María la Gorda · Cuba · Wall
El Almirante
Blue-water wall of sponges and sea fans at 27 m
One of the deeper dives in the bay, run to 27 m on a coral wall that starts at 22 m and is covered in large sponges and sea fans, with open blue behind it. Below the recreational limit the wall carries immense blooms of black coral, and both dive centres describing the site call the visibility here excellent.
Also known as The Admiral.
Where it is and how deep
21.8125° N, 84.5099° WPublished position for this site.
Site maps published elsewhere
The dive
This is one of the deeper sites at María la Gorda and the dive is built around getting to the edge. The operator puts the top of the wall at 22 m and the profile runs to 27 m, and it is the arrival at that edge that makes the site — the whole coral face is covered with huge sponges and sea fans, and it hangs against a bright blue backdrop rather than a reef background. Divers come away rating it high on a Cuba list for that reason alone.
Along the face you work through tarpon, angelfish, grunts and groupers, with plenty else moving in and out of the blue. Look down rather than along and the wall keeps going: just past 30 m (100 ft) the black coral starts, immense blooms of it running on for roughly another 6 m (20 ft) below, well past the depth a recreational dive should follow it. Whale sharks are reported here often enough that the guides mention them, skulking around the reef rather than passing at speed.
Visibility on this site is described as generally excellent, which matters on a wall dive where the interest is the scale of the face rather than any single feature. Watch gas and no-decompression time from the moment you reach the edge — at 27 m the bottom time is short, and the ascent back up over the top of the wall is where the dive is finished off.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Whale sharks
| 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 Almirante?+
The wall starts at 22 m and the published depth range is 90 ft, about 27 m, which makes it one of the deeper dives at María la Gorda. The face itself continues well below that — the black coral starts just past 30 m (100 ft).
What certification do I need for El Almirante?+
A 27 m profile is past Open Water limits, so plan on Advanced or equivalent deep training and a guided dive with a short bottom time.
Can you see whale sharks at El Almirante?+
Both dive centres that describe this site say whale sharks are frequently seen in the area. Neither publishes a season or a sighting rate, so treat it as a chance encounter rather than the reason to book the dive.
Sources
- Maria La Gorda El Almirante – The Admiral — cuba-marialagorda.com
- The Admiral — Villa Maria la Gorda
- Maria la Gorda Scuba Diving Cuba — netssa.com
More dive sites in María la Gorda
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A two-ton eighteenth-century anchor grown into the coral
Reef
Shoaling reef fish in 3 to 5 m of water
Coral garden
A small wall from 6 to 15 m packed with gorgonians
Coral-covered rock heads lined up with two headlands ashore
Wall
Shoals of jacks, tuna and barracuda on a wall from 18 m
Cave & cavern
A reef cavern with three entrances at around 20 m
Wall
A chimney fracture in the wall from 12 m down to 33 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Black coral under an overhang at 21 to 27 m
A coral arch on the wall, named for a Cayman photographer
Eagle rays off a sponge-hung wall on Turneffe's east coast
A sand chute from 15 m to a coral ledge at 30 m