| Scuba
Diving Granma Province
Marea
del Portillo, well known because of its black sand, extends
over 2 km. It lies 108 km. south of Manzanillo Airport, in
Granma. Besides the peculiar coloring of the sand, it also
owes its charm to its location within a bay sheltered by the
Sierra Maestra mountains and bordered by coconut and palm
trees.
Visitors
can enjoy horse rides, walks along ecologic paths (leading
to waterfalls such as the ones on Cilantro and Las Yaguas
rivers), motorboat rides, visits to neighboring keys and sea
sports.
The
nearness of the beach to a coral reef and the sunken ships
at Santiago de Cuba waters, makes diving a tempting activity
for tourists. That’s why the Cuba Albacora Scuba Diving
Center, operating on the very beach, has 17 diving spots offering
immersions down to the coral reef (from 10 to 35 m. deep).
In the area there is a varied presence of tropical fish, including
red snapper, barracuda, morays, mollusks, trumpet fish and
lobster.
An
ample fauna is represented by enormous sponges of different
species, colonies of black coral, gorgonias, soft corals,
brain and fire coral among others.
Other
interesting sites are the steep sloping of the seabed at Cayo
Cruz and Cristóbal Colón ship: one of the battleships
belonging to Spanish Admiral Cervera’s fleet, who lost
a sea battle against the American fleet at Santiago de Cuba
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