Explore Maria la Gorda

María la Gorda is a tiny settlement located on the southwest coast of Cuba, which consists of only one hotel, a diving center, two restaurants, and a small shop, all on a beautiful sandy beach. This is definitely a 'getaway' destination with the main focus being snorkeling or diving. The dive sites range in depth from 6 to 40 meters/20 to 131 feet and are all located within a short speedboat ride from shore. There are around 50 dive sites here, so there's enough to explore! Due to María la Gorda being located in the UNESCO Natural Biosphere Reserve—Great Natural Park Guanahacabibes, the marine flora and fauna are in pristine condition, only highlighted by the clear, warm waters.

Diving in Maria la Gorda

The types of diving to be done here are very much centered around the different rock topography. There are multiple thrilling steep coral walls, vibrant shallow reef plateaus, crevices, canyons, pinnacles, boulders, a large cave and more. There is even a dive site which harbours a beautiful historical anchor. There are many dive sites here which cater perfectly to dive courses, night dives and for underwater photographers to capture the underwater beauty.

The best Months to dive in Maria la Gorda

One of the best features of diving here is the incredibly clear water. The visibility here ranges between 20 meters/66 feet and 40 meters/131 feet on average. Between November and April is the dry season, which is also the time of the year with the best, calmest, and warmest water conditions. The average water temperature here is 25°C/77°F, with it ranging between 23°C/73°F and 29°C/84°F throughout the year.

Statistics

Dive Activity

Top Wildlife Sightings

Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content

iStock-Global_Pics

Barracuda
81 Sightings
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5
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8
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6
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19
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3
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5
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10
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11
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1
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0
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13
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iStock/ultramarinfoto

Wrasse
47 Sightings
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8
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0
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35
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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4
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0
Alamy-WaterFrame

Moray Eel
22 Sightings
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5
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0
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4
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0
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0
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0
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6
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3
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4
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iStock-burnsboxco

Parrotfish
89 Sightings
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10
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6
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8
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40
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3
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5
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4
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4
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0
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9
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0
iStock/cinoby

Lionfish
88 Sightings
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10
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9
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0
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36
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0
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5
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10
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5
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0
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0
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11
D
2
Alamy-Andre Seal

Damselfish
69 Sightings
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10
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4
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8
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38
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0
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0
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3
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6
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0
Shutterstock-aquapix

Sweetlips and Grunts
65 Sightings
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8
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4
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9
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40
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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4
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0
Shutterstock-Rich Carey

Angelfish
57 Sightings
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9
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5
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8
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18
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0
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3
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5
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0
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0
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9
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0
iStock-wrangel

Triggerfish
56 Sightings
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7
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0
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8
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37
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0
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0
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0
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0
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0
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4
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0
iStock-mirecca

Surgeonfish
45 Sightings
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7
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0
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0
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18
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0
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5
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4
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0
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0
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0
N
11
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0