Avalon Outdoor Cuba

Avalon Outdoor offers all-inclusive 7-night itineraries aboard their floating hotels for guests interested in exploring Cuba, known as one of the top watersports destinations. With its pristine coral reefs and crystal clear Caribbean waters, guests are sure to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience with an abundance of curious sea creatures. Upon arrival you will be assigned one of six luxury cruising yachts that make up the Avalon Fleet: the Jardines Avalon I - IV and the Jardines Avalan F I-II.

Dive Overview

Avalon Outdoor will take you on an adventure like no other to explore and experience the results of Sustainable Marine Conservation in the beautiful Jardines de la Reina, the Gardens of the Queen, located 60 miles off the southern coast of Cuba. The all-inclusive trip runs Saturday through Saturday, departing out of Jucaro port every week, all year long.

Avalon Outdoor offers a variety of eco-adventures and activities guests can participate in during their week aboard that support the conservation efforts including diving, snorkeling, mangrove exploration, and possible crocodile encounters. The trip is suitable for all levels of eco-enthusiast, divers, and non-divers alike. (Minimum age for the trip is 10yrs, the minimum age to dive is 15yrs).

The program is designed as a Sustainable Marine Conservation Humanitarian Project. As a result, your participation in our program qualifies US Citizens for legal travel under the OFAC General License: 515.575 Humanitarian Projects. Prior to your departure Avalon will provide all guests with a certificate and itinerary to validate their reason for travel.

While the main vessel remains stationary, the dive skiffs head out to dive sites within a 20-minute ride. The standard dive program includes 3 dives per day (18 total: 17 dives + 1 night). All divers have the option to upgrade to 4 dives per day (22 total: 20 dives + 2 night). The dive schedule is semi-customizable based on the dynamics and consensus of the group aboard. Please communicate with your trip leader and the cruise director for any particular requests and when possible, they will do their best to accommodate.

[See: Cuba Dive Travel Guide]

Accommodation Overview

Upon arrival you will be assigned one of the following vessels:

Jardines Avalon I

At 110-feet, the Jardines Avalon I offers a total of 10 rooms that feature single side-by-side beds. Two of the rooms can be converted into queen-sized cabins with side-by-side beds. Each room comes fully equipped with a private bathroom, toilet, shower, individual climate controls, and a safe.

Jardines Avalon II

The Jardines Avalon II is a 136-foot long yacht that offers a total of 12 rooms. Most of the rooms have twin beds that can be converted into a queen bed. There are also two suites that come with a balcony. Each room is fully-airconditioned and comes with a TV.

Jardines Avalon III

The Jardines Avalon III is a 160-foot luxury motor yacht with 15 staterooms, including 4 suites with balconies. All staterooms come with a private bathroom and 2 beds, either double or twin. The fully air-conditioned staterooms can accommodate an overall capacity of 30 passengers on board.

Jardines Avalon IV

The Jardines Avalon IV features a total of 20 staterooms that can accommodate up to 40 guests. The staterooms are made up of 12 standard cabins, 4 suites with balconies, and 4 demi suites. Each room comes complete with a private bathroom, air conditioning, ample storage space, and convertible double beds.

Jardines Avalon F I

At 130-feet, the Jardines Avalon F I can accommodate up to 20 passengers in 10 deluxe king cabins. The cabins come with air conditioning, heat controls, electricity plugs, and storage in drawers. Each room also comes complete with panoramic windows that offer a breathtaking view of the Caribbean.

Jardines Avalon F II

Also at 130-feet, the Jardines Avalon F II offers 10 deluxe staterooms equipped with air conditioning and individual thermostats. These comfortable cabins each have a private bathroom and 2 beds, one full and one twin.

Dive Information

Dive Overview

You can expect to see pristine coral reefs, steep walls dropping from the reef to the abyss, large populations of adult fish including sharks, jewfish up to 400 lbs, snapper, grouper and much more. There are many different species of sharks you're likely to see including; nurse, blacktip, lemon, silky and the great hammerhead.

[See: Cuba Dive Travel Guide]

Jardines De La Reina Marine Park

Jardines de la Reina was declared a Marine Park in 1996. Together with the Cuban Sciences and Environment Ministry, this area has been preserved for future generations as a complex network of untouched marine ecosystems. It has been regarded by many knowledgeable scientists and organizations as a reference of what is the original status of a coral reef; as it was found by Christopher Columbus in the times of the discovery.

An underwater paradise is all that comes to mind when you first enter the water. Imagine the vertical walls covered with brightly hued sponges, huge Pilar Corals, and black corals extending their branches in the contrasting blue water. Many species of gorgonians, fragile laminar corals show their beautiful shapes through crevices, canyons, and caves. The mangroves provide an incredible nursery area for young fish populations, filtering the water that goes to the reef together with the seagrass beds and in return receiving protection from the open ocean wave energy; all interconnected in a very fragile net that helps keep its variety, richness, and splendor.

The biggest populations of adult fish in the Caribbean, Sharks, Snappers, and Groupers; Jewfish up to 400 pounds are an everyday experience. Sharks are one of the main attractions and you can see them everywhere. You can easily dive with 6 different species: Silkies, Reef, Lemon, Blacktip, King Hammerhead, and nurse sharks. From July to November you have the chance to swim with Whale Sharks. Gardens of the Queen is certainly one of the last virgin reefs known by man. Dive and snorkel sites are well protected from the winds and sea currents. Visibility is more than 40 meters. There is a wide variety of fish and corals.

The Gardens of the Queen Marine Park is a wonderful place, both in and out of the water. This marine park is probably the most important group of islands in the Caribbean, integrated by one million-acre wetland. In addition, this marine park acts as a critical refuge for North American birds migrating along the route through Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to South America. This wildlife sanctuary hosts more than 68 species of migratory birds.

Avalon Diving Center is the only operation in the area hosting no more than 3000 divers per year. The dive center is well equipped with new compressors, nitrox blenders, and quality equipment for rent.