Cuba Scuba

Cuba has been on my bucket list for many years and I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to spend some time there. With the recent warming of relations between Cuba and the USA, it seems the rush is on to see it now, before ‘the Change’.

I flew with Air Europa via Madrid into Havana, but there is a direct flight with Virgin Atlantic on select days. Arriving on the same day, it is an easy route. Unable to exchange currency prior to arriving, I knew this place was just a little bit ‘different’. With Cuban Visa in one hand and a wad of Euros and Pounds Sterling in the other, my money was dispatched into the local tourist CUC. My airport taxi was a 1956 Buick. My first night’s stay was in a 1932 themed Casa. The neighbourhoods are littered with the old classic American cars. The streets are authentic and vibrant, the people colourful and respectful. Havana has energy and expectation on every corner, witnessed in every smile. The transfer from Havana to the dock at Jucaro was lengthy but easy. Once you leave the City, you really witness the step back in time. The passing countryside, green and functional.

I stayed on the Tortuga, a floating houseboat in the chain of mangroves that make up the Jardines de la Reina. It is a unique set up. The compressor and tanks and filled on a neighbouring pontoon, as are the electricity generator, crew quarters and the boat shed. At night, there is zero light pollution. There is complete silence. Sharks. Lemon, silky, Caribbean reef and nurse all made an appearance. In season, you can add great hammerhead and whale sharks to this list.

Large grouper, green morays, lionfish, snapper and a tonne of tarpon. The bit I had not banked on was the state of the reefs. Stunning. Every inch was covered in a garden of hard and soft corals. I have never witnessed such healthy and colour, being it Caribbean, Indonesia or Micronesia. I was hugely impressed. And the fish life was everywhere. OK, not in the varieties of SE Asia, but my field of view was full, all of the time. Despite 30C waters, the coral had not bleached. Snorkelling amongst the Elkhorn was a simple but magical highlight.

 

With a surface interval for coffee on the succulent beaches or sharing fruit with the iguanas, every moment had to be savoured. And then we found the crocs. The Jardines de la Reina has a healthy population of American saltwater crocs and this was my first time to get in the water with them. Who could resist? Instantly focussing on its body language, 5 of us slipped into the shallow waters of the mangroves for a very up close and personal encounter. Those 45 minutes will remain with me forever.

Cuba is so much more than beaches and Buicks. Having been rock steady since the Revolution of the 1950’s, these next years will be testing. Who will control the investment? When will Coca-Cola adorn every street sign? Tourist visa are limited. Dive permits are even harder to come by. Time is perhaps, not on our side for this true gem of the Caribbean.

Join our exciting liveaboard adventure around the Jardines de la Reina, departing every week, or contact Charlie to discuss your perfect tailor-made holiday to Cuba.