Cuba Trip Report 2025

In October 2025, 9 adventurous guests travelled to Cuba with Bluewater Dive Travel for a one-week photo workshop aboard the Avalon IV. Guests were greeted at the airport and transferred to the Avalon IV liveaboard, which would be our home for the week. The Avalon IV is a large, spacious liveaboard with a great crew and good food. After dinner, we departed for the mangroves of Jardines de la Reina, where the boat would be moored for the trip.

Each day started with a full breakfast, followed by two morning dives at nearby dive sites. During the surface interval, we rested at nearby beaches. Upon returning to the Avalon, we were greeted with hot towels and hearty lunches. Each afternoon, we had a one-hour photo workshop class or image review, followed by an afternoon dive. A night dive was offered on one night.

Our group of 10 was led by two dive guides who went out of their way to give us the best possible diving experience. They did an excellent job showing us the diversity of marine life in the area. Reef sharks are plentiful in Cuba, and we were accompanied by a handful of curious reef sharks on every dive. We also encountered large turtles, rays, moray eels, grouper, tarpon, snapper, triggerfish, pufferfish, and healthy coral. Water temperatures were a balmy 85 degrees.

Since we were moored in the mangroves, we also had the opportunity to get close to the American and Cuban crocodiles that hung out near our boat each day.

This was a photo workshop trip, so in addition to the diving, a one-hour class was conducted each day. That time was used to dive deep into wide-angle theory and techniques, as well as editing techniques in Lightroom. Daily image reviews were also held, which provided a forum for feedback on everyone’s photos. There was a wide mix of photography skill levels, and it was very satisfying to see the progression each of the guests made over the course of the week.

In addition to the weeklong diving experience, a number of the guests opted to arrive three days early to experience Havana. This group was immersed in the local culture and treated to city tours, local cooking instruction, traditional dancing, and authentic Cuban cuisine.

All in all, it was a fantastic experience and a very unique destination to visit.

Read about our last trip report to Cuba!