Welcome young Hawksbill Turtles !!
Jardines de Reina welcomes young Hawksbill turtles in the first week of 2013!
By: Andres Jimenez Castillo
Jardines de La Reina, January 3th 2013, I have been working as a Dive master in this place for over 10 years now, and it never stops to impress or surprise me. Here in this wilderness of blues there’s always some event to witness for the first time, some interesting new animal behavior to see. Diving spots where I go over and over again and I keep the same excitement as if it was my first visit, and the reason why, is that there’s always some new stories, some new adventures awaiting to be experienced, and the hope moves your fins as if it was an engine, and the fuel is the curiosity and love for this natural world.
Here comes my last new experience occurred in a place that I visit 3 times per week:
We were diving at “Octopus Cave” spot and as usual when we go there we stay for two dives, so we take some fruits with us, coffee, tea etc, and between dives, we stay at the beach we call “Playa Boca de Piedra” . In this place we share our snack with Iguanas and Jutias (small rodent similar to a Capivara) these animals are very friendly, they come out of the bushes as soon as they feel the smell of our so appreciated “gifts” in the shape of oranges and pineapples.
So there we were, enjoying our coffee, talking about the wonderful dive we had, and planning the next dive, when I see Brant Hoff (our Canadian guest), coming with a miniature turtle and a Hermit crab in his hands and tells us: “…Hey guys take a look! I just found this crab trying to eat this little turtle over there…” then we all went to the place where Brant found the turtle, and there was another little turtle coming out from the sand and another and five more…… and yes we were witnessing a turtle’s birth, in a place 5 meters away from where we always put the boat during the intervals between dives.
We were started to dig in the sand very carefully and help the little turtles come out, finally we had more than 20 turtles, (most of the nest had already hatched and gone to the sea, we assumed that because we saw the empty eggs).
It was very emotive to release them near the water, safe from crabs and birds, giving them one more chance to make it to the sea, we all looked at them disappearing in the water while thinking how special moment this was, and saying in our minds the very same words:
Good Luck little turtles!
Diving should be like sex: safe !!
A friend who read my post about how diving changed my life https://therookiediverblog.wordpress.com/2012/12/14/the-rookie-diver-it-is-a-change-in-my-life/ tells me to take good care and do not take risks, cause maybe my best time is over!.
I agree and disagree. Diving should be like sex: safe!.
I believe her and at the same time I don’t.
Diving is a sport controlled risk, no doubt. When I met my instructor, Octavio Laguardia, (http://www.facebook.com/octavio.laguardiarivero) he defined I would learn to dive safety and enjoy my life, and I quickly agreed!.
Octavio, Dive Master
International Diving Center in Copacabana Hotel **, Havana, where I initiated and got Open Water Diver Course, by ACUC http://www.acuccuba.com: lectures, confined water practices and then jump to blue sea!.
The life of a diver depends, first of all, of himself: following the rules, ensuring your gear, taking care of your buddy and hoping to go by an instructor (as Octavio) who makes you feel as if you were going to the park with Dad and while you were dealing with a lizard, losing track of time, feeling lost, then you look up and there he was, this “old man” with his eyes on you.
When I was asked to take off the mask and drop the regulator trying not to drown, at least at first attempt, I was almost ready!
Diving is safer for the experts and well trained.
Ruly, Dive Master
I have had dive buddies in a wide range of expertise: starting from expert and myths of diving in Cuba as Ruly, aged over 70 and thousands of hours underwater and Vicky, a lady from Argentina, who has swum the world and loves Havana, Anthony a Briton who fell in love with Caribbean or Robertico a designer who launched to dive with such enthusiasm that only Octavio could exercise control over him, and break just to drive him to enjoy easy and direct this unbridled passion.
It was a great experience with a group of Mexican divers, led by two instructors, Pirate Divers http://www.piratasdivers.com.mx/ and friends: unforgettable Ulises and Francisco, with whom I shared in Santa Lucia** diving with bulls sharks and shipwrecks in Rancho Luna**, Cienfuegos. We were a group of 12, with several rookies and felt so safe!.
I heard a lot of senior experience and dive safety in Jardines de la Reina and Cayo Largo. Instructors legends like Noel, Fausto, Yuri, Andresito, Cañibano, with thousands of dives and over a thousand of divers annually, all of them taking very care of the environment, making you fell like at home.
I have shared the experiences of those who visited us by hands of Avalon Cuban Diving Centers
http://www.cubandivingcenters.com/and its concept of “controlled risk” diving in these underwater havens, enjoying as much as it was declared: safe … as sex must be!!! For sure!
And if you dare … come to dive!
Anthony, Octavio and Eduardo
Ron Aiello Is A Platinum Pro 5000 Diver
I´m afraid will not earn Platinum Card but so happy for Mr. Aiello prize !!!
Incredible Underwater Fish Tornado
That is why I say you would fall in love with sea world !!
The rookie diver: it is a change in my life
A couple of years ago I met Deborah Andollo (http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Débora_Andollo), the Cuban star of apnea, in the swimming pool of the Copacabana Hotel and sheepishly confessed that I had done Open Water Diver right there, at International Diving Center Marlin, and maybe had started a little late: as I’m here in Cuba what we call “a mature man” (in my 50’s) … was I really on time to start diving “seriously”?.
Those who know Deborah, are pretty sure that even with 16 world records in free diving, is a very modest girl, simple and so beautiful…In fact she replied: is not late at all!, a diver will be cautious, aware of the rules, and capable to enjoy, this new world, with passion and calm, this is precisely the advantage of starting on your maturity.
The truth is that although I had practiced snorkeling at any of the beaches in Cuba, in my younger years, and enjoyed over and over again a Russian film called “Amphibian Man” (Человек-Амфибия, 1962) and the unforgettable “The world of silence “(Le Monde du Silence, 1956) by Jacques Yves Cousteau, diving was seriously out of my head because at that time, trying to survive on land, was my target, primarily.
My professional life has been in tourism, here in Cuba.
In the presentation of a documentary about Santiago de Cuba dive spots and those wrecks, that resulted from the collapse of the fleet of Admiral Cervera, in the so-called Cuban American Hispanic War (July 1898), I was caught by beautiful views and details of those dives unrivaled: it is undoubtedly a historical park under the sea, an underwater museum, the remains of one of the most important naval battles of the nineteenth century.
This documentary, entitled A dip in history, changed my life.
I discovered the passion for diving, of living in a world far from the ground, played by rules of safety, buoyancy and highly enjoyable. I found that instructors are great teachers, skilled, and have met many other passionate experts that welcomed me aboard.
My life changed: now I work at Avalon Cuban Diving Centers, Exclusive operator in Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of The Queen) and Cayo Largo del Sur Diving Centers, two of the best diving sites in Cuba.
I’m still a “rookie” so let’s “talk” a lot of this: diving in Cuba !!!
Are you ready for a change? Are you ready for diving?
The Rookie Diver 