Wow.. those are beautiful pictures Reef_Geek. Thank you so much for the pictures and the detailed information. So should I bring Canadian or US dollars to Cuba? Which do they prefer or it doesn't really matter since they gonna force you to convert everything to Cuban convertible pesos?

Thanks! Glad you like.

I brought CAD and converted as I went. The front desk at the hotel can convert for you. Sometimes around the resort, I tipped CAD. I tipped our room maid $5 CAD a day and she left me a personal thank you note every day.

The tours can be purchased at the hotel, where tour sales reps have daily hours. They'll take Visa. (will not accept AMEX due to embargo).

As long as it's a non US based Visa company. Cards like CitiBank won't work.

More snow today.. can't wait until I see the travel agent on Monday.

Just want to say thank you again for all your opinion/recommendation. We had a really good time in Varadero and I would come back there in a heart beat.
It's cloudy and windy with a chance of rain/snow in Edmonton today. Would this ever stop??

Glad to hear you had a good time.

Alberta April... sigh... yeah.

Reef geek I stayed in jibacoa last year, between veradero and Havana.

Some of the best reef I've seen, extremely lush and full of life my camera died after my first picture of a cuttlefish so I had to just enjoy it for the week. No pics

too bad your camera is toast.

I don't think I'm going to go back to Cuba any time soon.

I already have my next trip booked / paid. Going back to Florida to log some dives in Key Largo. There's a number of MPAs in Florida waters and stringent fishery regulations, reinforced with enforcement infrastructure & penalties that are debilitating to offenders.

When I think of a reef that is 'lush' there's got to be apex predators that keep lower trophic levels in check, in balance, and so diversity is sustained. Most dives in Florida will include encounters with many apex predators bigger than yourself. Jew fish (PC name is now Goliath grouper), reef sharks, bull sharks, lemon sharks, nurse sharks, baracudas etc. A tell tale sign of whether a system is locally over fished or not... is whether you commonly see apex predators. If they are present, there is strong protection in place to protect (both) them... and their food species. This is why places like Florida Keys and Bonaire are such gems... unlike other places in the Caribbean that lack the means or economics to protect their fisheries.

I'm looking forward to seeing these guys again:

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