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Cuba Diving Reviews:
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Other Destinations ' Reviews

Dive Op / Resort	Live Aboard?	Area	Title / Review	Rating Advanced / Beginner	Diving Date	Reporter/ # Dives	Photos/ Helpful Votes
*All Star Avalon*		Jardines de la Reina	"Jardines de la Reina corals blasted; Goliaths and sharks abound" We were with a group of shark- centric photographers on a two- week (12 dive- day) Backscatter trip. The vessel, Avalon III, is larg... Full report		1/2024	Rick Morgan 1000+ Dives
*Aggressor*			"Mixed bag....." Diving was a mixed bag. The good: lots of big animals: goliath grouper, sharks, sting rays, etc. The bad: corals were... Full report		11/2024	Kevin McCarter 250+ Dives
*Avalon - Jardines Avalon III*		Gardens of the Queen	"Great trip to Havana and G of the Q, shortened by Hurricane Rafael" We traveled on AA BOS- MIA- Havana outbound and Camaguey- MIA- BOS on the way home. Visa and immigration forms relatively straighfowar... Full report		11/2024	Christopher Watt 500+ Dives
*Avalon Outdoor, Jardines Avalon 4*		Jardines de la Reina	"Cuba, Highlight - Lots of Sharks and the Goliath Grouper " For a US citizen you will need to purchase a tourist card and apply for a "Humanitarian e- visa". Avalon outdoors or whoever you g... Full report		11/2024	Peter Neubauer 1000+ Dives	1
*Avalon 3*		Jardins de la Reina	"Sharks and more sharks" Cuba Jan 2024 Avalon III This was a Backscatter organized trip, primarily for shark and crocodille photogrphy and fish count. Th... Full report		1/2024	Joel Horie 250+ Dives
*Avalon Diving/ Avalon 3]*		Garden of the Queens	"Fish Sanctuary" The dock for the Avalon boats is in a very small town. It is 5 hrs from Havana, which you SHOULD VISIT. Old Havana is very picture... Full report		6/2024	Susan M Fuchs 250+ Dives
*Avalon*		Gardens of the Queen	"Plenty of sharks below; no credit cards above" Having been on at least 15 live aboards, this was the first one shared with fishermen, and one brave fisherwoman. There were 39 g... Full report		11/2023	Linda Dunn 500+ Dives	1
*Avalon*			"Cuba Avalon Live Aboard" The overall quality of this live aboard is so far away from what was advertised that it was close to a fraudulent experience. The ... Full report		11/2023	Lori Price 500+ Dives	1
*Avalon , cuba Dive center*		Garden of the Queens	"This is the Caribbean 20 years ago, healthy reef and loads of fish" Travel… easy via American Airlines there and back Havana. . arranged lodging for a few days via booking. com, also places easily ava... Full report		6/2023	Lydia S Segal 500+ Dives	1
*Avalon*		Jardines de la Reina	"Perfectly splendid diving and liveaboard" Avalon has 6 huge liveaboards. Mine was in perfect condition and very comfortable. Service was outstanding on the boat and the div... Full report		7/2023	Harvey Cohen 500+ Dives	2
*Jardines Avalon III*		Jardines de la Reina	"Jardines de la Reina on Avalon III" The Jardines Avalon III is a new- ish (2019) boat that can handle 30 guests. Our group of 24 had the entire boat to ourselves for ... Full report		7/2023	Timothy C Barden 250+ Dives	3
*Avalon Fleet*		Jardins de la Reina	"Awesome for sharks, excellent boat" Avalon iii is a very nice boat even for large groups. Very roomy and comfortable common areas, dive deck was also roomy and clean... Full report		5/2023	Deborah Berglund 1000+ Dives	3
*Avalon III*		Jardin de la Reina	"Diving Jardin de la Reina aboard the Avalon III" Booking the Avalon boats appears to only be available via dive shops and clubs. They are the sole source allowed to service the ma... Full report		5/2023	Leslie Russum 250+ Dives	1
*Jardines Aggressor*		Jardines de la Reina, Cuba	"Phenomenal diving!!" JA is a spacious boat with an expansive dive deck, large tenders (max 12 divers). Lower level contains aft engine room with small... Full report		3/2022	Karen Garcia 1000+ Dives	1
*Avalon Cuba Dive Centers/ Jardines Avalon III liveaboard*		Jardines de la Reina	"Jardines de la Reina aboard the Jardines Avalon III" Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen) Marine Sanctuary starting 60 miles off the southern part of Cuba is the largest, most ... Full report		1/2022	Emmette Murkett 1000+ Dives	7
*Avalon Outdoor*			"Excellent diving, great crew" My huband and I were very impressed with the diving in Jardines de la Reine (Gardens of the Queen), which has been a Marine Reserv... Full report		10/2021	Marianne LeSage 100+ Dives	3
*Tortuga*		Garden of the Queen	"Exciting, adrenaline-filled diving with crocodiles and sharks." It is both exhilarating and frightening to come within 12 inches of an eight- foot crocodile’s mouth, but the result is some amazin... Full report		3/2020	Geoff Fallon 500+ Dives
*Avalon III*		Jardined de la Reina	"Sharks!" We were originally scheduled to be on the Avalon II, but were on the brand new Avalon III. There was a group of 14 from Uruguay, a... Full report		8/2019	Frances Lewis 1000+ Dives	1
*Blue Green Expeditions*		Jardines de la Reina	"Marvelous Cuba" The variety, balance and diversity of soft corals is staggering. Pure untouched hills and valleys of unadulterated dreamlike lands... Full report		5/2019	Oedipus 250+ Dives
*Jardines Aggressor*		Garden of Queens	"Cuba: pristine, big stuff and no other boats!" Oceans For Youth Foundation, People to People Program was the arrangement for this trip as Americans cannot freely travel to Cuba. ... Full report		9/2019	Deborah Berglund 1000+ Dives
*Avalon lll*		Gardens of the Queen	"Gardens of the the Queen is a must dive destination!" My dive buddy Neil and I were very fortunate to book our Cuba excursion through PADI Travel on the brand new Avalon III put into s... Full report		3/2019	Frederick Michael Maisch 250+ Dives	1
*Avalon*			"The Best in the Caribbean" Our greeting by the crew was very friendly as we boarded the boat. Since we were the first on board, we could choose our own room... Full report		3/2019	DONALD MCCOY 1000+ Dives	1
*Jardines Aggressor*			"Excellent Caribbean diving in Cuba" Let me start with what I wish I had known. 1. It's easier to get in and out of Cuba than we all worried about! 2. I strongly recom... Full report		2/2019	Brenda Kesler 500+ Dives	2
*Gourlan/ AirBnB*		Havana	"My heart is in Havana" I was reading that most of the Cuban reviews are from liveaboards in the Jardines De La Reina, which I am sure are awesome, but I ... Full report		1/2019	Giorgio Bonmassar 250+ Dives	1
*Aggressor*		[Zapata/Bay of Pigs]	"Go to Garden of the Queen instead of Zapata" I had been to Cuba's Garden of the Queen so when Aggressor offered a $1000. 00 discount for a week diving the Walls of Zapata I boo... Full report		8/2018	Gail M King 1000+ Dives	3
*Aggressor*		Zapata, Bay of Pigs	"Walls of Zapata in Cuba" This is a special program that US citizens can take advantage of in order to visit Cuba legally. The Oceans for Youth Foundation i... Full report		7/2018	Kevin Peterson 250+ Dives	1
*Oceans for Youth on Aggressor*		Zapata, Bay of Pigs	"Oceans for Youth on Aggressor" Food and onboard service was excellant. Diving was marginal as viz was not good - - due to rainy season. Quality of service from d... Full report		6/2018	Robert Lee 500+ Dives
*Jardines Aggressor*			"Cuba, Must See while you can" We booked the 10 day with 2 days in Havana and the balance on the Aggressor. Havana was an amazing , beautiful city that is ... Full report		4/2018	Kevin Darnell 1000+ Dives
*Avalon II*		Cuba . Gardens of the Queen	"Great diving- Like going back in time!" First trip to Cuba- diving on the Avalon II to Gardens of the Queen. Nice boat, great crew- Rooms and diving would be cramped if... Full report		10/2018	David C Kinney 1000+ Dives	1
*Avalon II*		Jardine de la Reina	"Avalon II: Americans No; Others Maybe" Submitted by Sharron Sussman and Neal Langerman The bottom line is the diving is fantastic, but the associated hassles, especia... Full report		8/2018	NEAL LANGERMAN 1000+ Dives	3
*Aggressor Fleets/Jardenes Aggressor*			"Cross it off your Bucket List!" I went to Cuba after hearing so much enthusiastic talk about the “pristine” condition of the untouched reefs. Judging by wha... Full report		4/2018	Bette Nordberg 250+ Dives	2
*Avalon 2*			"Good diving in Garden of the Queens" We were on a REEF trip ( [. . . ] ) on the Avalon boat, so all of the divers were doing REEF fish surveys and most of us were di... Full report		8/2018	Alice Ribbens 500+ Dives	2
*avalon*		Garden of the Queen	"Avalon: more bang for the buck " The Avalon II compares reasonably well to the newer Aggressor II; main difference is a cabin up layout as opposed to the cabin dow... Full report		6/2018	DAVID C SCOTT 1000+ Dives	1
*Memories of Jibacoa*		Memories of Jibacoa, Varadero	"Good beach, poor diving" I’ve been to a number of Cuban dive destinations (Cayo Largo, Havana, Santiago de Cuba), and this one was the worst. It’s very unf... Full report		7/2018	Jocelyn Gill 1000+ Dives
*Avalon/ Tortuga*		Jardines de la Reina	"Jardines de la Reina May 2018" The diving here is still amazing and the reefs are in very good shape. More fish and coral cover here than in any other Caribbean... Full report		5/2018	Rob Unruh 250+ Dives	1
*Jardines Aggressor*		Jardines de la Reina	"Bad flight experience to Cuba" I want to notify readers to be aware that there are severe baggage restrictions imposed by American Airlines on flights between Mi... Full report		5/2018	Bruce Carlson 1000+ Dives	3
*Barracuda dive*			"Diving a Russian built warship in Cuba" The Caribbean island of Cuba, for a long time isolated from the rest of the world by politics, is gradually opening up to tourism, ... Full report		8/2016	Andrew Falconer 500+ Dives
*Jardines Aggressor II*			"Cuba on Jardines Aggressor II" Overall, the diving was the best in the Caribbean, mainly because we had close and frequent encounters with so many sharks and gro... Full report		12/2017	Masako Satake 500+ Dives	2
*Aggressor/ Jardines Aggressor 2*		Garden of the Queens	"Garden Of the Queens" This was a very refreshing Caribbean dive location. . . corals, sponges, fish were all doing well. Reef tops were pristine. . . thick with ... Full report		6/2017	Gail M King 1000+ Dives	2
*Jardine's Aggressor I*		Jardines de la Reina	"Great diving in Jardines de la Reina" We really enjoyed our trip aboard the Jardine’s Aggressor I. When the Obama administration loosened the restrictions on Ameri... Full report		11/2017	Bonnie MacKenzie 250+ Dives	4
*Aggressor*		=	"Jardines Aggressor II" Convert $ to euros before you go. The greenback gets a 15% smackdown right off the bat in the conversion to the CUC which a turist... Full report		10/2017	DAVID C SCOTT 1000+ Dives	3
*Avalon/ La Tortuga*		Jardines de la Reina	"Cuba!" Plan to spend some time in Havana - there is much to see (besides the old cars!). The people in Cuba are friendly, warm, and posit... Full report		2/2017	Laurie Pemberton 500+ Dives	1
*Aggressor Fleet/ Jardines Aggressor*		Gardens of the Queen	"Cuba on the Jardines Aggressor" The diving was good, but my expectations of seeing the Caribbean how it was 40 years ago, I guess, were not realistic in retrospec... Full report		11/2016	David Marchese 1000+ Dives	4
*Avalon/ Tortuga*		Jardines de la Reina	"They grow the sharks bigger here!" We traveled to Havana under the People- to- People Educational Exchange program between the U. S. and Cuba. At the time of our travel... Full report		4/2016	Eric Eckes 1000+ Dives
*Cubandivingcenters/ Avalon 1*		Jardines de la Reina	"The Caribbean as it was 30 years ago" Well, if you want to see big groupers, big tarpons and lots of sharks, then Jardines de la Reina is your place. Nowhere else in th... Full report		8/2016	Robert G Lutan 500+ Dives
*Aggressor/ Jardines Aggressor I*		Jardines de la Reina	"Excellent live-a-board diving" Overall this is an excellent dive experience. The staff of the Jardines Aggressor I was excellent in all respects. The divemaster... Full report		11/2016	Dale H Cowan MD 500+ Dives	2
*Avalon 2*			"Pristine Reef in Cuba" Nice boat with very helpful and friendly crew. Boat rooms were on the small side but comfortable and clean. The A/ C worked! All ... Full report		1/2016	Michael Shwayder MD 500+ Dives
*Jardines Aggressor 1*			"Pristine Cuba Diving" The diving in Castro's private marine reserve, Gardens of the Queen, was chiefly pristine and full of life! This was in contrast ... Full report		9/2016	Jeanne Reeder 1000+ Dives	3
*Aggressor/ Jardines Aggressor I*		Jardines de la Reina	"Step back in time" I saw this trip offered on the Aggressor website, and trip was booked with their help through Oceans For Youth on an educational l... Full report		8/2016	Jennifer A Bowers 1000+ Dives	1
*Marlin Dive Centre/ Sol Cayo Largo*		Cayo Largo del Sur	"You're on your own!" The hotel, Sol Cayo Largo is part of the Spanish hotel chain, Melia. It was very comfortable and clean. Staff was always friendly ... Full report		3/2016	Steve Clayman 500+ Dives
*Jardines Aggressor I*		Gardens of the Queen	"Jardines Aggressor I" Had a great week diving in the Queen's Garden, on the central/ southeast coast of Cuba. The Jardines Aggressor I did not disappoint... Full report		8/2016	Kathryn S Roberts 1000+ Dives	1
*Jaradine Aggressor*		NA	"Jaradine Aggressor - Oceans for Yout" The Jardines Aggressor was reviewed in the July 2016 addition of Undercurrent. Based on my trip, the information in the review wa... Full report		8/2016	Jim Tompkins 1000+ Dives
*Jardines Aggressor*		Gardens of the Queen	"Diving Cuba's Gardens of the Queen" For those of us who've been diving for a long time, this trip to the famous Jardines de la Reina was an exciting trip back in time... Full report		5/2016	Tom Baker 1000+ Dives	3
*Avalon/ La Reina*		Jardines de la Reina	"Great Diving" [Nothing bad. Everything was spectacular. The boat, the food, the crew, the dive sites. ... Full report		5/2016	Gabriel I. Penagaricano 500+ Dives	1
*Aggressor/ Parque Central*		Jardines Gardens	"Jardines Aggressor I - Rec Dive Detroit trip - Cuba May 2016" It was with a mild amount of trepidation that a group of avid divers from Rec Dive, Detroit booked the first voyage of the Cuban J... Full report		5/2016	Gary Russo 250+ Dives	3
*Colony Hotel*		Isle de Juventud	"Isla de Juventud, Cuba " Excellent diving and very few people here. The coral reefs at Punta Frances are pristine. I saw a great variety and large numbers ... Full report		3/2016	Joseph H. Saunders 100+ Dives
*Avalon/Cuba Diving Centers/ Avalon II*		Jardines de la Reina	"Mediocre diving in Cuba’s Jardines de la Reina" Avalon II is a good enough liveaboard. It has a long central carpeted passageway leading from the dive prep area to a small loung... Full report		1/2016	Mr. Lee McEachern Jr 1000+ Dives	4
*Avalon Cuba Diving Center/ Gerogiana*		Gardens of the Queen	"Cuba's Sharks and Lion Fish" Four of us hooked up with Discovery Diving for five days under water in the Gardens of the Queen off the southern coast of Cuba. D... Full report		1/2016	James Filipczak 1000+ Dives	1
*Cuban Diving Centers/ Avbalon Fleet II*		Gardens of the Queen	"Avalon Fleet II Great Liveaboard in Cuba" Well maintained and run liveaboard, unusually large rooms with a large bathrooms. Food was sensational , flavorful and varied eac... Full report		8/2015	Alan J Stabile 250+ Dives
*Villa Maria La Gorda*			"Not as awesome as I had hoped" Diving in Cuba has long been on my bucket list, so I was really looking forward to it. However, it didn't live up to my expectati... Full report		9/2015	Jay Bitzer 100+ Dives	1
*Avalon Cuban Diving Center/ Tortuga*		Gardens of the Queen	"Tons of Sharks and Groupers" I went on a group trip in July. Since Cuba is not totally open yet for American tourists, I went on a license, pre- approved by th... Full report		7/2015	ROBERT PECORARO 1000+ Dives
*Avalon Diving/Ocean Doctor/ Tortuga floating hotel*		Jardines de la Reina	"Jardines de la Reina Tortuga Floating Hotel" Ocean Doctor runs sanctioned people- to- people trips to Cuba and works with the Cuban government to develop, improve and monitor oc... Full report		9/2015	Barry Zigas 100+ Dives	1
*International Diving Centers; Marlin Dive Center/ Hotel Colony; Diving Center at Mari*		Isla de Juventud & Maria la Go	"Terrific Diving in Cuba" Diving was terrific on Isla de Juventud. It's a long boat ride to get to the dive sites. Lots of tropical fish and healthy reefs. ... Full report		2/2015	Jacob Rosenstein 250+ Dives	1
*Avalon*		Cuba	"Avalon Jardin de la Reina" With no vacation plans for this year I was happy to find a new destination in [. . . ] on Cuba, Avalon and the Jardine... Full report		5/2015	Michael Joest 1000+ Dives
*Avalon Cuban Diving Centers/ Avalon II*		Gardens of the Queen	"A trip back to the past -- in some ways good, some ways not so good" Whenever we see images of Cuba, they show old U. S. cars from the 50s. Likewise, Gardens of the Queen (Jardines de la Reina) is bi... Full report		2/2015	Greg White 250+ Dives	5
*Avalon/ Ocean Doctor*		Jardines de la Reina	"Cuba - Land & Sea Adventure" I had wanted to go to Cuba for many years to visit the island and dive, long before the Anderson Cooper 60 Minutes feature. I had ... Full report		5/2014	Robert Nissenbaum 100+ Dives	4
*Avalon/ Tortuga*		Gardens of the Queen	"Excellent trip and some of the best diving I have seen in 30 years" Utterly fantastic diving, some of the best I have ever seen and comparable in my mind to Sipidan Island of the 1990's. The trip o... Full report		4/2014	Robert M Symington 250+ Dives	3
*Avalon/ Tortuga*		jardines de reina	Tortuga is a beautifully outfitted barge turned into a hotel that looks much like a live aboard. This is a shark feeding operation, ... Full report		2/2014	MBB 100+ Dives	2
*Avalon Dive Center/ Tortuga*		Jardines de la Reina	Gardens of the Queens is far and away the best diving in the Caribbean, and the marine life present is comparable to top notch loc... Full report		8/2014	Eric Schindler 500+ Dives	4
*Avalon/ Tortuga*		Jardines de Reina	Avalon emphatically said in advance emails when I was arranging my trip that they did not feed the sharks. They did. On my boat, t... Full report		2/2014	MB <100 Dives
*Avalon/ Tortuga*		Jardines De La Reina	This was my first trip here. There were sharks on almost everydive. Reef, and Nurse are the most prominent, but sightings of many ... Full report		2/2014	Alexander Smith 100+ Dives
*Avalon Dive Centers/ Tortuga*		Jardines de la Reina	This was my second trip here in 3 months, awesome place. . . . . a real divers paradise. If shark action is what you are looking for ch... Full report		11/2013	Scott O'Born 250+ Dives
*International Diving Centre/ Playa Blanca*		Cayo Largo	Cayo Largo is an island off the south central coast of Cuba. It is strictly a vacation spot. No fishing village, no colonial archi... Full report		10/2012	chris Aston 100+ Dives
*Avalon*		Jardines de la Reina	Jardines de la Reina is mangrove/ coral chain about 65 miles off the south coast of Cuba. It has been a marine park for about 20 ye... Full report		10/2012	Graham McGregor 250+ Dives	1
*Blue World Diving Centre/ Paradisus Rio De Oro Resort*		Holguin	The hotel Paradisus Rio Deo is probably the best in Eastern Cuba. It is a 5* operation: accommodation, beach, food. The hotel prov... Full report		1/2011	Bob Penhearow <100 Dives
*Eagle Ray Dive Center/ Sol Rio Luna y Mares*		Holguin	This was my third time in Cuba, after Varadero and Santa Lucia. So the only big concern was with the food, Cuba being know for it... Full report		9/2009	Guy 500+ Dives
*Jibacoa*			The only negative thing is that one of the dive masters when he knows that you are taking pictures will harass the wildlife ... Full report		11/2008	Terry Bartley 100+ Dives
*Shark's Friends/ several next door*			This is a government owned operation like all businesses in Cuba, so not really motivated employees. The DMs were professional and... Full report		8/2008	Larry Polster 500+ Dives
*Meliá Cayo Guillermo/ Iberostar Daiquiri - Cayo Guillermo*		[Ciego de Avila Province	Just 30 kms from Cayo Cocos (see my other report for same time frame and area), Cayo Guillermo is the cheaper but just as good ver... Full report		7/2008	Gary J Bergeron 250+ Dives
*Tryp Cayo Coco*		Ciego de Avila Province	Overall Comments: Small dive boat - had to carry tanks from dive shop to boat. Dive Master was top notch. This is an an all incl... Full report		7/2008	Gary J Bergeron 250+ Dives
*Maria La Gorda*			The accomodations are sparse and not very cozy. However the opportunity to congreagte at the bar (drinks were very cheap) and mee... Full report		7/2008	Gary Bergeron 250+ Dives
*Ancon*		Trinidad	The good part of trip was the cost. . . one week all inclusive from Toronto was $370 Canadian plus taxes. . . the cost of diving for the... Full report		11/2006	Brian Verbonac 250+ Dives

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Diving Guide to Cuba

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Cuba Diving Reviews: Dive Resorts & Liveaboards

Cuba Diving Reviews:
Dive Resorts & Liveaboards