Dive Review of Marlin Dive Centre/Sol Cayo Largo in
Cuba/Cayo Largo del Sur

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Marlin Dive Centre/Sol Cayo Largo: "You're on your own!", Mar, 2016, by Steve Clayman, ON, CA ( Reviewer 6 reports with 2 Helpful votes). Report 9082.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	The hotel, Sol Cayo Largo is part of the Spanish hotel chain, Melia. It was very comfortable and clean. Staff was always friendly and helpful and most spoke English. There was entertainment in the evenings. There is a reasonably equipped fitness area. The food was available in a buffet style with more formal dining on-site. The food was plentiful and there were always several choices. The hotel was not affiliated with the dive operation. The recommendation came from the charter airline local representative. The cost of diving was paid separately from the hotel charges. I signed up for five dive days. On the third day I decided I didn't feel comfortable diving with Marlin. I followed the dive guide's rules as best I could, having decided to slowly ascend from about 90' to 50' to conserve air as my tank emptied. I always had the group in sight and felt in control of my situation. When we all returned to the dive boat, the dive guide came over to me and chewed me out for not following his rules. Although I signalled my intentions to him and told him I felt comfortable with my decision, this was not acceptable. The last dive I went on, I followed the dive guide's rules and signalled when I was down to 500 psi (we were at about 90'). He gave me the "OK" sign. At 250 psi and still at depth, I went to him requesting his octopus. He refused to hand it to me and instead pointed ahead. It took a few seconds until I saw the mooring line. He signalled for me to go to it and guide myself to the surface. I immediately did that arriving at the rear of the dive boat. It was windy and I was being pushed towards some reefs. What astonished me was the ladder was up, there was no trailing line and none of the crew was on lookout. I yelled, blew my whistle and kept swimming towards the transom. Eventually someone came on deck, lowered the ladder and I came on board. My tank was at 0 psi. I decided not to return and sent a report to the charter representative.
Websites	Sol Cayo Largo
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Canada, U.S., Australia, Fiji, Tonga, Greece, Carribean
Closest Airport	Cayo Largo, Cuba	Getting There	Direct with one stop from Toronto. Smooth charter flight.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy	Seas	choppy
Water Temp	70-80°F / 21-27°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	60-90 Ft/ 18-27 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Dive guide insisted all divers follow him and stay an arm's length from a buddy. If any diver ran low on air the diver was to come to the dive guide and breath on his octopus. If any diver had to surface, then everyone surfaced.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Marlin Dive Centre/Sol Cayo Largo in Cuba/Cayo Largo del Sur

Marlin Dive Centre/Sol Cayo Largo: "You're on your own!", Mar, 2016,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Marlin Dive Centre/Sol Cayo Largo in
Cuba/Cayo Largo del Sur