The archipelago Jardines de la Reina, is located 60 miles south of the central coast of Cuba. It is a coral reef close to 75 miles long, which makes it the third longest in the World. This territory is comprised of 250 virgin islands, in which contain impassable mangroves, and inhabits crocodiles, turtles, iguanas and (jutias). Jardines de la Reina was declared a National Park in 1996 and since then has been declared a protected ecological reserve. Commercial fishing is prohibited in this area.
The underwater world is beautiful and diverse. Marine walls are covered in sponges and coral. Beginning a shallow depth, the coral reefs serve as a habitat to the many diverse species of fish, offering them natural shelter and protection. What best characterizes the dives in Jardines de la Reina is the encounter with different varieties of sharks ? the silky sharks form a special part of the environment, giving humans the possibility to approach them, feed them, and touch them. Other species are Caribbean reef sharks, Lemon sharks, Hammer sharks and the Great Whale Shark (Damero)
Nowadays, up to 80 dive spots have been prepared which are well protected from the wind and the water currents.
Excursions are organized around the lagoons and mangroves in boats which allow guests to observe all the biological forms in their own habitat.
JARDINES DE LA REINA: DIVING SPOTS
In Jardines de la Reina, the dives are very safe from the strong marine currents. The water temperature is between 26 and 29 degrees Celsius. The visibility is more than 30 meters. There is a wide variety of fish and coral.
Sharks are found in almost all dives in proximity to the channels, due to the abundance of fish in those areas. At the end of the diving week in Jardines de la Reina, the divers change their perspective on the sharks as they Discovery how intelligent they are and they enjoy sharing their dives with them, as champions of adaptation and time.
1. PIPIN: The coral begins at 15 meters deep and descends to 24 meters in form of canyons until drop off. The reefs are of a great beauty and very colorful. In this area, you can find the famous Silky Shark, (Carcharhinus falciformis). At the end of the dive, in the safety wall, one can establish a close encounter with them as they are very docile and friendly with divers. Here you can also appreciate the Eagle Rays (Aetobatus narinan), swimming close to the wall, Groupers, Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus), Cubera Snapper (Lutjanus cyanopterus), turtles and schools of Jack fish, and the amount of smaller species is abundant.
2. FARALLON: This is one of the best dives in Jardines de la Reina. The Farallon is a giant coral reef which top part is 17 meters deep and is filled with tunnels that end in White sand bottoms of 29 meters deep. These tunnels are almost 30 meters long, a width of 3 meters and a height of 10 meters, with the top part opening to the sunlight. The species here are the same as the Pipin dive, and also include the Caribbean Reef Shark (Carcharhinus perezi) which swim close to the bottom.
3. VICENTE: This is a dive taken down a drop off, where one finds mountains of corral that decend from 20 to 40 meters. One can observe the Blue of great beauty and the visibility is more than 30 meters. In these mountains, you can see the beautiful Black Coral. Besides the fish species previously mentioned, divers with great luck may see the Great Hammerhead Shark (Sphyma mokarran).
4. BLACK NEGRO 1 y 2: These dives can be cataloged as the most exciting but also the safest. The dives start to descend to the highest part of the coral that is between 22 and 24 meters. On the ocean floor, there is Caribbean Reef Shark (Carcharhinus perezi) in numbers greater than 20; one can see how they swim around divers, surrounding them. The schools get close just out of curiosity because they live there and they are not at risk. After being there for 15 minutes with them, one can continue swimming closer to the coral formations where you can see Southern Stingray (Dasyatis americana), sleeping on the White sand ocean floor, Parrotfish, and many other smaller species. The sharks swim with the divers until the end of the dive, as if they are protecting them.
5. OCTOPUS CAVE: This dive is normally done on the second or third day, as it is small wall which top part starts only 5 meters down and descends down to 20 meters, forming a stair that can be cataloged as a coral garden. Here you can find Caribbean Reef Shark, Nurse Shark sleeping under the Rocks and in the canyons, enormous Groupers, Tarpon, Cubera Snapper and huge schools of smaller snapper that are found on the part closest to the wall surface. There are many varieties of Gorgonians and Corals, of them being the great Coral Castle.
6. CUBERA HEAD: Considered one of the best dives in Jardines de la Reina, a place characterized by its beauty, variety and quantity of life forms. In perfect harmony with the corals, the numerous Caribbean Sharks which accompany the divers during the entire dive, the canyons filled with fish, such as Snapper, the Permit, the Grouper, the Rays and the Cat Sharks which all sleep peacefully on the ocean floor. The wall extends from 7 meters on the top to 18 meters on the White sand ocean floor.
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