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A spectacular underwater world
Almost 700 sites in Cuba offer
visitors the opportunity to experience one of the
largest, most diverse and best preserved coral reefs
on the planet
Lilliam Riera
Cuba’s marine ecosystems, considered to be the most
important natural environment in the Caribbean given
their size, variety, number of species and state of
conservation, captivate divers and underwater
photographers alike.
Spectacular
immersion zones throughout Cuba are a source of
inspiration for lovers of underwater photography.
Some 1,000 species of fish, 58 corals, 160 sponges,
mollusks, crustaceans and a large variety of plants,
live together in the coral reef which surrounds the
wide and relatively shallow underwater platform, in
the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean to the north,
and Caribbean Sea to the south.
Coral reefs are very rare. They are found in less
than 1% of the world’s oceans. However, they are one
of the ecosystems most crucial to human survival,
given that they are home to between 25% and 33% of
all marine life.
Currently, due to irresponsible human activity, the
impact of meteorological phenomena, the rising
temperature of the sea due to climate change, many
of these “tropical jungles” have become extinct or
are slowly dying.
María la Gorda, in
the west, is home to the largest black coal colony
in Cuba.
In Cuba protection and conservation of ecosystems is
governmental policy. In the case of marine
ecosystems, monitoring and control projects have
been implemented which have enabled the reefs’
health to be maintained or restored.
Cuba’s coral reef one of the largest, most diverse
and best preserved in the world, is also filled with
caves, tunnels, channels and shipwrecks among other
attractions which turn snorkeling and diving – up to
40 feet – both during the day and at night, into
unforgettable adventures.
In the clear, gentle waters, free of contamination
which surround the Cuban coastline and its 4,000
keys and small islands, spectacular wreckage of
several submarines, can be seen, according to French
researcher and naturalist Jacques Costeau.
Enthusiasts and professionals who wish to enter this
marvelous, silent world, have more than 700 sites on
the island in which they can immerse themselves, in
18 zones, many of which are located in protected
areas and often near principal tourist destinations.
These zones are: Cabo de San Antonio, María la Gorda,
Cayo Levisa, La Habana, El Colony, Cayo Largo,
Varadero, Bahía de Cochinos-Playa Larga-Playa
Girón-Caleta Buena, Cayo Santa María, Cienfuegos,
Guajimico, Trinidad, Cayo Coco-Cayo Guillermo,
Jardines de la Reina, Santa Lucía, Guardalavaca,
Santiago de Cuba and Marea del Portillo.
Comfortable hotels and 40 well equipped diving
centers, where expert instructors certified by the
World Underwater Activities Confederation (CMAS) and
the American-Canadian Underwater Certifications (ACUC),
welcome participants, who increasingly choose Cuba
as a destination.
Diving is among the activities which the Ministry of
Tourism is promoting in order to further diversify
options in the sector, and better position Cuba as a
holiday destination in the international market.
SOME ESSENTIAL ENVIRONMENTS
Although it is difficult to choose among so many of
unique beauty along the 67,831 kilometer square
Cuban coral reef, some are essential.
María la Gorda, a remote enclave on the southern
coast of the marine territory of the Guanahacabibes
National Park, a Biosphere Reserve, Pinar del Río,
is one of these.
With 50 diving sites, the area is renowned for its
clear waters and sea beds, home to largest black
coral colony in the Cuba, in addition to a wealth of
fauna including anchors, cannons and other
underwater treasures from other eras.
On the Isla de la Juventud (Isle of Youth), the
second largest in the Cuban archipelago, we find The
Colony, with 56 sites where diving through tunnels
and caves is a popular option, making the area a
regular location for international underwater
photography competitions.
Cienfuegos, in Cuba’s southern central region, has
21 diving sites, famed for the lushness of its coral
reef along a large area of its coastline, where a
six meter coral column, known as Notre Dame, makes
the region one of the most important in the
Caribbean for divers.
Comparable to a giant natural aquarium, Coco and
Guillermo keys, in Jardines del Rey, to the north of
Ciego de Ávila, have 46 immersion sites, and next
year will host the International Cuban Tourism Fair.
In the Jardines de la Reina National Park, in the
south of Ciego de Ávila, with 93 diving sites, the
interaction between two species of shark, the
Caribbean reef shark (Carcharhinusperezi) and the
Silky shark (carcharhinusfalciformis) is
fascinating.
The so-called Coral Garden stands out among the 47
dive sites in Guardalavaca, in northern Holguín,
with marine relief characterized by enormous mounds,
caves and vertical rocky peaks which form terraces
covered with a large variety of corals.
Marea del Portillo, which forms part of Sierra
Maestra National Park, in the south of Granma, has
among its many underwater treasures, an old 36 canon
galleon and the Colón, both belonging to the
Spanish fleet commanded by Admiral Pascual Cervera,
sunk by U.S. ships in 1898, during the Cuban War of
Independence.
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