Jardines de la Reina (8 Days / 7 Nights - 22 Dives)
Trip highlights: whale sharks, shark action, manta rays, turtles, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, healthy reefs, off the beaten track
Dive sites and activities: Gardens of the Queen: Cabezo de la Cubera, Black Coral Iand II, Five Seas, Octopus Cave, Cabezo de la Raya, Los Mogotes, Pipin, El Farallon, Russian Mountain, Vicente, Avalon
Day 1
Board the Jardines Aggressor II in Port Jucaro, before the yacht departs late in the evening; the tour leader will welcome you onboard, assign your cabin to you, give a safety briefing, crew introduction, and explain in detail the liveaboard boat features and the plans for the coming days. You will have time to complete the necessary registration paperwork, familiarize yourself with the boat and make yourself comfortable. Then dinner will be served. After a good night's sleep in your comfortable cabin, the diving will commence the next day.
Days 2-7
Cuba's Jardines de la Reina National Park encompasses a chain of 250 pristine coral and mangrove islands and it is also widely recognized to represent one of the healthiest marine ecosystems in the Caribbean. You will dive on pristine coral reefs and steep walls dropping from the reef crest into the deep, populated by large populations of fish including Goliath grouper weighing up to 400 lbs (180 kg), large schools of snappers, parrotfishes, eagle rays, sea turtles and much more. Additionally, several species of sharks are commonly seen including silky, Caribbean reef, blacktip, lemon, hammerhead, and nurse sharks, plus the occasional whale shark.
Expect up to 4 dives per day. During the week, Cuban specialists will host nightly discussions and presentations on the marine environment, conservation, and the importance of this magnificent ecosystem.
The menu onboard is varied and plentiful, with a variety of international and Cuban cuisine. You will wake up to ‘eggs your way’, pancakes, toast, muffins, yogurt, fresh fruit, and cereals. Buffet lunch and waiter-served dinner include Spinach Salad, Salad Nicoise, Cuban Black Bean Soup, Ajiaco Cubano Soup, Ham and Cheese Crepes, Calamari A La Romana, Chicken a la Valdostana, Roast Beef with Gravy, Eggplant Lasagna, Fettucini with Amatricana Sauce, Stewed Leg of Lamb, rice, vegetables, Homemade Papaya and Pineapple Sweets, ice cream, Rice Pudding, Chocolate Mousse. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks include Homemade Cuban Scones, Homemade Pizza, Plum Cake, Bruschetta. The yacht has a selection of fruit juices, soft drinks, iced water, iced tea, coffee, and a limited selection of local beer and wine. If you have any special dietary requirements, please let us know during the booking process and speak to the yacht chef once onboard so he can adequately prepare to meet your needs.
After 2 morning dives on the last full day of the trip, the Aggressor returns to port to provision and re-fuel. A sunset cocktail party and dinner will be held onboard.
Day 8
After a quick breakfast, you will depart for the airport in the provided transport, stopping for lunch along the way.
[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].