Cuban Showed off its Best Choices to Scuba Diving Buffs

The beauty of Cuba´s underwater scenery, the diversity of its marine live and the government´s protection policy of sea bottoms were the main topics at the Second Expobuceo Meeting held this week on the island nation with a good turnout of local and foreign experts.

The event teed off at Havana´s Copacabana Hotel and included grand tours around Varadero Beach in the north and the Zapata Peninsula in central Cuba.

In a master lecture, Miguel Alejandro Figueras of Cuba´s Tourism Ministry highlighted that his country is number 27 on the list of the planet´s most sought-after destinations among scuba diving enthusiasts, according to specialized publications put out by the World Tourism Organization.

With 45 diving centers and over a thousand sites in all, the island of Cuba hopes to become the number-one destination among scuba divers in the Caribbean. In addition to that, Cuban facilities are outfitted with all necessary equipment, gear and vessels for the practice of this fascinating water sport.

During the working sessions, Caterina Matachiera, president of Diving Adverture, talked about her experiences as a tour operator for scuba diving travel.

As we speak, Diving Adventure runs the westernmost facility of Maria la Gorda, the forerunning location in the country. As time has ticked by, similar facilities in Cayo Largo, Havana, Cienfuegos and Trinidad -only to name but a few- have been added to the list of top-notch sites across the island.

Attendants to the meeting also learned about new scuba diving modalities offered by Havanatur, Gaviota and Scuba Cuba (run by Cubanacan Nautica), the island´s leading company in the field.

The 2004 Expobuceo Meeting was the perfect setting to showcase new products and services in a number of destinations around the island of Cuba, such as Playa Larga and Bay of Pigs, with nearly a dozen diving sites teeming with underwater caves.