Diving With Turtles (and Scientists) in Cuba

Diving With Turtles (and Scientists) in Cuba

The U.S. government grants special travel licenses for what it calls
People-to-People trips, on which American tourists mingle with Cubans.
Most such trips revolve around art or education, but the Miami-based
Ocean Foundation's Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Program trips
focus on science. One itinerary includes scuba diving and observing sea
turtles on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula. This national park and UNESCO
Biosphere Preserve on the western end of the island contains some of the
Caribbean's healthiest coral reefs and a three-mile long beach where 897
sea turtle nests were laid this summer.

The trips are led by sea turtle specialist Julia Azanza and coral
biologist Patricia Gonzales, both of the University of Havana's Center
for Marine Research. Azanza joined our group on an afternoon tour of the
nesting beach, where during nesting season, students spend two-week
shifts in a rustic camp, monitoring and collecting data. At night, the
group watches as tiny heads pop out of the white sand, followed by front
flippers churning to pull the rest of the palm-sized bodies onto the
beach. A handful of hatchlings will suddenly burst out at once,
clambering over each other and up the side of the nest, illustrating why
scientists say a hatching nest is "boiling."

The next day, it's time to follow the turtles into the water. A three
minute ride on the dive boat takes us to El Almirante, a coral reef
starting at 30 feet deep where the variety and number of fish surpass
that of most any dive site in the Northern Hemisphere. Cuba's reefs look
much as they did more than 50 years ago thanks to remoteness, decades
with little tourism development, largely chemical-free agricultural
practices, and the nation's small population. Cuba also made an
intentional commitment to protecting its environment.

The trip includes four days at the nearby resort, Maria la Gorda, time
enough to enjoy the twice-daily dive outings as well as the beach peep
show, seeing the park's limestone caves, hiking to spot endemic birds
like the bee hummingbird and brightly colored Cuban Tody, and
swimming in a seaside sinkhole.

More Info: The next Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Program's
People-to-People trip in November focuses on coastal ecosystems and
includes participation in the Christmas Bird Count. Another sea turtle
and diving trip is scheduled for June, 2015. [$3,420, seeturtles.com]

– Melissa Gaskill

Source: Diving With Turtles (and Scientists) in Cuba - MensJournal.com -
http://www.mensjournal.com/travel/events/diving-with-turtles-and-scientists-in-cuba-20141208