Cuba has many shipwrecks divers can view
IAN STALKER
Not all of Cuba’s history is ashore.
A country known for its many historic urban districts — some of which have earned UNESCO World Heritage Site status — featuring Spanish colonial architecture also has submerged ships off its shores that sank long ago, creating interesting attractions for scuba divers.
“We have all these sunken treasures underwater” — Vicente González Díaz, coordinator of the Center for the Management of the Underwater Cultural and Natural Heritage of Santiago de Cuba — said during annual Cuban tourism show FiTCuba, this year held in Havana in May.
Gonzalez Diaz noted that Cuba has thousands of kilometres of shoreline and some of the many vessels that have sunk off its coasts over the centuries now amount to “sunken museums.”
Many of the sunken ships are now drawing the attention of archeologists.
Among the vessels Gonzalez Diaz cited was the Merrimac, which sank in 1898 near the city of Santiago de Cuba. It was the only U.S. naval vessel sunk during the Spanish-American War and the 100-meter-long ship is now regularly viewed by divers.
July 3, 1898, saw the Merrimac avenged when six Spanish naval ships were sunk near Santiago de Cuba by the American navy, with divers now able to see evidence of that clash.
Gonzalez Diaz also noted that ancient pottery has been recovered from the ocean water fronting Havana.
He said Cuba can easily accommodate divers, having over 20 dive zones and the country’s dive centers have “the finest equipment.”
Hyperbaric chambers — used to treat or prevent decompression sickness, a times a risk for divers — are also found on the island.
Diving has a long history in Cuba, with late Cuban leader Fidel Castro being a diving enthusiast.
Gonzalez Diaz said there are many activities for divers in Cuba, some of them not mainstream, such as underwater painting.
