Scuba Diving off Punta Francés

The bay offers spectacular diving. There are 56 dive sites concentrated along La Costa de los Piratas (the Pirate Coast), whose tranquil waters are protected from the Gulf Stream currents. The sites extend along a 15-kilometer-long axis offshore between Punta Pedernales and Punta Francés. Off Punta Francés, the basin’s wall begins at depths of 20 to 30 meters and plummets into the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. The wall is laced with canyons, caves, and grottoes. Huge coral parapets loom out over the cobalt abyss below. Site 39 is renowned for the Caribbean Cathedral, said to be the tallest coral column in the world. Two other sites of interest are Black Coral Wall and Stingray Paradise, where you may stroke these friendly fish. Marine turtles are profuse.

A naval battle between Thomas Baskerville’s pirate ships and a Spanish fleet resulted in many ships being sunk near Siguanea. Northeast of Punta Francés, between the cape and Cayo Los Indios, are three well-preserved Spanish galleons close together. A cluster of freighters was scuttled several decades ago to provide bombing and naval gunnery targets for the Cuban armed forces.

The Centro Internacional del Buceo (International Scuba Diving Center, tel. 046/39-8181), 1.5 kilometers south of the Hotel Colony, offers dives for CUC30, CUC45 for a night dive. A full certification course costs US$365. The facility has a large decompression chamber, plus a scuba shop that sells and rents gear. It generally takes well over one hour to reach the dive spots—a tedious journey in basic launches. Drop-in visitors hoping for a day’s diving may find that the staff will usually take you to the nearest sites, rather than the most interesting. Diving with a guide is compulsory, as the bay lies within the marine reserve. You get a 20 percent discount if you book your dive through Ecotur (Calle 13 final, Sierra Caballos, tel./fax 046/32-7101, ecoturisla@enpa.gerona.inf.cu; Mon.–Fri. 8 a.m.–5 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.–noon).