Islas del Sur

CUBA  – DIVE THE BEST PLACES

The Treasure-Island “Isla de la Juventud” Isle of Youth

This enchanting island, that was discovered 1494 of Christoph Kolumbus during his second America-trip, lies in the Canarreos-Archipel, between Cuba and Mexico. It served over centuries as base for English and French pirates, who were after the Spanish Galeonens, that load richly, with gold and silver from South America to Europe did in Havanna stopovers and visited on this occasion at the treasure-island. Also Sir Francis Drake served it as pirate-basis in the 18.Jahrhundert. Few years only ago was found some chests filled with gold-coins; also numerous shipwrecks were discovered from times of the Spanish conquerors in the south of the island. The property-circumstances of the island changed in the course the history several times; also, the island-names are to be not counted at a hand. Named from Columbus " Evangelista ", it turned during the Pirate-times into the devil - and Pirate island, late pine-island. Officially " Isla de la Juventud " (" island of the youth "), it is called today to Divers and Tourists "The Treasure Island",  after the famous novel of Robert Louis Stevenson, that he wrote here.

The Canarreos-coral archipelago, with  672 islands and islets, is the second-biggest of the world and extends from Cuba up to the Bahamas. The treasure-island possesses a total-surface of 2.199 square-kilometres and is consequently eight times bigger than the island Malta. This beautiful island with its fantastic underwater-precincts of the Canarreos- Riffs cares the world about the second-longest coral-formation.

The hotel-installation is in the south of the island, directly at the sea. 53 rooms, the reception, the restaurant and a well sorted Shop are in the main-house. In the big park, 20 bungalows are, just as the pool with Sunset-Bar. At the beach, there are sunbathe-day-beds gratuitously. An until now unique idea was realized with the construction of the " Ranchon ". Directly at the diving-places, approximately 20 km from the hotel-installation removes, a restaurant was erected on stilts where our guests can do lunch hour and can relax at the dream-beach  up to the in the afternoon-dives afterwards.

Diving is written on the treasure-island especially big. To the hotel-installation, the biggest diving-basis of the Caribbean belongs with an individual Marina, several diving-ships and over 300 appliances, just as a Deco-Chamber. The super-diving-places belong to the best of the Caribbean. Completely intact corals, a big fish-continuance, many wrecks and spectacular Drop-offs have each diver-heart beaten higher!  

  Hotel Colony 

Situated: In the southwest, approximately 50 km from the airport of Nueva Gerona removes, lies the hotel-installation Colony,  on the treasure-island. 

The installation consists of a two-story hotel-section with 53 rooms and 24 simple bungalows, partially two-story. Centrally the reception, the restaurant, the shop and the travel-office. At the pool an open-air-Bar. The installation was built 1958 before the revolution and since only partially renovates. 

Food: Full board (Cuban kitchen), the lunch can be occupied also without extra charge in the Ranchón at the diving-area. 

Rooms: The rooms are simple, as well the baths. All rooms possess TV however just as a terrace or balcony, air-conditioning, sea-gaze. With rain-time, it cannot be excluded that water penetrates into the hotel-walks. The bungalows (for 2-3 persons) are also simply equipped. 

Other: From the hotel-own sandy beach, nature lively - often becomes algae, etc washed up, a 500 meters long bridge leads to the Sunset-Bar, one on stilts in the sea of erected platform. From here you can bathe and can swim, swimming-depth, just as cooling drinks earn under free heaven at the bar in the evening. The Sunset-Bar is especially popular in the twilight. A sunset over the sea is an unforgettable experience! More frequently, a particular tractor drives at the beach along, in order to prepare the sand again, and to clean. Nevertheless one cannot prevent that sometimes lie bottles and cans at the beach, that are left by tourists or natives after extended Beach parties. From the beach the sea is extremely flat, ideally also for children. 

Renewal of the hotel-installation 

The renovation-works on the treasure-island and the bungalows in the hotel Colony are final completed after years of the planning! The bungalows were built quite raggedly and completely again, the baths with all imaginable comfort equipped and the rooms new and modern furnishes. So, each room has a big TV, comfortable and new beds, a beautiful seat-corner and a new air-conditioning. The baths are partial shaped with marble, a deep mirror, bathtubs and new showers possess with adjustable showers. Moreover, the stream - and water pipes were put completely again.  

  Diving 

Diving-Center: The Diving Center belongs to the hotel-installation of Colony with an individual Marina, several diving-ships and over 300 gears. There is also the compressor-expletive-station (no bottle-tow!) and a technology-area, in which smaller repairs executed at your appliances and can be loaded your diving-lamps with 220 VS. The 12 litres. -tanks (DIN/INT) is filled always good, so that 2000 litres. air is to the disposal, Caribbean-norm. additional the compressor-expletive-station is a storage-area for your diving-equipment as well as a modern Deco-Chamber, even with oxygen-artificial respiration. 

Diving-places: The Corals already begins at the water-surface, the most beautiful diving-precincts are between 15 and 18 meters of depth, very beautiful diving-places and many underwater-caves at the steep-wastes, that pull itself up to 400 meters of depth at this second-biggest coral-reef of the world. Particularly, the Canarreos-Riff distinguishes itself through gigantic corals - and Gorgon formations, from which over 150 types were counted before the treasure-island, just as through the gigantic continuance of tropical fish with almost 600 species, that are especially tame here. The 25 Dive guides have defined of 56 buoys so that you can dive for months and will always experience new interesting dives to the know nest places: The black coral-wall, the paradise of the sponges, the magic-cave, the giant-crater, that Gorgonian-Garden, the black grotto, the passage to the depth, the coral-wall and the valley of the sharks. Already 1980, the diving-places were proclaimed as a reservation of sea nature. Here, it is prohibited under penalty to fish with harpoons and javelins. The Cuban Dive guides keep an eye meticulously on observance of these rules; therefore, the diving-area is so intact here as well. Nowhere in the Caribbean the fish are more trustful, get the coral-formations better. Experience the heavenly insights into the underwater-world! Even the famous German botanist and Geologist Alexander of Humboldt, mentioned this area with big enthusiasm in its 1831 published book " Tableau statistique de l île de Cuba ". 

Diving-course: The diving-area is 13-20 miles of the hotel-installation removed. You drive daily from hotel to the  Marina with minibuses in 3 minutes , from there with the dive boats, that are equipped all with a diver-platform, to the diving-precincts as well as to the so-called Ranchon. In the morning, a low-dive is enforced up to 36 or 40 meters, in the afternoon a second dive up to 15 meters of depth, however not less appealing. The view rarely amounts to under 30-40 meters, caused by the protected lee-situation of the main-diving-area. For these reasons, currents are hardly to be found also, an incalculable advantage! 

The Ranchon: An idea unique until now in the Caribbean was realized here: Directly at the Cabo Francés, 20 kilometres of the hotel-installation removes, a platform big 500 cubic meters on stilts, from which leads from a long bridge to a heavenly sandy beach, was erected surrounded from untouched jungle-landscape in the sea. On the platform, a restaurant is where our diving-guests without extra charge can occupy the lunch. Escorts can book a day trip to the Ranchón for 8 U.S. $ and enjoys this appealing and unforgettable atmosphere. Sunbathe-day-beds are on the platform and at the beach. Directly from the Ranchón you can swim and can snorkel at the near coral-reef. 

International Diving Center Colony

Isla de Juventud - Tresure Island

Dive Zone            : Punta Francés

Operator              : CIB Puertosol el Colony

Dives sites            : 56

Kind of bottom      : Coral reefs, caves, walls, shipwrecks plenty of species like barracudas,

 tarpons, groupers and black coral.

Address              : Carretera Siguanea, Km 42 Isla de la Juventud, Cuba

Main dives sities (Depth . Meters / Feet)

1. Pared de coral negro (15/49)

2. Cueva azul (12/39)

3. Escondite del buzo (12/39)

4. El Arco de los sábalos ( 14/46)    

5. 5. El sitio de todos (12/39)

Description of the bottom: The waters around the Cuban archipelago are characterized by their gentleness – mild tides and no strong currents -, their warmth over 24°C all year round, their virgin conditions  - no pollution and well – preserved bottoms -, the diversity of its underwater flora and fauna, and the total absence of aggressive animals. The dives zone of  CIB Colony is located in the breath-taking paradise in the Punta Frances Marine National Park. There are 56 atractive diving sites, some of them in areas of dense and colorful populations of corals, gorgonians and sponges. Others are located where the drop-off falls sharply, also more than 50 caves, passages and tunnels, coral billocks and valleys are included. The kind of fish varies from one site to another, so we can find schools of tarpons, spadefish, jacks, grunts, schoolmasters and yellowtail snappers. Nassau groupers, black groupers and barracudas are frecuently found, also there are turtles, eagles rays and sometimes sharks. Other diving zones are Los Barcos Hundidos, which are remains of sunken ships scattered on an extensive area betqeen 6 and 9 meters ( 20 or 30 feets) deep, with many schools of fish, including barracudas and stingrays, and a numerous sessile fauna attached to the ships.

Centro Internacional de Buceo Colony

Isla de Juventud

Zona de Buceo     : Punta Francés

Operador              : CIB Puertosol el Colony

Puntos de buceo  : 56

Tipo de fondo      : Barreras coralinas, cuevas, paredes , barcos hundidos y abundantes    especies  Barracudas, Tarpons, Chernas y Coral negro  .

Compresor           : Dos Bauer k-21

Tanques               :12 Litros......40 acero   260 aluminio (Catalina)

Equipamientos    : Reguladores.... 40   Chalecos......... 40

                                Trajes...............  40 ( Cressi Sub )

Capacidad del CIB: 150 buzos diarios con doble sesión

Instructores          : CMAS,  SSI..       

Embarcaciones      : Seis yates de 41 pies (100 pax) y 2 tender (86-100 pax)

Cámara Hiperb .    :  A 42 Km del Centro, en Nueva Gerona. (Traslado en ambulancia de cuidados intensivos)

Dirección              : Carretera Siguanea, km 42 Isla de la Juventud, Cuba

PRINCIPALES PUNTOS DE BUCEO (Profundidad. Metros / Pies)

1. Pared de coral negro (15/49)

2. Cueva azul (12/39)

3. Escondite del buzo (12/39)

4. El Arco de los sábalos ( 14/46)    

5. 5. El sitio de todos (12/39)

Descripción de los fondos: Las aguas que rodean el archipiélago cubano son apacibles, tienen una temperatura por encima de los 24⁰C,  mantienen su virginidad debido a la carencia de contaminantes y lo bien conservado de sus  fondos, tienen una visibilidad media horizontal de 30 metros ( 98 pies), poseen diversidad de flora y fauna subacuática y ausencia total de animales agresivos. Descripción del fondo: La zona de Buceo del CIB Colony se encuentra en lo más exquisito de ese paraíso que es el Parque Natural Nacional Marino Punta Francés. Hay ubicados allí 56 sitios de buceo de grandes atractivos, que se pueden agrupar en: aquellos donde los crecimientos de corales, gorgonias y esponjas son densos, otros en los cuales el canto de veril cae en forma vertiginosa y más de 50 cuevas, pasadizos, túneles, mogotes y valles. La presencia de peces varía de un sitio a otro y  se encuentran manchas de sábalos, pacualas, jureles, roncos, cajíes y rabirrubias. Es frecuente ver chernas, aguajíes y barracudas y en ocasiones obispos, tortugas y con menos frecuencia tiburones. Otra zona es la de los barcos hundidos, que son restos de barcos diseminados en una extensa área que está entre los 6 y 9 metros de profundidad donde hay grandes cardúmenes de peces, también barracudas y rayas y una abundante fauna sésil adherida a las planchas y piezas de los pecios.

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