As my plane loops down towards Cuba, the vivid turquoise waters contrast with
the dark reef that rings the island, stretching endlessly into the deep. In
my mind I am already there, savouring the ever-magical moment when the
surface of the sea recedes overhead and I first glimpse the hidden world
below.
Having developed a serious diving addiction on my travels, I am rubbing my
hands in glee at the prospect of Cuba's bountiful Caribbean seas, reputed to
be among the world's diving hotspots. With crystalline waters, balmy sea
temperatures and as yet relatively untouched by mass tourism, Cuba is home
to an astonishing array of sealife including sharks (from whale to tiger),
rays, turtles and pristine corals. I have one month and 3700 kilometres of
coastline to explore - sites include the Bay of Pigs, the northern cays
immortalised in Ernest Hemingway's novel Islands in the Stream and even the
ill-famed Guantanamo Bay. It is a veritable dive safari.
My first stop is the Bay of Pigs, more widely known for the 1961 US invasion
than for its underwater offerings. It is not reputed to be one of the
country’s best sites, but it is close to my arrival point in Havana and I am
keen to get in the water. Thinking I will save my time – and my cash – for
the most renowned locations, I cautiously book one initial dive. But once I
have glimpsed the outstanding quality of the coral and the plethora of
aquatic life, I am hooked, and soon sign up for three more.
The bay has over 20 dive sites, with gigantic underwater canyons and caves and
atmospheric wrecks looming out of the reef. On my first dive I see several
large barracuda, groupers, crabs and lobsters, but it is the condition of
the coral that is most impressive - an astonishing variety of species in all
but immaculate condition. The visibility is up to 25 metres, meaning that
even at depths of around 30 metres the colours are still vibrant, with large
purple gorgonnese fans particularly striking.
The seascape is astonishingly varied and intricate - on subsequent dives, we
explore seemingly endless canyons, caves and tunnels, and along giddy coral
drop-offs looking out to the big blue. We encounter moray eels, yellow
stingrays, giant pufferfish, the quirky horned cowfish and blindfish – a
fascinating species which see only light and dark; brandishing our torches
in a cave soon attracts a large swarm.
Dives here are among the cheapest in Cuba, £15 per dive including equipment,
with discounts for multiple dives. I dive with the Octopus Club attached to
the Hotel
Playa Larga at Playa Larga, and dive groups are small, (I never dive
with more than one other person plus the guide on all four dives.) The
guide, Pepe, is professional and helpful, and the standard of equipment as
good as any in Central America. With an advanced open water qualification,
most of my dives run to around 30 metres, though the instructors will
happily cater for less experienced and qualified divers, even absolute
beginners.
But it is not open water dives for which the Bay of Pigs is most famous. The
Peninsula de Zapata, in which the Bay sits, is dotted with flooded tectonic
caves or cenotes, similar to those which delight tourists in Mexico. One of
the most popular, Cueva de los Pesces, has an underwater tunnel system which
leads out to the sea, allowing tropical fish to populate the cave. An
astoundingly beautiful and secluded spot, the cave is perfect for both
diving and swimming, and indeed, the latter is as far as I get - after
having arranged to do my first ever cave dive here, I chicken out at the
last minute, deciding I am not sufficiently experienced to brave the dark
narrow tunnels in which panicking can mean fatal injury. However for those
with the experience and the courage, these cenotes are renowned far and wide
for the diving opportunities they offer.
Following four dives to rival anything I have experienced in the Red Sea I
head off to my next stop, the picturesque Cayo Guillermo off the northern
coast. This small island is connected, like neighbouring Cayo Coco and Cayo
Romano, to the mainland by a 29 km causeway, itself a stunning drive across
shallow turquoise waters dotted with flamingo colonies and lush mangroves.
Hemingway spent much time in the northern cays and for good reason, since
the icing-sugar beaches here are amongst the most beautiful in Cuba, truly
living up to the Caribbean idyll.
The only places to stay here are all-inclusive resorts but are good value at
around £35-£52 per room per night, including all food and drink (Hotel Sol
Club Cayo Guillermo, four-star.) All the resorts have their own dive centres
- I use the Hotel
Sol Melia Cayo Guillermo, where dives are around £25 for the first dive
with discounts on all subsequent dives. Equipment, however is extra. Unlike
the Bay of Pigs, where most dives are done from the shore, the 20 or so dive
sites here (along with more on longer excursions) are generally accessed by
boat. Again, groups are small, with just two to four divers when I visit.
I limit my dives here to two as the visibility on the north coast at this time
of year is not optimal, approximately 15 metres. However we see some
beautiful coral pinnacles and wrecks on our two drift dives, and, most
thrillingly, we are treated on our second to encounters with nurse sharks
and an immense stingray approximately two metres in wingspan and three
metres in length. The sight of this giant gliding gracefully above us, its
wings flapping slowly as if born on a buoyant breeze, inspires a deep sense
of awe at the magnificence of nature’s handiwork.
Deciding where to go next I am spoilt for choice - Cuba has almost 20 major
diving zones on both its Caribbean and Atlantic coastlines, each with a
choice of sites to satisfy even the most prolific diver. You could dive here
every day for years and never visit the same location twice.
Santa Lucia in Camaguey province is perhaps one of the best spots to see bull
sharks up close, while the Isla de la Juventud and Varadero are both lauded
for their world-class opportunities. More remote, but consequently
pristine, is the archipelago known as the Jardines de la Reina, sometimes
described as the Galapagos of the Caribbean. Accessible only on live-aboard
trips or from the floating hotel La Tortuga, this uninhabited chain of
islands forms part of the longest barrier reef in the Caribbean, and is home
to numerous types of shark as well as the largest populations of hawksbill
and loggerhead turtles in the Caribbean.
