Cayo Guillermo, Cuba
by Trevor Thorpe

After returning from Grenada( which was superb) in November I was wondering where to go for my next diving holiday when the Eclipse brochure arrived through my letterbox. Upon reading it I saw a holiday to Cuba which looked very nice and not too expensive. I had been to Cuba three times before ( Quadalarvarca, Cayo Largo & Cayo Coco) and really enjoyed the island so I decided to book it. I would be staying in the Melia Cayo Guillermo for two weeks all-inclusive which would cost me £832 plus the single supplement of £23 per night.

It is a fabulous hotel ( one that I would throughly recommend) with a buffet restaurant for breakfast and evening meal but also the Italian and International restaurants which you can use once per week for your evening meal. There is also a beach restaurant for a daytime meal. There is evening entertainment in the theatre every night and during the day there are loads of other activities.

The pool is enormous and shaped like a giant aeroplane engine with one side for activities, one for children and the other for relaxation. The beach is lovely and very safe for children as it shelves very gradually.

After my 11 hour flight from Gatwick we landed at Cayo Coco airport ( which has only been open for 2 years, it used to be Ciego de Avila airport for the Cayos) we were met by the Tour Representatives and shown which coach to board for our 30 minute ride to Cayo Guillermo. The Cayos are linked to the mainland by a 17km. coast road and it is in these waters that the flamingos have a huge breeding colony.

Cuba is one of the safest holiday destinations around as it relies very heavily on tourism since the breakup of communist Russia and the U.S.A. blockade which means it is an extremely poor country but the people are extremely friendly.

There is a dive shop on site run by ScubaCuba and they do rent equipment but it is in a bad state of repair, which is why I was very glad that I took my own. They dive from a boat but it is not much more than a rowing boat with an engine and there are no ladders to get into the boat so after the dive you just have to rely on your fins and assistance from the guides who are very helpful. I took out a package of 10 dives ( which cost $210 but as I only did 8, I was refunded the other 2 ) because being on the Atlantic side the diving is sometimes cancelled due to bad weather. The water temperature was sufficent for me to never need a suit.

While there I did 8 dives, these were; La Gorgonia to 97ft. for 47mins., La Angelica to 50ft. for 53mins., La Angelica again for 50ft. for 52mins., Los Meros to 95ft. for 37mins., La Angelica again to 38ft. for 42mins., La Morena to 55ft. for 54mins., La Angelica again to 49ft for 53mins., & La Gorgonia again to 94ft. for 48mins.

There is also lots to do for the non-diver; such as visits to Moron, Ciego de Avila, Trinidad, Eco. Tours and of course Havana.

Contact; www.eclipsedirect.co.uk


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