María la Gorda, Bay of Pigs & Isla de la Juventud – Cuba

Three separate dive areas in western and southern Cuba share this region. María la Gorda sits at the far end of the Guanahacabibes peninsula in Pinar del Río, where a shelf edge (Canto del Veril) lies only about 300 m offshore and the walls carry black coral, gorgonians and sponges; the International Diving Center at the hotel runs boat dives to roughly 40-50 named sites and sees whale sharks mostly in August. The Bay of Pigs (Bahía de Cochinos) in the Ciénaga de Zapata has shore dives to a steep wall at Punta Perdiz and Caleta Buena, a dozen or more sites with 20-40 m visibility, and the Cueva de los Peces cenote - a deep, brackish / freshwater sink linked to the sea. Isla de la Juventud's Punta Francés marine national park in the south-west has around 56 sites with caves, tunnels, black-coral walls and a couple of wrecks, reached from the Hotel Colony area. Operators here are state-run dive centres and their own websites are sparse, so contact details are often missing and need to be confirmed when booking.

Facts

• Best season: No source gives a best month; diving runs year-round (Isla de la Juventud: about 310 diving days a year). Whale sharks are reported at María la Gorda mostly in August
• Water temperature: About 22 °C (December) to 29 °C (July) in the Bay of Pigs; 28-29 °C in November at María la Gorda; Isla de la Juventud about 23 °C in winter and 28 °C in summer
• Visibility: 20-40 m in the Bay of Pigs and at Punta Francés; 30-40 m reported at María la Gorda
• Currents: Generally low to moderate; not stated for most sites
• Getting there: María la Gorda is a long drive west from Havana (Pinar del Río province); the Bay of Pigs is on the Zapata peninsula south-east of Havana; Isla de la Juventud lies south of Havana; the main town is Nueva Gerona, and boats to Punta Francés leave from the Hotel Colony area
• Permit & protection: María la Gorda lies in Guanahacabibes National Park; Punta Francés is a marine national park (going beyond the beach on land is prohibited). No dive permit fee was found in the sources; dive through the local centre
• Training level: Most boat dives are Open Water level (centre dives limited to about 25 m); Cueva de los Peces cave sections and El Jaruco are advanced / technical
• Hazards: Old rental gear and little oxygen/first-aid equipment reported at some centres; nearest recompression chambers are in Havana and Cárdenas. Cave and tunnel sections need proper training

Season

• Acceptable: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
• Water temperature: 22–29 °C

No source names a best month; Bay of Pigs water is about 22 °C in December and 29 °C in July. Whale sharks are reported at María la Gorda mostly in August; Isla de la Juventud lists about 310 diving days a year.

Dive sites (21)

Bay of Pigs: Playa Larga - Playa Girón (Zapata)

• Caleta Buena – 25 m, beginner
• Casimba Dagmar – 25 m, intermediate
• Cueva de los Peces (cenote, freshwater / brackish) – 0–72 m, advanced
• El Jaruco – 35 m, advanced
• El Tanque – 25 m, intermediate
• El Ébano – 25 m, intermediate
• Los Cocos – 25 m, intermediate
• Punta Perdiz – 0–40 m, intermediate

Isla de la Juventud: Punta Francés marine park

• Cueva Azul – 12–42 m, advanced
• Cueva Misteriosa – 30 m, advanced
• El Arco de los Sábalos – 14 m, intermediate
• El Cabezo de las Isabelitas – 15 m, beginner
• El Sitio de Todos – 12 m, intermediate
• Escondite del Buzo – 12 m, intermediate
• Pared de Coral Negro (Black Coral Wall) – 15–35 m, intermediate

María la Gorda & Guanahacabibes (Pinar del Río)

• El Jardín de las Gorgonias – 25 m, beginner
• El Paraíso Perdido (Lost Paradise) – 30 m, advanced
• La Cadena Misteriosa – 25 m, beginner
• Las Cuevas de Bebo (Bebo's Caves) – 25 m, beginner
• Salón de María (Maria's Hall) – 25 m, intermediate
• Valle de Coral Negro (Black Coral Valley) – 25 m, intermediate

Operators (4)

• International Diving Center María la Gorda – dive centre, Hotel María la Gorda, Guanahacabibes, Pinar del Río
• Centro Internacional de Buceo Colony (Hotel Colony) – dive centre, Hotel Colony / marina, south-west Isla de la Juventud
• Centro Internacional de Buceo El Pirata (Playa Girón) – dive centre, Playa Girón, Ciénaga de Zapata, Matanzas
• Avalon Diving Center - M/Y Georgiana (Zapata live-aboard) – liveaboard, Live-aboard for the Zapata / Gulf of Cazones diving week

Routes (1)

• Zapata / Gulf of Cazones diving week (M/Y Georgiana)

Dive-site positions in this region are NOT published by the Cuban dive centres: markers are estimates placed near the named area (or interpolated along the coast) and are for orientation only, never for navigation; most sites are therefore marked unverified. Depths come from guidebooks, magazines and visitor reports and sometimes conflict - confirm with the dive centre. Cueva de los Peces is a brackish / freshwater cenote and needs cave training for penetration.