Cuba

Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean, and what makes it special for diving is depth that begins very close to shore. In the Bay of Pigs (Bahía de Cochinos) you enter the water from the beach, swim a few metres and find yourself on the edge of a ninety-degree wall; no boat is needed. Along the same coast lie underwater caves and collapse pools where fresh water mixes with sea water. The area around Varadero and Playa Coral, meanwhile, offers reef and wreck diving.

Water temperature moves between 24 and 28 degrees, and visibility is twenty-five to thirty metres on most days. The dry season runs from November to April and is the most settled period for diving; hurricane season falls between June and November. The general rule of the Caribbean holds here too: high clarity, moderate current, a low entry threshold.

What sets Cuba apart from the other Caribbean islands becomes visible once you are out of the water. The streets of Havana, the fifty-year-old American cars and the live music on every corner turn a diving tour into a culture trip of its own accord. Our programme in this region is planned for February, in the middle of the dry season.