Dive Review of Avalon III in
Cuba/Jardin de la Reina

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Avalon III: "Diving Jardin de la Reina aboard the Avalon III", May, 2023, by Leslie Russum, CO, US ( Reviewer 6 reports with 9 Helpful votes). Report 12441 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Booking the Avalon boats appears to only be available via dive shops and clubs. They are the sole source allowed to service the marine reserve. Unfortunately, the club I booked with was very disorganized and provided conflicting and incorrect information. We weren't given the final hotel details until 3 days before departure (and even then they gave us the wrong address!) The Avalon company is based out of Argentina but the crew are all Cuban and wonderful. Despite supply issues in Cuba, they managed to do a great job and had a very good attitude. Suli (cruise director) always had a smile and was able to handle any issues. The food was quite good, with fresh bread and pastries every day. There were usually 2-3 choices of entree along with sides and dessert and fresh fruit. Breakfast was pastries, fresh fruit, meat/cheeses and eggs cooked to order. The DMs were all very good and once they got to know what people were looking for they were keen to point out things during the dives. The boat itself is nice (this is my first liveaboard), but cabins were quite small and the beds were all on a platform 2 steps up from the main floor. Storage was difficult (lots under the bed, but no closets/cabinets). There were large cubbies over the beds with no doors or ledges. Luckily, no rough seas or my stuff would have fallen down onto the bed. Electical charging is strictly enforced - only phone/tablets and must be unplugged when you left the rooms. All rooms had smoke detectors. We were told about the muster stations but there was no drill. The AC struggled to keep the room cool when it was warm outside but was OK later in the week when it was cooler and cloudy. All diving was done from 2 tenders which were covered. Dive sites were <15 min from the boat. Our tanks were set up the first day on the tenders and then remained there the duration of the week. Tanks were filled between dives in the tenders and the crew analyzed each tank and had you verify the readings. The tenders were a bit cramped with a max of 16 divers plus 2 DMs. Entry was via backroll which was awkward on the tenders. Ours had a ledge you had to clear while rolling back and the other boat had only one clear area to sit before your back roll. Unfortunately, that area had open benches and one person got her fin caught underneath during her entry and suffered a trip-ending sprain or fracture. The crew did everything to help her and a doctor visited us multiple times from another Avalon ship. The visibility wasn't great, probably due to the rains, but the water was very warm. I only dove in skins and never got cold. There were always reef and silk sharks around the boat (we heard the crew fed them but we never saw this). Lots of various types of groupers were on every dive, some of them tame and asking to be pet by the DM. The corals looked very healthy and there was no trash which was refreshing! Lots of the usual Caribbean fish (parrotfish, angelfish, chromis, blennies, crabs, triggerish, hamlets, etc). There were lots of lionfish and the groupers are starting to learn how to hunt them. Only a few turtles and rays (mainly southern stingrays but a few eagle rays were seen)
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Cook Islands, Galapagos, Guadeloupe, Tortola, Cozumel, Belize, Roatan, Dominica, Kona, Cuba
Closest Airport	Camaguey, Cuba	Getting There	Direct flights from Miami via AA to Havana, Santa Clara or Camaguey. Avalon motor coaches pick up at all and drop you at the port in Jucaro
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, rainy, cloudy	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	83-85°F / 28-29°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	20-80 Ft/ 6-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	None -- you were allowed to keep diving if your buddy had to ascend. You just joined another team. The DMs allowed you to dive around the buoy area while they assisted other divers into the boat at the end of the dive.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Dedicated rinse tank and tables. All charging done inside on the main deck, but they need more outlets (people daisy changed power strips). The crew kept a good eye on stuff and brought cameras and drying gear inside when a windy storm rolled in during one night.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Avalon III in Cuba/Jardin de la Reina

Avalon III: "Diving Jardin de la Reina aboard the Avalon III", May, 2023,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Avalon III in
Cuba/Jardin de la Reina