A 19th-century shipwreck still lies at the bottom of the sea on Havana's coast. Dive down and explore it with this snorkelling activity and learn about the history of the shipwreck.
Snorkelling in Havana
It's the end of the 19th century. After a series of diplomatic tensions, war breaks out between Spain, the United States and Cuba who's fighting for its independence. Some remains of this conflict are still buried under the waters of the Caribbean sea. To discover them for ourselves, we'll pick you up at 9:30 am from the entrance of Havana's National Museum of Fine Arts in a classic 1950s American car.
In just 30 minutes we'll reach the beaches located at 10 kilometres east of Havana. Once we're on the shore, we'll receive an introductory class with physical warm-up exercises and information on the basic safety rules for the activity. When we're ready we'll put on our masks and get kitted out ready to dive in. Throughout the activity you'll be accompanied by two guides who'll have buoyancy aids to offer you more safety.
Depending on the sea conditions and the fitness level of the group, we'll swim up to one of the following two shipwrecks: the City of Alexandria (300 metres away from the shore, a one hour's swim there and back) or the SS Olivette (750 metres away from the shore, a one and a half hours' swim there and back).
The SS Olivette sank in 1918, and the City of Alexandria in 1893. As we'll find out, both shipwrecks are very important in Cuban history. We'll be able to dive down and see these half-buried shipwrecks for ourselves. To finish the activity, we'll head back to the shore and enjoy a refreshing coconut water.
At the end of the experience, we'll change out of our wetsuits and head back to the starting point at 2 pm in the classic American car we came in.
Important Information
- You must be a strong swimmer and be in a good physical condition.
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