Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen) – Cuba

Jardines de la Reina is an archipelago of more than 600 mangrove cays off Cuba's south coast, running about 150 km parallel to it and covering roughly 2,170 km2 between the Gulf of Ana Maria and the Gulf of Guacanayabo. Fishing was restricted from 1996 (marine reserve) and the area became a national park in 2010 (IUCN category II); only catch-and-release fly fishing and a small regulated lobster fishery are allowed. The result is one of the healthiest reef systems in the Caribbean, with large Caribbean reef and silky sharks, goliath, black and yellowfin groupers, cubera snapper, tarpon, black coral and, in the mangroves, crocodiles (sources name both the Cuban and the American crocodile; snorkelling with them is offered from the base). Access is controlled: Avalon is the only licensed operator, running liveaboards and a floating base from the port of Jucaro, and visitor numbers are capped at a few thousand a year. Dives are gentle (most to 23-27 m, tenders reach sites in 10-20 minutes), with little current and good visibility.

Facts

• Best season: Diveable year-round (operator); whale sharks are listed for July-November
• Water temperature: About 26 °C in January up to about 30 °C in summer (reports: 79-80 °F in January, up to 86 °F in summer)
• Visibility: Operator: over 40 m on the walls; one January report: about 15 m on shallow dives
• Currents: Minimal; sites are sheltered. Some dives are drifts with pickup at another mooring
• Getting there: Boats leave from Jucaro: about 3 h by road from Camaguey airport, 6-8 h from Havana; the crossing to the park takes a few hours
• Permit & protection: No-take national park; access only with the licensed operator (Avalon), visitor cap of a few thousand per year. No separate fee found in the sources
• Training level: Open Water is enough for most dives (typical 23-27 m, programme maximum about 36 m); Advanced/deep experience helps for the 30-40 m walls
• Hazards: Many sharks (silky and Caribbean reef) and big groupers: do not chase or feed. Crocodiles live in the mangroves, not on the reef. Remote location - evacuation is slow

Season

• Acceptable: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
• Water temperature: 26–30 °C

The operator says diving is good all year with no major seasonal migrations; whale sharks are listed for July-November. No source names a single best month.

Dive sites (14)

Avalon operating area (southern shelf edge)

• Avalon (house reef site) – 15–25 m, beginner
• Black Coral I & II – 24–30 m, intermediate
• Caballones – 19–36 m, intermediate
• Cueva del Pulpo – 25 m, intermediate
• Entre (Between) – 25 m, intermediate
• Farallón – 17–29 m, intermediate
• Finca de Pepe – 20–36 m, intermediate
• Five Seas (Cinco Mares) – 25 m, intermediate
• Los Indios – 19–36 m, intermediate
• Montaña Rusa – 16–36 m, intermediate
• Pepper Farms – 25 m, intermediate
• Pipín – 15–24 m, intermediate
• Snapper Head – 25 m, intermediate
• Vicente – 20–40 m, advanced

Operators (1)

• Avalon Diving Center (Jardines Avalon fleet / Cuban Diving Centers) – liveaboard, Boarding at Jucaro; floating base 'Tortuga' and liveaboards inside Jardines de la Reina National Park

Routes (1)

• Gardens of the Queen liveaboard week (Avalon)

Site positions in Gardens of the Queen are NOT published by the operator: every marker is an estimate inside the Avalon operating area (park centre about 20.82 N, 78.92 W) and is for orientation only, never for navigation. Depths and animals come from the operator's own pages and published trip reports; where only one source exists the site is marked unverified.