beaches. Under the ocean’s surface lie impressive cliffs and valleys, 3,400 km of corals, endless caverns, many thousands of crustaceans and molluscs, more than 700 types of fish, 300 species of sponges, and no less than 5 different turtles not to mention the dolphins and sharks. Diving in Cuba is a step back in time for many divers used to more commercial sites. The equipment is often slightly old (if well maintained), the dive masters personal and idiosyncratic and the sites uncluttered and peaceful (except for Varadero!). The hotels around the dive sites vary from the downright basic to the luxury all-inclusive, generally there is little choice in wher to stay so read up before you get there. Some locations have their share of mosquitoes and tiny biting sandflies but the diving is divine and will not dissappoint. |
