Category: Destinations

Do you want to travel back in time and witness the Caribbean Sea as it was hundreds of years ago? Dive Cuba’s sprawling national park in the Gulf of Ana Maria; it’s called Jardines de la Reina (Gardens of the Queen) for good reason. This archipelago of 250 coral and mangrove islands is probably the best-preserved tropical marine ecosystem network in the Caribbean. Its coral reefs are particularly outstanding in contrast to other Caribbean SCUBA destinations. Why? Because Cuba’s relative isolation and limited development meant that the area was left well alone while other reefs were assaulted by coastal construction, overfishing, sewage runoff, siltation, and irresponsible tourism. When you visit, you’ll see for yourself how the Caribbean could have been, if humans had cared more about their environmental impact. Gardens of the Queen Eco Systems The Gulf of Ana Maria lines the southern coastline of Cuba. It is a “shelf” area with a maximum depth of around 25 meters, containing a wealth of different habitats. Most notably the holy triumvirate of mangroves, seagrass, and coral reef. These three particular ecosystems are essential in supporting the biodiversity of the shallow tropical oceans because some coral reef fish spend their childhood in the safety of seagrass beds or mangrove roots. (This applies even to larger predators which grow up to rule the reef; I’ve seen many baby Blacktip Reef Sharks and barracuda practice their hunting skills in seagrass nurseries only one meter deep.) Other functions of the mangrove-seagrass-coral triad include co-hosting fishes’ breeding and feeding grounds, and (to the special benefit of the delicate coral organism) catching the mainland’s soil and nutrients before they reach the reef. Gardens of the Queen Marine life Within these ecosystems, you’ll get to see wildlife wonders in abundance. On Jardines de la Reina’s coral reefs, two