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There aren’t a lot of variables in Cuban dive travel to Jardines de la Reina. You can do
it only with a couple of nonprofit organizations recognized and licensed by the Cuban
government. The trip will be carefully choreographed to optimize your pleasure but also to
minimize American tourists wandering amok throughout the country. All that may change
with the advent of commercial air arrivals and cruise ships in Havana Harbor, but for now
it is blessedly constrained. You’ll be met at the airport and be with guides either topside or
underwater each step of the way. I found the attention helpful rather than obtrusive, and the
Cuban people were so friendly and engaged it was fun to just be around them.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:
Visitors must have a current passport, a visa (which tour operators
often can obtain for their travelers), adequate funds to support themselves, a return airline
ticket, proof of travel health insurance and a verification letter from their organizing agency
to travel to Cuba. You might be asked for the letter upon exit, though we were not.
CURRENCY AND CREDIT CARDS:
You won’t be able to use your credit cards in Cuba. Most
expenses will have been prepaid, but you’ll need cash for incidentals and gratuities. Bring
only crisp bills without undue wear or damage. I tried to buy a Cohiba cigar with a torn $50
bill and was turned down.
WATER TEMPERATURE AND SEA CONDITIONS:
Jardines de la Reina is protected from most
prevailing winds. Unless there is a tropical storm or hurricane, the seas tend to be calm. The
seasonal variability is in the water
clarity. In the winter, when the water
drops to 78°F, the visibility ratchets up
to more than 100 feet. When we were
there in July, the water was 84°F-86°F
and the viz was 50-90 feet.
CURRENTS:
Some sites have currents,
including passes between the islands
where channels accelerate the tidal
flow. There are also sites without
any current. We had no current at
all during our week of diving. These
dive professionals are very skilled in
delivering safe diving opportunities,
and most have been guides here for
many years. Though these dive sites
are new to Americans, Canadians and
Europeans have been nibbling our
forbidden fruit for decades.
H O W T O D I V E I T