El escalon (the stairway) - Santa Lucia

10 minutes in the fast boat takes you to the outer edge of the reef, away from the easy diving on the dive sites that sit on the inside of the large offshore reef system.

And this site does not disappoint – current is plentiful enough to make this a good drift dive along the wall, but gentle enough to make it suitable for a relatively inexperienced diver.

Maximum depth is within qualification limits, and the wall vanishes off into the dark blue at 50+ metres. Staying close to the wall and above 30metres makes a good no-decompression dive, and there is plenty to see on both sides of you!

Casting an eye out to the blue, large specimens of schooling fish flicker in the distance, and tuna, jacks, snapper and spadefish are commonplace in large numbers.

With your eye on the wall, don't expect just healthy coral either – sponges, whips, barrels, large gorgonian fans and the like are plentiful, but the fish life is just as interesting here.

As with all Cuban diving we have experienced, it is largely unsaturated by us divers – the marine life is therefore calm, unperturbed, and even inquisitive!

Free swimming morays come and have a closer look at you before swimming off on their journeys, grouper ‘buddy' you throughout your dive, and keep an eye out for turtles here too!

Smaller critters include the cleaning crews, and it is fascinating to see a large moray having its teeth ‘brushed' by a brightly coloured wrasse on the wall.

As you end the dive, your safety stop is done on top of the reef, still accompanied by a grouper or two! The dive centre staff will help you de-kit in the water before climbing aboard for the short trip back to the beach.

A great wall dive with a healthy current and marine life – one of our favourites in Sta Lucia.