SCUBA Diving in Cuba // Spectacular Shore Diving
First of all, diving in Cuba is accessible right from the shore, and the wall is stuffed full of incredible fish, eels, sponges, fans and every type of coral drops from 160 to 500 feet. We saw absolutely staggering staghorn coral growths that would make divers in the Florida Keys cry in their masks. Gatherings of huge conch mesmerized me with their size and abundance.
No Trash
Second, we saw not one bit of plastic or trash in the ocean. Our dive master removed a few pieces of fishing line from coral, and we saw some cleaned fish carcasses. Otherwise; every dive was absolutely pristine.
Shore and Rock Entry
For our first dive, we jumped off rocks after either donning or tossing our gear. We swam out about 100 feet to incredible amazing spectacular coral heads teeming with fish.
Fish and Eels
We saw rivers of bright blue fish, lots of fun drum fish, snappers, and all the other colorful fish of the Caribbean.
On the first dive, we saw several spotted black and white moray eels of medium size; like my forearm. On a later dive, we did see one green moray, and on another, we saw a teeny moray eel the size of my thumb.
The eels wrapped themselves in the rocks, seldom poking their heads out except for one. This one was very curious and appeared to pose for us – first one side of his face, then the other.
Lobster Shrimp and Crabs
Lobster hid under ledges and rocks, from small to medium- sized.
We saw delicate shrimp skinny as spiders everywhere, and teeny crabs.
A couple places, we saw larger crabs; one looked like a relative of a stone crab, and a few others looked like the Bahamian spider crabs.
Conch Playground
In one protected dive spot, we saw a whole “field” of extra large conch. They were fully grown, full-lipped, and big and meaty inside. It was so exciting to see so many enormous conch in one concentrated area.
Waterfalls of blue fish stunned us at a couple of the sites around Playa Larga. They looked like endless streams of shimmering undulating ribbons of blue apparently falling through the water, following the contours of the coral heads. It was like watching an electric blue river follow an invisible bank.
Coral
At several sites, we saw the enormous elephant ear growths that look like they have been stitched with a sewing machine.
Long tubes in every fluorescent color, about two to three-feet long, smaller at the base and slightly wider at the ends anchored themselves in the coral. Teeny fish hovered in the tubes. These tubes resembled something from another planet; they were so colorful and bright, and waving around in the slight current.
We saw brain coral, stag horn coral, and several other types of coral. Near the field of conch, we came across about an acre of incredibly healthy stag horn coral in a protected cove. I had not seen one like that since the mid-90’s off West End, Grand Bahama.
An Incredible Experience
While there are spots all around the world of incredible beauty, for us, it was an incredible experience to have the opportunity to view these pristine waters.
Would we return? This is one of the locations that is so accessible, so clean, so close, so colorful, yes, we would go back.
When we first booked, our itinerary listed “double immersions” here and there. Little did we know that not only would we experience and appreciate the total immersion in the water, but also the total immersion into the culture, the heartbeat, the rhythm and people of Cuba.
Can’t wait to get back!
Sunscreen and Reef-Safe Toilitries
When you travel, don’t forget to bring a small backpack or bag for carrying a few items to the pool with you. A dry bag gives you even more flexibility and security.
My Stream2Sea dry bag is the perfect size for all my sunscreen, bathing suit or foundation garments, sunglasses case, a book, and a few other items for excursions to the pool or gym. My discount code “DeepWH” gets you 10% off everything. Stream2Sea have reef-safe sunscreen, leave-in conditioner, lip balm, shampoo, body wash, and even mask defog! Using my link won’t increase you price, and I might receive a small incentive for introducing you to reef-safe sunscreens and more.
Airbnb – Make Your Trips “Off The Chain!”
Urquiza’s Apartment link on Airbnb for where we based in Havana. Or, if you already are in Airbnb, typing in “Urquiza’s apartment – HAV150” will get you to the listing. Casa Urzuiza is located at 20 Prado, Apartment 5-A, on the Paseo de Prado, municipality Central Havana, province Havana, Cuba. The apartment is on the fifth floor with views of the Prado, the bay, and the forts.
Ok, so, here are two Airbnb discount codes. Try either one! The offerings from Airbnb change every couple months, so use whichever gives you the best deal. You can only use a code one time, so compare, choose whichever gives you the best deal since they change periodically, and make it count!
As of today, this one, Airbnb says, “Kimberly gave you up to $55 off your first trip.” Friends who sign up for Airbnb with my link will get $40 off their home booking. And they get $15 to use toward an experience worth $50 or more.
Also today, this one, Airbnb says, “Deep gave you up to $415 off your first adventure. I’m ready to book from this one right now! I’m thinking it’s a computer glitch – so jump on it fast!
What to Read Next:
Dive Trip From Havana // Diving the Reefs of Cuba’s North Shore
SCUBA Diving in Cuba // Pristine Reefs on the North Shore
Planning a Legal Trip to Cuba from the US // Travel Restrictions // Rules for Americans
Cuban Pesos // What We Learned About Exchanging Money in Cuba
