Diving Bahía de Cochinos

The Bahía de Cochinos (Bay of Pigs) is a large bay on the southern coast of Cuba. The best-known dive sites are along the eastern side of the bay between Playa Larga and Playa Girón. Playa Larga is about 120 km from Havana and was a small town with little tourist infrastructure when I visited. My experiences with accommodation and the local dive operation date mainly from 2007–2010 and should therefore not be taken as current information.

The diving in Playa Larga was relatively informal, but I had consistently good experiences. The dive centre was reasonably equipped and Nitrox was available. Since access to the area required some individual planning, the dive sites were rarely crowded. Most of my dives were with only two to four divers including the guide, and the guides usually tried to take us to different sites on successive dives.

There was no dive boat at the time, so the dive centre transported us by vehicle to the different shore-diving sites. The reef starts remarkably close to the shore, making the sites also suitable for snorkelling. The main attraction, however, is the reef wall, which in places can be reached after only a short swim from the beach. The exceptionally clear water and steep underwater landscape make wall diving here particularly impressive.

The wall is covered with corals and an extraordinary variety of sponges, with small caves, overhangs, and canyons along the reef. Some of the barrel and tube sponges are enormous. The larger fish population was less impressive, probably reflecting the effects of intensive fishing in the past. Nevertheless, I encountered several species of grouper, large barracudas, turtles, and, on two occasions, Goliath Groupers. Fishing restrictions were already in place during my visits, and the local guides actively enforced them around the dive sites. Several small shipwrecks on the shallow reef provide additional habitats for marine life.

The Bay of Pigs was one of my favorite areas for diving in Cuba. Swimming along the wall in exceptionally clear water, with the reef dropping away into the blue, is a remarkable experience. The cenotes and caves are described separately in the Cenotes in Cuba album.