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Cuba Liveaboard Diving

Liveaboard Diving Jardines de la Reina And Canarreos Archipelago With Grouper, Sharks And Crocodiles

Popular Cuba liveaboards

Cuba Liveaboard Diving

Cuba liveaboard diving is about great visibility on the less dived sites of UNESCO Jardines de la Reina where divers are limited to 1,200 each year and enjoy pristine reefs, sharks, crocodiles, turtles and grouper, or dive Canarreos Archipelago on shipwrecks, vertical walls, caves and swim-throughs.

Cuba Liveaboard cruises mostly visit the pristine marine reserves at Jardines de la Reina and the Canarreos Archipelago. Jardines de la Reina comprises 150 islets and Canarreos Archipelago comprises 350 islets, so both offer plenty of great opportunities for scuba diving and snorkelling.

Jardines de la Reina, or the ‘Gardens of the Queen‘, is off the south coast of Cuba and considered to be one of the best places to dive in the Caribbean. Canarreos Archipelago is also off the south coast of Cuba, and almost directly south of Havana, as the crow flies, and east of Isla de la Juventud.

The visibility in Cuba is mostly good and mostly more than 30 meters (99 feet). The sea temperatures averages around 25°C (77°F).

Is scuba diving in Cuba good?

Scuba diving in Cuba is good as it has unspoilt and beautiful coral reefs, Cuba offers good shark diving, a large variety of marine-life, plus the very rare opportunity to dive with saltwater crocodiles (see video below).

Cuba scuba diving is possibly one of the best Caribbean diving destinations.

Table of Cuba Liveaboards

This list of Cuba liveaboards is in descending customer rating order, so the liveaboards with the highest customer rating will be at the top of the list. To filter this table for the features that are important for your Cuba liveaboard trip, select from the list of filters below.


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Total Records Found: 2, showing 7 per page
Discover LiveaboardCustomer ReviewsPrice Per Day
Review: Jardines Avalon Fleet - Charter Only; Book: Jardines Avalon Fleet - Charter Only 10 Exceptional from £0; $0; €0
Review: Jardines Avalon Fleet; Book: Jardines Avalon Fleet 10 Exceptional from £314; $383; €358

Note: The above “Price Per Day” was correct at the time of producing this article, as was the exchange rate used to convert the GBP cost to US Dollars and Euros. For an up-to-date cost for your chosen liveaboard, please visit the “Book” link above.


Cuba Liveaboard Dive Sites

Jardines de la Reina

Jardines de la Reina is considered one of the best places to scuba dive in the Caribbean. The area is protected and visitor numbers are limited, which means the corals are pristine and the marine life is vibrant. This special area comprises around 230 small islands, which stretch 240 kilometres (150 miles) south of Cuba

A sign that the reefs in Jardines de la Reina are healthy is the number of sharks seen in this location. Shark diving in Cuba almost guarantees shark sightings on every dive, and sharks include Caribbean reef sharks, nurse sharks, silky sharks, lemon sharks and may even include hammerhead sharks, whale sharks or bull sharks if you’re lucky.

But then there is also the very rare opportunity to dive or snorkel with saltwater crocodiles too at Jardines de la Reina (see video below).

Other marine life seen at Cuba’s Jardines de la Reina include turtles, goliath grouper, eagle rays, stingrays and tarpon. Dive sites include Avalon, Farallon, Vicente, Black Coral I and II, and Pipin.

https://youtu.be/VoIp6Oi50QA
Diving Cuba

Canarreos Archipelago Diving

Diving Canarreos Archipelago on a Cuba liveaboard also includes the chance to see sharks too. The dive sites include swim-throughs and caves full of baitfish, plus there are some huge drop offs and wall dives, and shipwrecks for the wreck diving enthusiasts.

The Canarreos Archipelago liveaboard will include dives sites such as Cienfuegos, Rancho Luna, Cayo Guano Del Este, Cayo Trabuco, Cayo Rosario, and Cayo Sigua.

Canarreos Archipelago comprises 350 small islands and is another protected marine reserve of Cuba. Enjoy diving with nurse sharks, groupers, barracuda and turtles.

Can US citizens scuba dive in Cuba?

US citizens can scuba dive in Cuba and liveaboard dive travel to Cuba is now legal for Americans, which is because the Blue Sanctuary is a sustainability management program of Cuba’s Jardines de la Reina Marine Park (Gardens of the Queen).

But Cuba is only open to fully vaccinated American travellers. All Travellers, including U.S. citizens, must bring proof of a COVID vaccination.

Best Time To Scuba Dive Cuba

Scuba diving Cuba is year-round, which is due to the warm tropical climate and warm Caribbean waters.

The most expensive time to scuba dive Cuba, and when there’s a lower risk of hurricanes is from December to March (the high season). The diving is considered better in the high season, but diving in the low season from April to November is still good, plus it’s cheaper to travel in the low season too.

How To Get To Cuba Liveaboards

Cuba liveaboards leave from the following main ports of departure:

  1. Dive liveaboards for Jardines De La Reina depart from Jucaro Port.
  2. Liveaboards for the Canarreos Archipelago usually depart from ports at Trinidad or Cienfuegos.

Most dive tour operators will arrange to pick you up from the capital of Cuba Havana. So in most case, guests will not need to make their own internal travel arrangements.

Havana has an international airport, and airlines fly direct from around the world, including Europe, Latin America, North America, and Asia.

Flights from the United States are limited due to the Cuban Trade Embargo, where just a few charter flights are permitted to fly between the US and Cuba.

I hope you enjoyed this page about Cuba liveaboard diving

I’d love to hear from you. Tell us about your adventures of diving and snorkeling, in the comments below. Please also share your photos. Either from your underwater cameras or videos from your waterproof Gopro’s!

If this article hasn’t answered all of your questions. If you have more questions either about snorkeling or scuba diving (or specifically about Cuba liveaboard diving), please comment below with your questions.

There will also be many more articles about scuba diving (and snorkeling) for you to read and learn about these fabulous sports.

Have fun and be safe!

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