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The Jardines Aggressor I liveaboard explores the Zapata Biosphere Reserve in the Bay of Pigs, Cuba, on 7 night diving expeditions. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the most important wetlands in the Caribbean and home to turtles, saltwater crocodiles, as well as thousands of migratory birds. Its famous walls and caverns attract schooling fish and plenty of macro life.
The Jardines Aggressor I is a 110 ft/33.5m yacht with a wide beam, built and powered for comfort, safety and stability; it is diesel powered, cruises at 10 knots and has 110-volt power onboard. Guest accommodations include master staterooms with picture windows on the main deck, as well deluxe staterooms on the lower deck. All staterooms have their own private bathroom with a toilet and shower, media player, and individual climate controls. The liveaboard a member of the Aggressor Fleet and linens are changed mid-week on request, and fresh towels are placed in each stateroom as needed.
Breakfast (cooked to order), buffet lunch and an elegant meal at dinner with tableside service are served, in addition to fresh mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks. Beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) are complimentary while onboard. There is a roomy, air conditioned lounge and the dining area, sun deck complete with a hot tub, lounge seats and deck chairs, media center, shaded open-air bar and grill. There is a variety of evening entertainment, including diving and marine presentations by the Cuban educator specialists, movies, games and more. A small book exchange library is maintained onboard, as well as fish identification reference books.
Diving facilities include enriched air nitrox, individual dive lockers with ample storage space, and a camera table with low-pressure air hoses. The dive deck and platform area are very spacious given that all diving is done from the mothership. The egress ladders were designed for convenience to allow divers easy entries and exits. Enjoy fresh hot water showers on the platform after your dives and dry off with a warm towel. While onboard the Jardines Aggressor I, you may pick a buddy of your choice, or dive with one of the crew members. The yacht’s video professional will capture your diving adventure to share your Zapata liveaboard memories with family and friends.
Notes: The age limit to scuba dive by Cuban law is 15 years of age.
Dive experience: When guests compete their Cruise Application they affirm to Aggressor that they are fit to dive in Cuba. That “fit to dive” implies physical fitness, dive skills, and dive experience. Aggressor expect divers to accept personal responsibility for their fitness to dive.
Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation, breakfast, lunch (including on final day), dinner, snacks, drinking water, soft drinks, hot drinks, local beer and wine, dives (as detailed in the trips above), 3-4 experienced dive guides, tanks, weights and weightbelts.
Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment (incl. dive computer and torch: USD 225 per week), port fees (USD 240), marine park conservation fees (USD 120), dive insurance. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be prepaid.
Optional extras: Alcoholic drinks (other than local beer or wine), nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers (USD 100 per week), 15 liter tank (USD 75 per week), transfer to the boat from the local airports (Havana, Santa Clara, or Varadero: USD 60 each way, prepaid), trip video. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival. Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.
How to get there: These liveaboard cruises are operated under the Oceans For Youth Foundation which has an approved license for the ‘People-to-People’ educational exchange program. This means they meet OFAC regulations that permit US citizens to travel to Cuba, as well as citizens of the rest of the world.
You will be met at Havana (HAV), Santa Clara (SNU) or Varadero (VRO) airport on the Saturday (between 11 am - late afternoon) and transferred to the Jardines Aggressor I at Playa Larga. A Cubatur representative in a yellow shirt who will assist with your luggage and transfer. If you arrive late you must make your own way to the boat which is about a 3.5 hour ride. Boarding is at 5-9 pm, then the boat leaves port for the Bay of Pigs.
On the last full day of the trip you will cruise back to Zapata and then disembark at 7:30 am on the final morning (Saturday). You will then be taken back to the airport, stopping along the way for lunch. The last dive of the trip will be around 11 am on the second last day of the trip. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving.
There are many daily international flights available to/from Cuba. For more details, including airlines, see our Cuba travel information section.
Diving Environment: Zapata, in the Bay of Pigs, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003; the peninsula contains the largest and most important wetlands in the Caribbean. Covering 1.5 million acres, the immense Ciénaga de Zapata Biosphere Reserve includes marshes, mangroves, coral reefs and forests that are home to crocodiles, countless plant species, and thousands of migrating birds. The famous Zapata walls and caverns are covered with sponges and black coral. Swim over vibrant reefs boasting 50 species of coral, 200 species of sponges, schooling fish and abundant macro life, such as lobsters, shellfish, crabs and shrimps. Divers will encounter jewfish, stingrays, green morays, turtles, and Atlantic spadefish. Cuba is known as a great shark destination, and the good visibility makes it easy to spot several species of reef shark patrolling the edges of the reefs. At the deeper sites schools of jack, tuna, tarpon, and barracuda are present, as well as grunts, snappers, red hinds, parrotfish, squirrelfish, and triggerfish.
Water temperature ranges from 78-82°F (25-28°C). A 3 mm wetsuit is recommended, although some might prefer a 5 mm in January/February. Visibility is 65-130 ft/(20-40m). Zapata has a mix of easy and more advanced dive sites..
Non-diver rate: USD 200 off the full published price (does not apply to specials).
Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travelers may choose to share a cabin or pay a supplement of 65% of the normal published price.
Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 12 guests, and 2 extra persons can join the cruise in a Deluxe Stateroom free of charge (total 14 or more guests).
Whole boat charter rate (per night): Pay for 18 guests and 2 additional persons can join the cruise free of charge (20 guests).
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