Cuba Travel Guide for Divers

Cuba travel for divers takes a little more planning than a trip to most Caribbean islands. Entry rules depend on your nationality, cash matters more than cards, and moving between dive regions takes time. This guide covers the essentials. Rules change often, especially for US citizens, so confirm everything with official sources shortly before you travel.

Current conditions (November 2026): Cuba is going through a severe energy and economic crisis. Canada and the UK advise against non-essential travel, the main Canadian airlines have suspended their Cuba flights, and Visa and Mastercard cards stopped working on the island in June 2026. Read your own government's travel advice and check that your dive center and flights are operating before you book.

Entry requirements

• Passport: valid for your whole stay. Many airlines ask for six months of validity, so renew early if you are close.
• eVisa: since July 2025 most visitors need a Cuban eVisa, which replaced the old paper tourist card. Apply online before you travel, through the official portal or your airline or tour operator; it can no longer be bought at the airport.
• Online arrival form: every traveler, children included, must complete the online D'Viajeros form in the days before arrival. It covers customs and health information, links to your eVisa number and asks for the full address of your first night's stay. Declare cash over USD 5,000 on it. Keep the QR code on your phone and on paper.
• Health insurance: medical insurance valid in Cuba is a condition of entry, and you may be asked to show proof. Make sure it covers diving, or add specialist dive insurance.

Rules for US travelers

US law still restricts travel to Cuba. Tourism as such is not allowed, and travel must fit one of the categories authorized by the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), such as family visits or support for the Cuban people. Independent travelers most often use support for the Cuban people, which means a full-time schedule that engages with Cubans and the private sector, such as staying in casas particulares and eating in paladares. Travelers must keep records of their activities. Since September 30, 2026, OFAC has also ended group people-to-people tours and the general license for professional meetings, and US persons may not deal directly or indirectly with entities on the State Department's Cuba Restricted List, which includes many state-run hotels and businesses. US travelers may not stay at hotels on the Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List either. These rules have changed several times in recent years, so read the current OFAC and State Department guidance before you book anything.

Flights

Most international flights land at José Martí International Airport in Havana or at Varadero. Air service has shrunk sharply in 2026: Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat and Sunwing have suspended their Cuba flights and packages indefinitely, and fuel shortages have led other airlines to cut or reroute services. Many visitors now connect through Mexico or the US. Check the latest schedules before you plan a route, especially to the resort airports at Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo and Holguín. Domestic flights within Cuba are limited and unreliable, so most divers travel between regions by road.

Money: bring cash

Cuba's money situation changes fast, so check the latest advice before you go. As of November 2026:

• Visa and Mastercard cards no longer work in Cuba, wherever they were issued, since a June 2026 suspension. You cannot pay with them or use them at ATMs. Cards issued by US banks never worked.
• Bring enough cash for your whole trip, in clean, untorn small bills. Euros and US dollars are widely used in private businesses.
• The official exchange rate and the street rate can be very different, and both move quickly. Ask your casa host or hotel what is normal right now.
• Keep cash for diving, tips, taxis and meals separate, and never carry it all at once.

Getting between dive regions

Distances are long and roads can be slow. Approximate driving times from Havana are about two hours to Varadero, two and a half to three hours to Playa Larga at the Bay of Pigs, and about five hours to María la Gorda. Júcaro, the port for Jardines de la Reina, is a full day's drive, and liveaboard packages usually include the transfer.

• Víazul buses link the main tourist towns cheaply, but seats sell out and schedules change.
• Private taxis and shared taxis (colectivos) are the most flexible option. Your casa host can arrange one.
• Rental cars exist but are expensive, in short supply and affected by fuel shortages.
• For Isla de la Juventud, take a short flight or the ferry from Batabanó.

Power, water and connectivity

Cuba has suffered long daily blackouts and several nationwide grid failures in 2025 and 2026, and fuel shortages affect transport, flights and dive boats. Bring a power bank, a headlamp and a battery charger for your dive computer. Mobile data and public Wi-Fi exist but are slow and patchy, so download maps and documents before you arrive.

What divers should pack

• All your dive gear except tanks and weights, plus a save-a-dive kit.
• Reef-safe sunscreen, insect repellent and a basic first aid kit with any medicines you need.
• A refillable water bottle with a filter.
• Printed copies of your insurance, eVisa, D'Viajeros code and bookings.

Before you go, read our Cuba dive safety guide, check how Cuban dive centers work and get some background from our short guide to Cuba's history and culture.