Journey to Cuba's underwater Eden

In 2012, EDF senior writer Rod Griffin embarked on a scuba expedition to the Jardines de la Reina, or Gardens of the Queen, a spectacular undersea reserve off Cuba’s southern coast that has been off-limits to U.S. divers for more than 50 years.

Rod kept a diary of his 10-day-long adventure in the company of some of the world’s leading marine experts. Funded by the Waitt Foundation, the trip offers a rare glimpse of this underwater Eden, while underscoring the environmental threats facing even a relatively unspoiled patch of ocean.

• Day 1: Bienvenidos a Cuba!

  We enter an underwater realm that time left behind.

• Day 2: Close encounters

  Diving with sharks: What was I thinking?

• Day 3: Ecotourism, Cuban-style

  A look at Cuba’s unique approach to protecting the last Caribbean refuge.

• Day 4: Protecting Eden

  As the country opens up, what will it take to secure a future for this rich marine ecosystem?

• Day 5: Drifting through an undersea forest

  Snorkeling from reef crests to mangroves, we pass through a half dozen distinct yet interconnected habitats.

• Day 6: Exploring mangroves

  Straddling land and sea, mangroves are the biological engines of the reef.

• Day 7: Invasion of the lionfish

  The beautiful but deadly lionfish – a non-native species – could disrupt the delicate balance of Cuba’s reefs.

• Day 8: The Old Man and the Acropora

  David Vaughan offers insights on why coral in the Gardens is among the healthiest in the Caribbean, yet still under threat.

• Day 9: Finding Nemo: the sequel

  A fish identification expert searches for Nemo’s distant “cousin,” the elusive Cuban fairy basslet.

• Day 10: Group(er) sex

Everything about the goliath grouper is outsized, including its sex life.