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The Isle of Parrots, The Isle of Pirates, The Isle of Treasure, The Isle of Pines and nowadays, The Isle of Youth are the different names that this island has received. Columbus discovered it on his second journey to the New World. It is located at 80 km. (50 miles) Southwest from Cuba and can be easily reached by sea or air.
The Isle of Youth is one of the most picturesque sites in Cuba, specially for those who are fond of natural beauties, because more than a half of is territory virgin, with a host of endemic species. On its Southern coast, surrounded by the most pure Caribbean Sea, there are coral reefs of incredible beauty, with wonderful landscapes, and on the Western part you can find a breath-taking paradise in the Punta Frances Marine National Park.
The hotel, located in the bay of Siguanea, is just 5 minutes away from the airport of Siguanea and 35 minutes away from Havana by plane. This colorful hotel built in the 1950s is situated on a heavenly beach south of the island of Cuba. Guests can also benefit from the facilities offered by the International Diving Center.
El Colony diving zone is located within the limits of this Park, comprising 6 km. (4 miles) of coast, between Punta Pedernales and Punta Frances, this zone is very well protected with a remarkable environmental stability, thus having an exuberant reef development. There are 56 attractive diving sites, some of them in areas of dense and colorful populations of corals, gorgonians and sponges. Others are located where the drop-off falls sharply, also more than 20 caves, passages and tunnels, coral hillocks and valleys are included. The kind of fish varies from one site to another, so we can find schools of tarpons, spadefish, jacks, grunts, schoolmasters and yellowtail snappers. Nassau groupers, black groupers and barracudas are frequently found, also there are turtles, eagle rays and sometimes sharks. Among the most spectacular sites you can find are: Pared de Coral Negro, Tunel del Amor, Cueva Azul, El Pasaje Escondido, Cueva de los Sabalos, Piedra de Coral, EL Salto, Ancla del Pirata, Paraiso de las Levisas and Pequeno Reino. Others diving zone are Los Barcos Hundidos, which are remains of sunken ships scattered on an extensive are between 6 and 9 meters (20 or 30 feet) deep, with many school of fish, including barracudas and stingrays, and a numerous sessile fauna attached to the ships. Los Indios, known for its vertical walls and big coral hillocks with sand beds, and Fuera de Limite, a peculiar place where the coral reef grows from the coast and falls into 15 meters (49 feet) deep, with big rocks full of corals, gorgonians, sponges and many coral fish.
The Diving Center is located on a small Marina in Ensenada de la Siguanea, 24 km. (15 miles) from diving sites, so the typical daily program consists in two morning divings, lunch in a cozy restaurant on the sea, and enjoyment of a near beach between divings. A multilock hyperbaric chamber is available at the Diving Center. A physician specialized in hyperbaric medicine is ready to provide preventive services and diving diseases treatment.
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