Nick Shirley, a 24-year-old American YouTuber, shared an eye-opening account of his brief trip to Cuba on the PBD Podcast this Thursday. His visit lasted only 24 hours before he fled after realizing he was under surveillance by the regime's intelligence and was confronted by a two-star general in his hotel lobby.
Shirley arrived in Havana on April 30 with a visa for journalistic activities—though the regime insists it was a tourist visa—and was accompanied by two Spanish-speaking bodyguards. His mission was to document the humanitarian crisis on the island.
Upon arrival, Cuban authorities seized his GoPro cameras, stabilizer, and Meta glasses, leaving him only with his iPhone and a small microphone unnoticed at the bottom of his backpack.
The young YouTuber described eerily empty streets, buildings reduced to rubble, and trash burning on the streets due to a lack of means for collection, highlighting a population mired in despair. "I didn't expect to see Latinos so downcast... there was no life in the eyes of many of those people," he expressed.
Furthermore, Shirley explained how the informal fuel market in Cuba has reached unsustainable extremes: a taxi driver told him his number in the line for government gasoline was 1,200, while on the black market, a liter costs $10, roughly $40 per gallon.
"Monthly salaries are $14. Someone mentioned they haven't eaten eggs in a year," he noted.
The energy crisis worsened following the capture of Nicolás Maduro, which halted the Venezuelan oil supply to Cuba. The island requires eight fuel ships per month, but since December 2025, it has received only one, with lines at the few operating gas stations extending beyond 15 hours.
That night, in a government-run hotel, a woman filmed Shirley interviewing a citizen about communism and alerted the authorities.
Attempting to leave at 3 am, Shirley encountered a two-star general waiting for him in the lobby. One of his bodyguards received a direct message from the regime: "The president knows you're here; we've been monitoring you."
"We were fleeing Cuba on a tricycle at 10 miles per hour," Shirley recounted, describing the escape to the airport. His bodyguards, veterans of operations in Haiti and Mexico, described the situation as "one of the riskiest they've ever faced."
The regime's counter-information media "Razones de Cuba," linked to State Security, dismissed Shirley's account as a "pure anti-communist script," claiming he entered with a tourist visa.
Moreover, an individual traveled to the same hotel in Havana to record a video asserting that Shirley was never there and that there were no spies, accusing him of fabricating a pretext for a U.S. invasion.
Shirley responded that in his own video, he had warned that the material would be released only after leaving Cuba, indicating that the man knew he was no longer there.
"I came alone. I was supposed to be there for about 60 hours. It turned into 24 because we were surrounded at the hotel," Shirley summarized. He continues to work on editing the complete video of his visit, ensuring to blur the faces of Cubans who spoke with him to protect them from retaliation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nick Shirley's Cuba Experience
What prompted Nick Shirley to leave Cuba so quickly?
Nick Shirley left Cuba after realizing he was under surveillance by the regime's intelligence and was confronted by a two-star general in his hotel lobby.
What did Nick Shirley document during his brief stay in Cuba?
During his brief stay, Shirley documented the humanitarian crisis, including empty streets, crumbling buildings, and the severe fuel shortage, alongside the despairing state of the Cuban populace.
How did the Cuban regime respond to Shirley's account?
The Cuban regime, through its counter-information media "Razones de Cuba," dismissed Shirley's narrative as an anti-communist script and claimed he entered the country with a tourist visa.