María la Gorda · Cuba · Reef · Coral garden
El Acuario
Shoaling reef fish in 3 to 5 m of water
Patchy reef in 3 to 8 m carrying enough fish that the name does the describing: shoals of sergeant majors, chromis, tangs, snapper and goatfish over sea fans and sponges. The published account of the site calls it a relaxing dive and a chance to look at the reef fish in detail rather than hunt for the bigger stuff.
Also known as The Aquarium, Acuario.
Where it is and how deep
21.7981° N, 84.5165° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
Site maps published elsewhere
The dive
The depth does the work here. Most of the reef sits between 3 and 5 m, with the coral line submerged around 6 m and the site running to about 8 m, so the dive is long, shallow and unhurried. The reef is patchy rather than continuous, which concentrates the fish onto the coral and gives you something to swim around instead of along.
Numbers are what earn the name. Shoals of sergeant majors, chromis, tangs, snapper and goatfish move over the patches, with trumpetfish holding still among them and lobsters and large crabs backed into the reef. Among the sea fans and sponges there are flamingo tongues grazing the gorgonians and arrow crabs trying not to be seen, and a Nassau grouper up to two metres long has been reported holding off in the distance.
Dive it as a detail dive rather than a search. The shallow profile means gas and no-decompression time are rarely the limit, so the sensible plan is a slow circuit of the coral patches with time spent on individual heads — the site rewards stopping. Keep an eye on the gorgonians as you go — the flamingo tongues are on them, and they are easy to swim straight past.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Groupers
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows María la Gorda: Nov–Apr is the dry season with the calmest, clearest water; Aug–Oct carries hurricane risk on this exposed western tip.
Questions divers ask
How deep is El Acuario?+
Shallow: the reef sits mostly between 3 and 5 m, with a coral line at around 6 m, and the published depth range tops out near 8 m.
What will I see at El Acuario?+
Shoals of sergeant majors, chromis, tangs, snapper and goatfish, plus trumpetfish, lobsters, large crabs, flamingo tongues on the gorgonians and a large Nassau grouper.
Sources
- The Aquarium — Villa Maria la Gorda
- Maria la Gorda Scuba Diving Cuba — netssa.com
- Dive Sites Map Location in María La Gorda — cubadiving.org
More dive sites in María la Gorda
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Cave & cavern
A reef cavern with three entrances at around 20 m
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A chimney fracture in the wall from 12 m down to 33 m
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