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

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Jardines Avalon III: "Jardines de la Reina on Avalon III", Jul, 2023, by Timothy C Barden, PA, US ( Sr. Reviewer 9 reports with 13 Helpful votes). Report 12505 has 3 Helpful votes.
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	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The Jardines Avalon III is a new-ish (2019) boat that can handle 30 guests. Our group of 24 had the entire boat to ourselves for the week. Dive gear can be stored on the large dive deck or one of the two tenders (one large, one small) from which the diving is done. There are two tubs for rinsing dive gear as you get off the tenders and two fresh water showers for rinsing off. There’s also a dedicated fresh water dunk tank for cameras and a large padded table with an air hose under the awning on the dive deck for camera storage. I like the overall boat design a lot. It is spacious and has been well maintained. As for safety, every level had at least two, separated access points (stairs) to another deck/open water. We had a sit down briefing the first night on safety protocols. Our life preservers in the cabin were stashed deep under the bed so we moved them to be more accessible but still out of the way. The staff was emphatic that battery charging should only be done on the receptacle banks in the lounge or on the camera table, NOT in our rooms. There was plenty of space. Phone charging was allowed in our cabin, but only if we were present. The cabin AC was reasonably quiet and we had adequate fresh water for showers and water pressure. There were no problems with the plumbing. The hot tub on the sun deck was available all week, but saw almost no use due to the warm water elsewhere (see below). The dining area and lounge were cozy without being cramped. Our boat staff was first rate. I rarely gain weight on live aboard trips, but I did on this one! The chef did an excellent job to put out tasty meals from his small galley from breakfast through dinner. Breakfast: fresh fruit and juices, continental fare with eggs and bacon cooked to order. Lunch: soup, a fish and meat dish, sides and more fruit. Dinner: see lunch but more substantial, lobster or roast too. Don’t forget a pizza snack and a celebratory mojito after the afternoon dive. Oof! The rest of the crew kept the boat tidy and clean. We loved the clever designs they folded the fresh bath towels into. There was even complimentary laundry service twice during the week. I still hear the cries of HOT TOWEL as we climbed back onto the III dive deck after each dive. The guides’ tanks all were painted white so they could be picked out easily underwater. That’s a great idea, but it could be done better. The white paint didn’t stand out that well from the other silver tanks and much of it had chipped off in any case. I’d recommend a bright yellow paint for the divemaster tanks with plastic netting to prevent paint chipping, or maybe just a bright yellow plastic sleeve would be enough. Ira was our lead dive guide the entire week with a sweeper in back to make sure no one got left behind. He had a hard job because we had a lot of photographers and the visibility all week was, shall we say, challenging (more later). Ira had eagle eyes. Just tell him what you wanted to see and he’d find it, no matter how small or well camouflaged. One of the shrimp he pointed out couldn’t have been more than ½” long. He had a talent for spotting the lettuce nudibranch that I would have passed over as a random piece of algae. Ira also did his part to keep the invasive lionfish population under control. He carried a 3-prong spear with which he’d impale any lionfish he spotted. These were gladly gobbled by passing reef sharks, often right from the spear. Gardens of the Queen is easily the most pristine diving location left in the Caribbean. The diversity and size of the coral heads speak to a healthy reef over a long period of time. Soft coral was prevalent, too. We were lucky that the ‘Great Atlantic Seaweed Blob’ causing such a stir earlier in the summer had mostly diminished before we arrived at the Gardens. Of course, we saw very little beach, but what we saw was free of seaweed and we didn’t see any floating seaweed mats in our travels around. One area that was ‘snorkel only’ brought back fond memories of another marine park off Ambergris Caye 30 years ago: large heads of elkhorn coral just under the surface with myriads of juvenile fish and dense schools sheltering under the coral branches. Sadly, there is clear evidence of coral bleaching throughout the Gardens. It hasn’t hit everywhere, yet, and is more prevalent in some species than others. Brain coral was more commonly affected than others. On some, the color is a bit faded and there are nearly white patches. One part of the elkhorn marine park isn’t doing well. This is no surprise considering the insane water temperatures we encountered. The water temp all week was 87-90 deg F, even at depth, even after the near-nightly strong thunderstorms. I didn’t see any completely bleached coral heads, but it may be just a matter of time if they don’t get some relief, temp-wise. Along with the bathwater temps came disappointing visibility. The crew did their best to time the tides and find deep, calm water but our best visibility all week only approached 60 feet and often was in the 30’ range. That made some types of photography challenging but the back-scatter generally was manageable. A six-foot Goliath Grouper would stand out regardless. So what did we see? Sharks, sharks everywhere! Five and six-foot silky and grey reef sharks passively swimming around us, but ready to snatch any unlucky lionfish Ira happened to spy. We also spotted an abundance of all the common grouper species on all our dives. That may partly explain why lionfish haven’t overwhelmed the area. Grouper have learned to eat them as evidenced by lionfish spines sticking out the mouths of more than one grouper. One channel was home to three Goliath Grouper that were friendly as puppies and apparently love lobster, as Ira demonstrated. Most of the other species found throughout the Caribbean were common sightings during our week - eels, lobster, cleaner shrimp, parrotfish, angels, butterfly fish, rock beauties, stingrays, hogfish, grunts, chubs, jacks, jawfish, blennies, triggerfish, tarpon and octopus and crab on the night dive. I also spied a few midnight parrotfish, drumfish, several beautiful golden basslet and a small arrow crab, but only a single turtle. Curiously, we only saw one nurse shark, sleeping in a small, sandy channel in the coral. We were offered the chance to swim with Niño amongst the mangroves one afternoon, Niño being a 10-foot saltwater crocodile! He did finally make an appearance and several people bravely slid in the water, all-be-it with their bulky cameras between them and the croc’s mouth. Many pictures were taken and all returned safely to the boat. Ira showed no fear, swimming by himself all around and under the beast. Ira still has all his fingers and toes, so I guess he knows what he’s about. I stayed on the boat! There are direct flights to Cuba from the US these days, and not just to Havana. Most of the group took American Airways to Camaguey, which left us a 3 hr bus ride to the dock. The transfer was in a comfortable, air-conditioned motor coach. Several flew into Havana beforehand to do some sightseeing there. Their bus ride was about 6 hr. However you go, there’s specific paperwork you need to assemble before your trip. Allow time for the visa you order from the Cuban government to arrive by snail mail. Other documents can be generated online with the proper timing, but Cuba and the US government are fussy about which category of traveler you fall into for a smooth trip to and from Cuba. I’m afraid politics is still at play. Other problems and cautions. American Airlines deserves a lump of coal for Christmas this year. They managed to mishandle 4/18 checked pieces of luggage between Miami and Camaguey. The bus transportation to the dock couldn’t wait, so their bags had to be left behind. Fortunately, the four were seasoned travelers and had packed their carry-ons for such an occurrence. All four were able to dive and enjoy the week with a little help from their friends. Three of the bags were waiting at Camaguey upon our return, but the fourth still hasn’t shown up. AA, in its wisdom, also had changed the return flight schedule for most of us while we were diving, something we were completely unaware of until we tried to check in at the airport – No internet/phone service on the boat (or consistently in much of Cuba, for that matter)! Luckily again, we’d allowed three hours for check-in and so were able to sort things out. While the ‘revised’ flight schedules may have been convenient for AA, they were anything but that for us. One fellow ended up flying to Charlotte, NC and over-nighting there before he was able to make it to home base. COVID-19 is still among us, too. Nearly half our group tested positive just after our return. We took no precautions on the boat. A few of the staff wore a mask, but it was sporadic. My best guess is that part of the group that spent several days in Havana picked it up there, but it’s unclear. Between vaccinations and prior illness, all the cases seem to be relatively mild. Cruise ships and live-aboards are COVID-19 breeding grounds, for sure, these days. All in all, it was a good diving trip. I’d give the Avalon III a double thumbs up for their operation and Gardens of the Queen the same for the diving quality. I’d consider a return trip during a different season, around November perhaps, to sacrifice a few degrees in temperature for the likelihood of better visibility. I’d pack some extra patience, too. AA may be fraught with problems, but there aren’t many other options to get to Cuba.
Websites	Jardines Avalon III
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	All over the Caribbean. Truk, Palau, Yap, Maldives
Closest Airport	Camaguey	Getting There	AA Miami-Camaguey, then 3 hr bus ride
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, no currents
Water Temp	87-90°F / 31-32°C	Wetsuit Thickness
Water Visibility	30-60 Ft/ 9-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	No solo diving, come back with 500 psi
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	See report for camera facilities. The dedicated dunk camera dunk tank is large enough for many cameras as is the padded camera table. There were plenty of receptacles inside for battery charging. The crew heeded the owner's instructions and handled the cameras carefully. Upon exiting the water, cameras were stored on a padded area under the tender awning. It was the diver's responsibility to transfer their camera back to the Avalon III between dives if desired.

Report currently has 3 Helpful votes

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

Jardines Avalon III: "Jardines de la Reina on Avalon III", Jul, 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 Jardines Avalon III in
Cuba/Jardines de la Reina