Avalon fleet (Jardines de la Reina)

Routes: Avalon holds the concession for Jardines de la Reina, running several vessels and a floating hotel in a protected archipelago where Caribbean reef sharks, groupers and crocodile-in-the-mangroves encounters define the diving. Access is capped, which keeps sites uncrowded.

Season: Diveable year-round; December-April is the dry season, and summer brings warmer water and the odd tropical system.

Character: Shark-rich protected reefs with very limited diver numbers

Prices: Premium for the Caribbean, commonly $3,500-6,000 depending on vessel class. Cuba logistics, vessel line-ups and entry rules for various nationalities all change; verify current arrangements with the operator or a specialist agency.

Departures: Guests transfer overland from Cuban gateway cities to the port of Júcaro for the crossing.