Diving With Turtles (and
Scientists) in Cuba
Credit: Getty Images
The U.S. government grants special travel licenses for what it calls People-to-People trips, on which American tourists mingle with Cubans. Most such trips revolve around art or education, but the Miami-based Ocean Foundation’s Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Program trips focus on science. One itinerary includes scuba diving and observing sea turtles on the Guanahacabibes Peninsula. This national park and UNESCO Biosphere Preserve on the western end of the island contains some of the Caribbean’s healthiest coral reefs and a three-mile long beach where 897 sea turtle nests were laid this summer.
The trips are led by sea turtle specialist Julia Azanza and coral biologist Patricia Gonzales, both of the University of Havana’s Center for Marine Research. Azanza joined our group on an afternoon tour of the nesting beach, where during nesting season, students spend two-week shifts in a rustic camp, monitoring and collecting data. At night, the group watches as tiny heads pop out of the white sand, followed by front flippers churning to pull the rest of the palm-sized bodies onto the beach. A handful of hatchlings will suddenly burst out at once, clambering over each other and up the side of the nest, illustrating why scientists say a hatching nest is "boiling."
The next day, it's time to follow the turtles into the water. A three minute ride on the dive boat takes us to El Almirante, a coral reef starting at 30 feet deep where the variety and number of fish surpass that of most any dive site in the Northern Hemisphere. Cuba’s reefs look much as they did more than 50 years ago thanks to remoteness, decades with little tourism development, largely chemical-free agricultural practices, and the nation’s small population. Cuba also made an intentional commitment to protecting its environment.
The trip includes four days at the nearby resort, Maria la Gorda, time enough to enjoy the twice-daily dive outings as well as the beach peep show, seeing the park’s limestone caves, hiking to spot endemic birds like the bee hummingbird and brightly colored Cuban Tody, and swimming in a seaside sinkhole.
More Info: The next Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Program’s People-to-People trip in November focuses on coastal ecosystems and includes participation in the Christmas Bird Count. Another sea turtle and diving trip is scheduled for June, 2015. [$3,420, seeturtles.com]
Read more: http://www.mensjournal.com/travel/events/diving-with-turtles-and-scientists-in-cuba-20141208#ixzz3LLsdNRFf
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The Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Program’s mission is to: build sound scientific collaboration between Cuba, the United States and neighboring countries that share marine resources; establish locally-supported marine research and conservation programs; contribute to the scientific understanding of the region's natural resources; conserve Cuba’s marine ecosystems; and empower the next generation of Cuban marine scientists.
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Punta Francés, Isla de la Juventud
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Elkhorn coral garden (Acropora palmata) in northwest Cuba
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Nesting Green sea turtle at Guanahacabibes National Park
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For the first time in five decades US travelers are legally permitted to travel to Cuba. In early 2014, The Ocean Foundation received its license from the U.S. Department of Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control to engage US residents in educational travel to Cuba. Our trips ensure a fully supervised, full time agenda of activities that allow US citizens to interact with Cuban marine scientists, policymakers, fishers and urban and rural residents. Our license allows travelers to legally experience Cuba's natural riches above and below the water, and our trips also provide a unique platform to discuss environmental, social and economic issues shared by both countries.
The Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Program organizes itineraries of one to two weeks in duration. We work with a range of travel providers such as Avalon Cuban Diving Centers, Marazul Charters, and Holbrook Travel. Our trips are led by CMRC staff or paid contractors to The Ocean Foundation.
We invite you to explore wild areas in Cuba seen by few American tourists. Destinations include the reefs of the Isle of Youth, Guanahacabibes National Park and biosphere reserve, remote archipelagos off the main island of Cuba, the ecologically and historically famous Zapata Swamp, as well as the bustling city of Havana. For more information, email travel@cubamar.org or visit this page for future itineraries.
The Cuba Marine Research and Conservation Program organizes itineraries of one to two weeks in duration. We work with a range of travel providers such as Avalon Cuban Diving Centers, Marazul Charters, and Holbrook Travel. Our trips are led by CMRC staff or paid contractors to The Ocean Foundation.
We invite you to explore wild areas in Cuba seen by few American tourists. Destinations include the reefs of the Isle of Youth, Guanahacabibes National Park and biosphere reserve, remote archipelagos off the main island of Cuba, the ecologically and historically famous Zapata Swamp, as well as the bustling city of Havana. For more information, email travel@cubamar.org or visit this page for future itineraries.
Upcoming Trips
Learn about Cuba's coastal ecosystems and participate in a Christmas Bird Count across the island's coastline.
Dates: December 13-22, 2014On this 10-day journey, work with Cuban citizen scientists to help tally birds while learning about Cuba’s diverse coastal ecosystems and ongoing conservation efforts. As you engage with community members, gain a more in-depth understanding of this Caribbean island’s people and their daily way of life. This is only the second Christmas Bird Count organized in Cuba, following a citizen science effort and tradition over 100 years old!
Dates: December 13-22, 2014On this 10-day journey, work with Cuban citizen scientists to help tally birds while learning about Cuba’s diverse coastal ecosystems and ongoing conservation efforts. As you engage with community members, gain a more in-depth understanding of this Caribbean island’s people and their daily way of life. This is only the second Christmas Bird Count organized in Cuba, following a citizen science effort and tradition over 100 years old!
Here is a detailed trip itinerary.
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