Cuba
Map provided by www.worldatlas.com
There are few more fascinating destinations in the Caribbean than its largest and most populous island, Cuba - not least because it has been a socialist republic since the 1959 revolution, when Fidel Castro seized power. This last remaining vestige of state socialism, 90 miles (145 km) south of Key West, Florida, was once the last stronghold of Spanish power in the region.
It is a place of great natural beauty, with three magnificent mountain ranges and fertile plains where sugar cane and tobacco grow. It also has some of the best beaches in the world. Cuba is an archipelago and diving is available from many locations and offers many options: shore; wall; reef; wreck; shark. There's even a floating hotel!!
There are currently many different diving centres split over 18 different zones with 100s of diving sites, and new areas are being developed everyday. Cuban diving waters are pristine, with very little pollution or coral destruction, perfectly preserved, and providing an underwater paradise of more than 50 species of corals and 200 species of sponges. With average normal visibility of 30 to 40 metres, divers will find an abundance of hard corals such as brain, pillar, staghorn and elkhorn, and among the soft corals, spectacular gorgonians, sea fans and plume worms. Barrel and tube sponges, sea urchins, spiny lobsters, coral shrimp and crabs are also widely present.
Cuba has five hyperbaric chambers dispersed regionally, and the centres can provide an unlikely emergency evacuation by helicopter if ever needed. To preserve the sites, there is a "Look, but don't touch, and don't take" policy. Diving is a year-round sport in Cuba with water temperature varying little from the yearly average of 24°C (76°F).
Getting There:
A number of airlines operate scheduled flights from the UK to Havana.
British Airways (tel: 0845 77 333 77; www.britishairways.com) flies twice a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays) nonstop from Gatwick to Havana.
Air France (tel: 0845 0845 111; www.airfrance.com) flies from Heathrow to Havana (via Paris) on Saturdays and Sundays. Iberia (tel: 0845 601 2854; www.iberia.com) has daily flights to Havana via Madrid.
Flightline (tel: 01342 717333; www.flightlineinternational.com) has charter flights to Varadero and Holguin with Monarch and Air 2000. However, they don't get their seat allocation until the last minute, because most are held by tour operators, so they recommend that it's best to call them just two or three weeks before you want to travel.
There are no scheduled flights from the USA to Cuba, so don't expect to be able to hop over from Miami.
Flying time: The approximate flying time from the UK to Cuba is 9 hours 40 minutes.
Departure tax: US$20, payable at the airport when you leave.
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BSAC TRAVEL CLUB BOOKSHOP SELECTION
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Wonderful, unique island, quite unlike anywhere else in the Caribbean. It 's sub-tropical, so summer can see sharp showers of rain. There's plenty to do and it's a vibrant, lively culture. Wherever you stay, don't miss a trip to Havana. Cuba is developing very fast. Don't leave it too long before you visit.
Barracuda
Avalon Diving Centre
Cayo Guillermo by Trevor Thorpe
Cayo Largo by Harry Ryalls
Cayo Coco by Trevor Thorpe
Snorkelling at Guardalavaca by Carol Reid
Cuba: Nice Little Earner
On the streets of Havana
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