Diving in Isla de la Juventud
Cuba has a rich history of pirates. This island was previously known as Isla de los Piratas (Isla de los Piratas) or Isla del Tesoro (Treasure Island) and has a very colorful history. It was discovered by Christopher Columbus on his second voyage to the New World, but was ignored due to its rocky coastline. That’s probably why the pirates liked it so much! The likes of Francis Drake, Henry Morgan, John Hawkins, and John Rackham, among others, ran their thriving businesses from there until the mid-19th century. This is also the island that inspired the book Treasure Island by Robert Luis Stevenson.
You would have thought that for such a small island, one place could have so much history! But you will often find this with places in Cuba…
There is not much else to do on Isla de la Juventud besides diving and snorkeling. The island is home to the Punta Frances National Marine Park, which is a paradise of caves, walls, canyons, shipwrecks, healthy corals, and plenty of fish.
Those who love wall diving will be impressed with the falls here. The walls are full of tunnels and passageways to explore and the reef is covered with sponges and different corals. Marine life includes turtles, rays, sometimes a nurse shark, and fish such as barracuda, grunt, snapper, swordfish, triggerfish, and macro things like small crabs and shrimp.
With over 50 dive sites around the island, there is plenty to see!
Places like Black Coral Wall with lots of black coral at 30 meters and magnificent corals along the walls. Or the incredible Cueva Azul with its interesting shades of blue in the hole of around 40 meters and Los Indios is a rocky wall with a sandy plateau with huge schools of fish and rays relaxing on the sand. But wait, there is more…
The Jibacoa and Sparta wrecks are located in shallow water and are great for any level of diver to enjoy. They used to be used for military target practice, but now divers can enjoy the boats. It is possible to enter the wrecks, but excellent buoyancy is necessary in order not to damage the delicate life that grows on them.
And since you will be dry after all that diving, you can enjoy amazing sunsets and mojitos on land after the day discovering marine life!