DIVING TOURISM The Cuban archipelago is surrounded sea by 3.400 kms of uninterrupted coral reef. Inside of this underwater belt we have Cuba's emerged lands, these are two large islands, several islets and 4.00 keys and its extense submerged platform, the biggest in the insular Caribean, with 70.000 kms. In several places, this coral front emerges to the surface, forming what it is called "Coral crest" or "Cabezos".This place was named this way by the local sailers, sites where the sailers must beware of. But these spots are a privilege that nature has given to the diving lovers. The Cuban submerge platform reserves a surprising underwater landscapes and at the same time stores a huge animal and vegetable kingdom where it can live more than 700 kind of fishes ,38.000 of crustacean,1.500 mollusks,300 sponges and a bigger number of starfishes, "Holoturias" and hedgehogs. There are 5 kinds of eaturtles, mamelians as the popular dolphin and the enigmatic "Manatee"(Sea-cow) nowadays very protected .The visit of the wales and orcas are not often but it may happen. In order to practice diving TOURISM it has been created installations along the coast, most of them have been certificated as International Diving Centers. María La Gorda. International diving center it's located in the south coast of the Guanacabibes peninsula. This zone has been named as a "Biosphera reserve".In the western extreme of the country. It has its own lodging and in its marine environment there are 39 diving sites. Villa Cayo Levisa. It's located in the key with the same name at the north of Pinar del Rio. It has its own lodging capacities, an excellent beach and 15 diving sites that you can visit from the international diving center "Diving World ".This is the only one that exist in this Colorados Archipelago. Habana City. By its north coast, associated to the international diving center Tarará in the beach with the same name ;La Aguja ,in Hemingway marine ;Blue reef in the Salado village and Havana Club. There are 72 diving sites. The Colony. The south coast of the "Youth Island",linked to the hotel with the same name where it works this International Diving center that was the headquarter of the IV world Diving championship in 1992 .It's fitted out with an hiperbaric chamber and specialized medical services. It has 56 diving sites, some of them are very well known. Cayo Largo. The two International Diving centers that are in this place are associated , one to the South Cayo Largo Marine ,and the other to the "Sirena beach" .And from them you can go to 32 diving sites through the keys and the underwater cliff. Varadero. In this famous touristic beach there are International diving centers of Diving Aqua, Barracuda and Gaviota with 32 diving sites disperse by the north litoral from Mantanzas bay at the west upto the extreme of Varadero include through the first keys of the Sabana-Camagüey archipiélago at the east. At the north of Varadero and near of Piedras key, you can enjoy of a Pecio Intentionally sunk with this purpose, and in a few km from the pole, in Cardenas city exists an specialized unit in underwater medicine, fitted out with a hiperbaric chamber. Playa Girón and Playa Larga. It's located at the south of Zapata's wet lands.The biggest of the insular Caribbean is associated to the existent hotels in these two beaches. You can find the international diving Centers of Playa Girón and Barracuda from where you can have access to 14 diving sites. Cienfuegos. The International Diving centers "Whale Shark" ,"Faro de Luna" and "Humanidad" are associated with their own hotels in its littoral south, and it lets you acced to 50 diving sites , in one of them you can find the coral column known by the amateurs as "Notre Dame". It has six meters height and with the prestige given by the experts as "One of the most remarkable coral column in whole Caribbean". Trinidad. In the Ancón Hotel at the south of "Villa de la Trinidad" (Mankind heritage) is the International Diving Center "Cayo Blanco" from which you can have access to 21 Diving sites , you can also have the beautiful sight of the Escambray Mountains. Cayo Coco y Cayo Guillermo. In the modern hotels of this touristic pole in enlargenment, there are 4 International Diving Centers."Jardines del Rey", "Coco diving center", "Blue diving ", and "Cayo Guillermo",from where you can have access to 20 diving sites along a virgin littoral and, for many people ,already preferred. Jardines de la Reina. In the middle of a real-we can say, intrincate - rosary of little islets ,keys and tide shoals and it's located at the south of Ciego de Avila and Camagüey provinces, is the international diving center "Avalón". You can enjoy 33 diving sites dispersed in this zone of virgin underwater platform. Santa Lucía. It's one of the hotels in this new beach pole, it's located at the north of Camagüey. There you can find the International Diving center "Shark's friends" from which you have access to 35 diving sites dispersed through the littoral from Punta Maternillas to the west. Cayo Sabinal, upto the Nuevos Grandes bay at the east. It's limitated with the Tunas province. In one of this sites, a group of daring divers make an amazing "show" with royal bull- sharks (It's not recommendable for persons with hart diseases) Guardalavaca. In the hotels of this touristic pole you can find the international diving centers "Eagle Ray" and "Sea lovers".For practicing this modalities in 20 diving sites:In the littoral at the north of the zone known as "Punta de Mangle" the underwater relief is particularly irregular with the roughness of the times when this part was emerged. Santiago de Cuba. In the hotels of the touristic pole Baconao ,at the east of the city of Santiago de Cuba ,and in the "Sierra Mar",at the west, you can find the international diving centers "Bucanero","Sigua",and "Sierra Mar" from which you have access to 73 diving sites, that includes, among others attractive things, the underwater bottom where there are several war ships from the famous Spaniard flote of the Admiral Cervera, sunk in a unequal confrontation with the norteamerican navy during the war in 1898. Marea del Portillo. From the International diving center in Albacora, located in the hotel "Marea del Portillo", at the south of the Sierra Maestra and near to the Pilón town, in the Granma province, you can go to 17 diving sites,that includes the underwater cliff of Cayo Cruz, one of the sunk armored of the Spaniard flote of Admiral Cervera,very well kept and including other older pecios.