REEF OF DREAMS

Coral reefs and gin-clear waters off the Cuban coast offer some of the best diving in the Caribbean – and are also being touted as the best-preserved reefs in the world

THE remote Peninsula of Guanahacabibes is a land and marine reserve encompassing about 518sq km on Cuba’s westernmost tip about 217km northwest of Havana.

It juts into the Caribbean, with protected forests on land, aquamarine waters lapping at white sand beaches and pristine coral beds teeming with a colourful variety of fish just offshore.

In some ways, the peninsula is just as frozen in time as other aspects of life in Cuba, where 50-year-old cars are common and Wi-Fi scarce.

But the lack of change has had a positive effect, sparing Cuba’s reefs from the degradation evident in coral beds elsewhere. Lack of agricultural run-off, little coastal development and strong environmental laws have all helped keep Cuba’s reefs healthy. That said, several factors stand in the way of Guanahacabibes becoming a major tourist attraction soon.

While President Barack Obama has relaxed limits on travel to Cuba, trips from the US to Cuba for pure tourism remain prohibited by US law.

The Obama administration has said it believes more US visits to Cuba will accelerate reform. But Obama critics say US visits feed cash into coffers of government agencies such as the military-run tour company overseeing diving in Maria La Gorda, the resort inside the Guanahacabibes reserve.

Despite the travel ban thousands of Americans are visiting Cuba, some flying via Mexico or the Bahamas, others certifying their trips meet standards for permitted categories such as educational or cultural travel. Another impediment is the location of Guanahacabibes. It’s a five-hour drive from Havana to Maria La Gorda.

Finally, even though international travellers and moneyed Cubans enjoy the area, it doesn’t offer the type of comforts Americans are accustomed to.

“No, there is no way they are going to be ready for them,” says diver Tony Dorland, 51, a contractor from Chicago who has visited the island numerous times to dive. Dorland says Americans “like all the bells and whistles when they travel”.

The dive resort has the feel of a summer camp: spare hotel rooms (though they do have airconditioning) and a buffet that serves unimaginative fare of rice, beans and either chicken, beef or the pork Cuba is famous for.

And since it’s at the edge of a protected reserve, there are no other visitor options. Despite the lack of luxury, the attractions of the sea satisfy even the most demanding divers: clear water, spectacular coral heads towering 18m and abundant marine life.

PRISTINE CORAL, AQUAMARINE WATER, WHITE BEACHES AND ABUNDANT MARINE LIFE