Isla de la Juventud & Punta Francés · Cuba · Wall
Pared de Coral Negro
A cluster of black coral at 30 m on a wall of sea sponges
Pared de Coral Negro is a wall in the Punta Francés National Park, off the south-west tip of Isla de la Juventud. Sea sponges and deep, colourful coral formations line the face, reef fish and moray eels live along it, and a cluster of black coral sits at 30 m (98 ft). It is rated an advanced dive.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Isla de la Juventud & Punta Francés and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The day starts at Marina Siguanea on the Ensenada de la Siguanea, the most-used sea access to the park. Boats leave every morning and cover the 16 nautical miles to Punta Francés in roughly an hour. Groups are made up by certification level, and like every dive run from the centre, this one is planned as a multilevel dive rather than a single fixed depth on the wall.
The wall is lined with sea sponges and deep, colourful coral formations, with diverse reef fish along the face and moray eels among the critters that live on it. The feature that gives the site its name is a cluster of black coral at 30 m (98 ft). Across the park's reef front, black coral also grows unusually shallow on the slope, alongside groupers and snappers.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Isla de la Juventud & Punta Francés: November to April is the dry season, with the calmest and warmest water; rates across Cuba can be lower in the off-season from mid-April to December.
Know before you go
- The black coral cluster sits at 30 m, so divers watch depth, gas and no-decompression time closely on the wall.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Pared de Coral Negro?+
The cluster of black coral that gives the site its name sits at 30 m (98 ft), and the site is rated an advanced dive.
How do divers reach Pared de Coral Negro?+
By day boat from Marina Siguanea, which runs every morning to the Punta Francés park, 16 nautical miles away and roughly an hour by boat.
Sources
- Isla de la Juventud dive sites | SSI — SSI
- Parque Nacional Punta Francés — Centro Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CNAP)
- Marlin Colony | Marlin SA — Marlin S.A.
- Isla de la Juventud | Dive centers — isladelajuventud-cuba.com
Similar dives elsewhere
An undercut amphitheater in the wall, lipped with black coral
A sloping wall dived between 18 m and 34 m
Near-continuous schools of grunts and snappers on the wall top
Overhanging cliff hung with black coral trees and deep-water gorgonians