![]() We descended as a group and toured the reef. GoPro in hand Joey stride jumped into the lapping water in front of me. You could see the massive coral silhouettes towering under the waves. The boat had traveled to a new shallower location while we had been eating. It was just enough time to eat some snacks that we had taken from the resort buffet that morning. The surface interval lasted only about an hour before we slipped back into our dampened wetsuits. We ended the dive at another shipwreck and partners ascended in no particular sequence as their air dictated. It was hard to watch some of the amateur divers bump up against the coral with not a second thought about repercussions. We drifted on the current away from the ship and above a reef teeming with life. Invasive lionfish swam in an out of the portals while colorful fish aggregated in schools. We descended 90 feet to the shipwreck some more gracefully than others. I decided to dive with the malfunctioning equipment. I now had two choices, climb back onto the boat and can my dive day (they obviously did not have the intelligence to bring spares) or stay extra close to my dive buddy, Joey, and use his depth gauge. I moved away from him and ripped my hose from his hand. I was livid and thankfully a strong swimmer. What an unprofessional idiot, I didn’t even have my regulator in. As I was showing him my console and trying to communicate my problem (which was already challenging given the language barrier), the divemaster took it upon himself to grab my BCD hose and deflating it, sending me underwater. ![]() I went to signal the divemaster that my equipment was broken. What a pain, everything had seemed to be fine on the boat was now breaking in the water. That was when I noticed that my depth gauge and compass were flooded and now dysfunctional. I checked my equipment following my entry into the water to ensure everything was still working properly. After the divemaster, I was one of the first ones to hit the water. The boat slowed to a light putter, giving everyone the signal to suit up. ![]() In about an hour we arrived at the shipwreck, our first dive location. I can’t even remember our divemasters name, but I can tell you he barely spoke a word of English. The man was a little more friendly than his better half and we exchanged a little bit of small talk on the boat ride. The two that really stick out in my mind was the older German couple with the GoPro. They split us between themselves, and we got put in a group with some interesting characters. We had a large enough group that there were two divemasters accompanying us on the boat. The surf was choppy but not enough to give anyone the nauseating feeling of seasickness. We weaved in and out of the mangrove canal towards the open ocean. The boat took off as soon as everyone had their equipment loaded up. It was in that instance that Joey and I decided that we would never travel without our own personal mask and regulator again. Just looking at the rust building up on the regulators and holes in the wetsuits I could tell that this equipment lacked proper maintenance and care. Upon our arrival, I knew it was going to be a long day dealing with less than competent divemasters. We met the crew right across from our resort, at the marina. Our dives in the Atlantic ocean were from a chartered boat. We decided to do two days of diving, one day on the Atlantic side of Cuba and one day on the Caribbean side. Barracuda Dive Shop was the outfitter that our resort recommended. We didn’t waste any time it was the main reason we had come down south and we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to blow some bubbles. On our second day in Cuba we immediately booked our scuba diving excursion through the travel agent at the resort. Wreck Diving in the Tourist Capital of Cuba – Veradero ![]() And it should come as no surprise that aside from the timeless beauty of the old cars, Cuba is also timeless in its scuba diving opportunities. Everything they do is geared towards bringing travelers in and stimulating their economy. They are a testament to the countries hardships and ingenuity.Īs things are beginning to amend themselves with the USA, Cuba is now becoming a cheap hotspot winter destination.īeing the largest of the many Caribbean islands, Cuba is growing in hotel infrastructure and overall tourism. The shabby colonial cities, old school vehicles, and cobblestoned streets have a very unchanged and historic feel to them. Having been isolated from the rest of the world, thanks to the Cold War nuclear crisis and subsequent strained relationship with the USA, the country has had to fend for itself, living at the edge of poverty. When everyone else was hibernating for the winter, Joey and I decided to get our dive gear out and head book a quick last minute vacation down to Cuba.Ĭuba is a place that can make you feel trapped in time. Joey’s First Southern Dives in the Country of Cuba ![]()
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