The 5 Best Places for Scuba Diving in Cuba

The 5 Best Places for Scuba Diving in Cuba
Tue Dec 5, 7:00 AM ET

London, UK (PRWeb) December 5, 2006 -- Captivating Cuba offers
specialist advice on the top 5 places for scuba diving in Cuba. Cuba is
a great place to scuba dive. The waters surrounding the Cuban
archipelago are warm with an average annual temperature above 24°C, mild
tides and no strong currents. Standing on a large, exuberant and totally
virgin coral reef, Cuba is a sunken paradise for those with a passion
for diving. With an average horizontal visibility of 30 meters (98
feet), the Cuban waters possess diverse flora and underwater fauna and
an absence of aggressive animals.

Number one on the list of places for Cuba scuba diving is Maria la
Gorda. In the westernmost part of Cuba in the Pinar del Rio province,
Maria la Gorda is a remote and beautiful location which is one of the
least developed and most natural parts of Cuba. Located within the
Guanahacabibes Peninsula, a world biosphere preserve, there are two dive
zones, one to the north and the other to the south. The configuration of
the bottom is scaled, allowing multilevel diving.

All scuba diving sites are within a short distance from the shore and
just minutes from the hotel. Features include abundant black coral
walls, wrecks from the 18th century, flora and fauna in excellent
condition, no currents due to its geographical position and diving
facilitated all year round. Its seabed also has a series of steps, which
are excellent for multi-level scuba diving (between sunken shops and
coral) and speleo-scuba diving. Caves in the ocean and on land are
excellent for practicing cave and cavern diving. These Cuba scuba diving
sites are very close to the Hotel Maria La Gorda. The dive boat goes out
once in the morning and again in the afternoon. Night diving departures
depend on demand. You can reach Maria La Gorda via land transfers from
Havana, about 4 hours each way.

Second on the list of the 5 best places to enjoy scuba diving in Cuba is
Cayo Levisa. Cayo Levisa is a small offshore key located off Cuba's
northwest shore, about 1 hour west of Havana. The dive sites are on the
northern side of the bay, where there is abundant coral, sponges, black
coral and medium to large tropical fish. Especially notable is the
presence of accessible 17th and 18th century wrecks of archaeological
interest. There are no currents here and walls at a 20-and greater meter
depth. You can stay at the Hotel Cayo Levisa, a quaint hotel with 40
rooms. The island of Cayo Levisa is accessible by a twice daily boat
from the mainland and take 45 minutes.

Third on the list of the top 5 places for scuba diving in Cuba is Cayo
Largo. Off the southern coast of Cuba, Cayo Largo is 177 km south of
Havana and 120 km east of the Isle of Youth. The diving is based out of
Playa Sirena. This area contains some practically untouched beaches and
coral reefs in addition to the tunnels, steep walls, ridges, hillocks
and mountains of coral reefs as well a wide variety of fish and
chelonians. As there are barrier reef just 1 km offshore, Cayo Largo is
protected from rough seas and the water temperature is around 25ºC. Sol
Cayo Largo hotel is located on an idyllic stretch of beach, flanked by
palm trees. Domestic flights from Havana to Cayo Largo take about 45
minutes.

The fourth best place to scuba dive in Cuba is Playa Giron. Located east
of the Bay of Pigs on Cuba's south shore, Playa Giron is 71 miles from
Havana about a 2 hour drive from Varadero. The international dive centre
in Playa Giron features mainly shelf diving in addition to peculiar deep
caves in the area. Diving sites are less than 80 meters from the shore.
The top attractions here are the sheer drop offs close to shore that are
riddled with swim throughs and make great shore dives. There are also
some shallow shore dives for beginners and a wreck that was purposefully
sunk in 1994. There are abundant corals, sponges and gorgonians and reef
fish. There are also a couple of inland cave dives for more experienced
divers. Captivating Cuba recommends staying in one of the 290 rooms at
the Hotel Playa Giron. Road transfers are available from Havana and take
about 4½ hours.

Lastly, number five on the list of the top 5 places for scuba diving in
Cuba is Faro Luna in the Cienfuegos province. Cienfuegos is called the
Pearl of the South, on Cuba's central south shore. The city is
consistently awarded and recognized for its efforts to maintain the
clean environment of its waters. There are 28 diving sites identified in
the area. The Faro de Luna Diving Center has shipwrecks, coral formation
barriers so tall that they sometimes reach the surface, and channels.
The area is noted especially for the clarity of its waters, making it an
ideal site for underwater photography. One of the special features of
this area is a the Pillar coral that's size and elegance has been led to
its being called "Caribbean Lady" or "Notre Dame". Road transfers are
available from Havana and take around 4 hours.

About Captivating Cuba:

Captivating Cuba is a Cuba holiday specialist offering holidays to Cuba
destinations such as Havana, Varadero and other less well-known resorts
in Cuba. Captivating Cuba has great local knowledge and expertise in
Cuba holidays so they can tailor a Cuba holiday to suit your needs. See
http://www.captivatingcuba.com for details.

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