Monday, December 28, 2009

The Silent Sea Paradise of Cuba

By Jose Mauricio Maurette

Waking up, going over to the window and seeing the unmistakable blue of a tropical sea. There's no better therapy, no better way of greeting the day. While on your Cuba Holidays, this is a daily experience, and you can enjoy it not only in a beach hotel but also in one of the more luxurious hotels in the city and even up in a mountain retreat. Here, the sea is a living presence; in those few places where you can't see it, you can still smell and sense it.

The insular shelf is bounded by an extensive coral reef where a great variety of colorful fish bewitch scuba-diving buffs, both beginners and experts. In addition, there are underwater caves to explore. Casting loose your mooring lines in Cuban waters means setting sail into a spectacular sea adventure.

The Cuban archipelago, which is 42,854 square miles (110,992 square kilometers) in size, consists of the main island of Cuba-a long and narrow island measuring 744 miles (1200 kilometers) from east to west, the largest island in the Antilles-the Isle of Youth and around 4195 other cays and islets.

The high degree of conservation of its coral formations and beaches attests to its cleanliness. It has a gentle subtropical climate, the product of warm water cooled by The trade winds, so temperatures range between 75.2 and 84.2 F. (24 and 29 C.).

Not disappointed thousands of tourists who make dives here every year, some of them as beginners making their maiden dives in Cuban waters, accompanied by experienced divers whose expertise is attested to by the World Underwater Federation (CMAS), the American-Canadian Underwater Certification (ACUC) for scuba-diving classes and other prestigious international schools.

In 1985, the French oceanologist Jacques-Yves Cousteau's crew was very impressed by Cuba's seabed-most of all, by their exploration of the Cristobal Colon, a Spanish ship which was sunk during the naval battle that was fought just off Santiago de Cuba in i8g8. According to the divers, who have worked all over the world, few other places are as well preserved or have such a wealth of marine life. His colleagues waxed so enthusiastic that Cousteau, then 75, decided to put on an aqualung and see for himself. He wasn't disappointed.

Moreover, history has added an extra fillip. There ar over a thousand sunken ships in Cuba's waters: pirat ships and also galleons filled with treasure which was being taken from the New World to the Old and fell victim to pirates or storms.

Cuba undoubtedly is one of the most stunning tourist destinations in the World. Add the irrefutable fact of a super rich culture and you have the ideal recipe for a memorable holiday.

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