Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
El Ballenato lies in the Caribbean Sea off Isla de la Juventud, Cuba, among the small cays and reef patches scattered along this stretch of the Cuban shelf and typically reached by boat from nearby coastal points. The site tops out at around 8 metres, a shallow dive over coral growth that includes elkhorn coral, lobed star coral, massive starlet coral, and mustard hill coral. Divers have also reported reef fish typical of the area, including French grunt, stoplight and striped parrotfish, and Atlantic blue tang and Brazilian ocean surgeonfish moving over the coral heads.
AI overviewMarine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Elkhorn CoralAcropora palmataReported here · unconfirmed
Massive Starlet CoralSiderastrea sidereaReported here · unconfirmed
Mustard Hill CoralPorites astreoidesReported here · unconfirmed
Lobed Star CoralOrbicella annularisReported here · unconfirmed
Atlantic Blue TangAcanthurus coeruleusReported here · unconfirmed
Striped ParrotfishScarus iseriReported here · unconfirmed
Brazilian Ocean SurgeonfishAcanthurus bahianusReported here · unconfirmed
Stoplight ParrotfishSparisoma virideReported here · unconfirmed
French GruntHaemulon flavolineatumReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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