Mission Impossible was an understatement. Cuba Diving was about to become an ultimate challenge as the Cuba Tourism proposed an ‘ambitious’ 14-day dive tour travelling 1,000km by road with a few internal flights thrown in for good measure and, foolhardily, Stuart Philpott accepted the challenge
Photographs by Stuart Philpott
Getting Around Cuba: From Flights to Road Challenges
Driving in Cuba can only be described as an adventure, dodging wayward cows, dogs, mopeds, horse-drawn carriages, giant potholes and collapsed bridges. There’s even a scoreboard in every town recording the number of accidents and fatalities per month. I quickly realised anything can happen – and it usually did!
TUI offer holiday packages to Cuba flying directly from Manchester, otherwise the only other viable options are connecting flights from London Gatwick via Madrid in Spain, or Frankfurt in Germany. My Air Europa flight got delayed, and I ended up sprinting to the gate at Madrid.
One witty individual shouted ‘Run Forrest, run’, which would have been funny if I hadn’t been so stressed out! A big thank you to Damien at LoveCuba for arranging the flights.
The crazy plan was to circumnavigate the whole of Cuba, stopping off at all the best dive locations. There wasn’t enough time for a thorough exploration, but I would hopefully get a good feel for what was on offer and sample one or two mojitos along the way.
The tour began in the capital, Havana, and then moved on to Varadero, Isles de la Juventud (Isle of Youth), Bay of Pigs, Santiago, Guardalavaca, Santa Lucia and Cayo Lago, finally ending up back in Havana two weeks later.
This was non-stop with early starts, late finishes and many hours spent on the road. When moving at 100 miles per hour, problems are more likely to happen and at Santiago de Cuba, I encountered an absolute showstopper.
On a shore dive I tripped over and scratched the dome port of my camera. I went to a jewellery store in town hoping to polish out the scratches, but within a matter of seconds they had ‘polished’ a hole through 5mm of acrylic!
With no possibility of finding a replacement, I cancelled the tour and rescheduled for January 2024. So, part one of my story only goes as far as Santiago…
My tour guide, Elio, who reminded me of actor Jack Black in the movie Nacho Libre, agreed to double up as an underwater ‘model’. Rafa – short for Rafael – had the unenviable task of driving us around the island.
After a cursory handshake and a ‘hola’, I threw my bags in the back of the minivan and the Three Amigos set off for Varadero, a mere three-hour drive away.
The Beatles ‘And I Love You’ was playing on the CD player, which didn’t quite sound right in Latino Cuba. Local girl Gloria Estafan would have probably been a better choice.
Did you know?
Cuba is home to the second largest reef in the world, behind Australia’s Great Barrier Reef!
We arrived at the ‘adults only’ Cactus Hotel around 11pm. The room was a good size and included an en-suite and separate living room. I couldn’t help but notice the complementary bottle of rum and whiskey (sigh, if only I had time to drink it).
There was a fairly large swimming pool onsite, a buffet and a la carte restaurant, games room and several bars. But they had run out of mint, so no mojitos. How could I visit Cuba and not drink the national cocktail? The next morning at 7.30am I met the GM of diving services for Marlin, Ahmed Eugenio Ortaga.
I could see a long row of pleasure craft, including sport fishing boats, dive boats and snorkelling catamarans moored up along the jetty ready for action. Ahmed said in a week’s time they would be holding an international underwater photography competition with 18 different countries participating.
This would be hosted by the famous and yet somewhat controversial Cuban world champion freediver Pipin Francisco Ferreras.
Varadero Dive Sites: Russian Frigate P383 and More
Our first dive site, the Russian Frigate P383, was located inside the Cayo Piedra Marine Park, about an hour’s boat ride away.
This 96 metre long by 17.5 metre wide ex-navy warship had been sunk as an artificial reef project in 1998. When we reached the site, I could see the entire wreck lying on the seabed 30m below the surface.
Although the wreck is fairly broken up there is still an impressive array of guns displayed on the fore and aft decks. The ‘Dalek’-looking mid-ships guns were by far the most photogenic.
Ahmed asked me not to go inside due to a lionfish infestation. I noticed a few trevally and snapper, but nothing significant on the marine life front.
After an hour surface interval, we moved to our second site, a 20 metre long tugboat sitting upright and intact at a maximum depth of 19m. Just to make the dive more interesting a number of Russian armoured cars had been sunk around the periphery.
I managed to have a rummage inside the bridge keeping a close eye out for sneaky lionfish. There were shoals of small fish but again nothing significant in size.
On the way back we stopped at Cayo Blanco for a bite to eat. This really is a party island with a beautiful white sandy beach. Catamarans full of snorkellers were leaving as we arrived late afternoon.
While we sat and ate a banquet of fresh lobster, chicken, rice and vegetables, Ahmed explained that Marlin had six outlets in Varadero located in hotels and as stand-alone dive centres.
There were 35 dive sites to explore, and they had recently bought new First Aid and O2 kits for all the boats. The nearest deco-chamber was about 60 minutes away, but there had been no accidents reported in the past ten years. Main tourist season is between December and April.
On day two we continued with our wreck diving theme. The Sletrea sank around 2001 with the loss of three lives. Ahmed said she
As I made my way down the shotline I could see a huge shoal of batfish circling the wreck. We finned along the starboard rail and watched 1,000s of Creole wrasse congregating around the deck winch.
I managed to get some nice shots of Ahmed inside the doorways and by the stairwells swathed in orange cup corals.been a Dutch boat with eight Polish crew.
There had been a massive gas explosion which ripped the ship in two. The bridge and stern now lie at a maximum depth of 30m and the bow is at 40m. Ahmed had arranged for us to dive on the shallower stern.
Isles de la Juventud (Isle of Youth) Diving Highlights
Early next morning we headed for the airport and our next stop, Isles de la Juventud. In the early 2000s, this was ‘the’ place to dive with more than 20 dive boats going out every single day.
Hotel El Colony would be booked solid with divers visiting from Germany, Canada, Spain, France, the US as well as a few Brits. When we arrived, I only saw Cuban tourists and there was no sign of any Europeans. Elio said the Covid years had hit the resort very hard and they hadn’t really recovered.
My room overlooked the beach and included two kingsize beds with en-suite. The poolside bar was the perfect place to unwind and watch the glorious sunsets although, calamity, there was still no mint for mojitos.
Elio could see this was becoming a major international incident, so he buttered up the receptionist and her boyfriend, who just happened to run a local cocktail bar, and he brought some in specially for us. Mojitos at last!
At 5.30am, I made my way to the boat jetty. There wasn’t a breath of wind and the sea mirror calm. Elio told me to watch out for the resident crocodiles, but I was more conscious of the military grade mosquitos.
An hour and a half later we arrived at our first dive site called El Mirador, which was a vertical wall starting at around 20m dropping way down into the deep blue yonder. The soft and hard corals were absolutely stunning.
So many colours, shapes and sizes including black coral and barrel sponges. Next day we visited dive sites Coral Negro, Off Limits and Tunnel Del Amor. In all, there are 56 named dive sites to explore. Most are wall or reef dives. Big fish encounters included eagle rays and grouper but no sharks.
On my final day we visited a site called Los Indios, where there are two shipwrecks lying side by side at a max depth of 8m. I saw huge shoals of grunts and snapper with pufferfish and moray hiding underneath the twisted metal plates.
The sea had turned a slight tinge of green otherwise it was perfect. For lunch we ate fresh lobster, rice and avocados. Sometimes, simple food always tastes the best.
Wreck Diving in Santiago de Cuba: Cristóbal Colón and Beyond
We returned to Havana and made our way to the Bay of Pigs. Elio explained that this was a very famous historical site where on 17 April 1961, some 1,500 Cuban exiles financed by the US government attempted and failed to overthrow Fidel Castro’s regime.
We planned to stay at Hotel Playa Giron overnight and then explore the local dives on the following day, but a storm front was closing in fast so after a few hours we decided to make a dash for Santiago de Cuba.
After a 14-hour drive and an overnight stopover, we arrived at the Marlin dive centre, Santiago de Cuba. On 3 July 1898, there was a fierce naval gun battle between Spanish and US forces.
Within a few hours the entire Spanish squadron comprised of six warships had been sunk at various points along the coastline. The best wrecks to explore are the Almirante Oquendo, Furor, Vizcaya and the Cristóbal Colón. There is also a US collier, Merrimac, lying at a maximum depth of 20m inside the harbour entrance.
With limited time available I decided to focus on visiting the Oquendo, Furor and Cristóbal Colón. Although the 100 metre long, 3,380 ton Merrimac lies very close to the dive centre, localised currents restrict diving to late afternoons.
The water inside the harbour is also very green and there’s not much natural light. The massive propeller is the best spot for photo opportunities.
We made our way out to the 67 metre long, 370 ton destroyer Furor, which is around 30 minutes boat ride from the dive centre. I was disappointed to find only a small portion of the warship left on the seabed at a max depth of 15m.
Elio explained that most of the wrecks had been heavily salvaged after the battle. The soft and hard corals were prolific, especially the tube and barrel sponges. I managed to get a few atmospheric shots of Elio by what looked to be the remains of the triple expansion engine.
At 6.30am the next morning we set off for two shore diving sites, the Almirante Oquendo and the Cristóbal Colón. As we drove along the coast road, I caught sight of the massive 11-inch gun turret belonging to armed cruiser Oquendo sticking out of the water.
I was really looking forward to exploring the shallow wreck, but the Cristóbal Colón would be our first stop, about one hour drive away.
After a 50-mile chase, the 112 metre long, 6,840 ton armed cruiser Cristóbal Colón was the last Spanish ship to be sunk during the battle. Seeing US warships closing in fast, Captain Emilio Diaz-Moreu y Quintana gave the orders for her to be beached and then scuttled.
This is the most intact wreck of them all and has a distinctive ‘hull’ shape with deck area, funnel and a number of 5.9-inch deck guns.
Rafa parked the car at the side of the road. We all kitted up and then walked/skidded down a muddy embankment out to a pebble beach. I had only brought shoe fins, so handed Rafa my flip-flops before wading into the water.
The wreck came into view about ten metres from shore. I got some shots of Elio by one of the guns, the V-shaped bow and the anchor at a max depth of 30m. There were also a number of easily accessible swim-throughs which made the dive more exciting.
The waves had picked up as we waded back to shore. I tried to shuffle out with my shoe fins on but fell over and scratched my dome port, which led to the unfortunate chain of events already mentioned.
Cuba Dive Travel Tips: Hotels, Mojitos and Logistics
We had spent the last two nights at the classy Imperial Hotel located in the centre of town. They offered a high standard of food and accommodation. The hotel also had a rooftop terrace bar/restaurant located a few blocks from the main building. The view of the port and the city down below was breathtaking.
I sat with Elio and Rafa watching the sun setting and contemplating the day’s events. I was devastated about my dome port. It wasn’t just the cost but the time it would take to ship a new part from Japan. We ordered a round of mojitos and I began to relax. After two more rounds I was feeling more confident again.
Next time I would bring a spare dome port, booties, strap fins and some mint for mojitos!
FAQs
What are the best scuba diving locations in Cuba?
Top sites include Varadero’s Russian Frigate P383, Isles de la Juventud’s El Mirador wall, and historic wrecks near Santiago de Cuba such as Cristóbal Colón.
When is the best time to go scuba diving in Cuba?
December to April is the main tourist and diving season in Cuba, offering calmer seas and better visibility.
Are there wreck dives available for beginners in Cuba?
Yes. Shallow wrecks like Los Indios and parts of the Cristóbal Colón offer accessible depths and interesting swim-throughs for novice divers.
How do I get to Cuba for a diving holiday?
Direct flights from Manchester via TUI are available. Otherwise, travellers can connect through Madrid or Frankfurt from London Gatwick.
What marine life can divers expect in Cuba?
Expect to see eagle rays, groupers, trevally, snappers, batfish and colourful corals. Lionfish are also common inside some wrecks.
This article was originally published in Scuba Diver UK #80
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