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Real Guide to the cheeky dive
How many times have you gone on a non-diving holiday, only to spend half the time moping and wishing you could get wet?
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The blues usually sink in when you’re trapped in some hellish family scenario, or sweating purposelessly on a crowded beach. If only you could get away for a while and just enjoy the tranquillity that comes when there’s 30m of cool blue water between yourself and the nearest beach bar. The clincher comes when you see a group of divers loading up a RIB. There is your tribe – why have you abandoned them? You find yourself sauntering up to the divers and saying something pitiful like ‘I’m a diver too, you know’. But not today. Unless you’re on an expedition to the Gobi Desert, there should be no such thing as a holiday without the opportunity of diving. Frankly, it’s uncivilised. While we can countenance the prospect of a holiday in which diving is not necessarily the main focus, it’s simply too much to suggest we should be close to clear, warm seas and not enjoy a few cheeky dives.
If you’re going somewhere warm, it could be that all you need to do is pack your diving computer, a thin wetsuit, mask, snorkel and fins. Then, should you wish to get in the sneaky dive, all you need do is pay the small amount for hire of a BCD and regulator – kit in dive centres had got a lot better. An understanding friend or spouse would never begrudge you a few dives, and if they do, all you need to do is get in an early start and leave them a note!
So this month, DIVE’s writers offer their tips and recommendations for holidays where you can add a bit of diving to the mix without being branded a deserter. As we all know, diving has a great calming effect, so it should stand you in good stead for those little dramas that tend to rear up when on holiday. So pack your fins in with the suntan lotion and remember… to go on holiday is only human, but to sneak off for a dive is divine!
IBIZA
Why people go
The BaleAric Islands have long been firm favourites with British holidaymakers with guaranteed Mediterranean sun, and Ibiza has the extra twist of a sophisticated night life. But it’s not just trendy clubbers that visit the island – families looking for bucket-and-spade holidays make up a large proportion of the visitors, while hikers head for the quiet north of the island where exquisite villages sit between pine forests and a coastline made up of coves and bays.
Why people really go
Throbbing clubs, cheap flights and even cheaper booze!
Diving areas
While diving is available all round the island, from Puerto San Miguel in the north to Cala d’Hort in the south, we have focused on San Antonio on the western coast and Santa Eulalia in the east. Most visitors tend to congregate near these large towns, and for the diver who wants to slip away from family or friends for a cheeky dive, there are ample opportunities to get in the water.
Ibiza, as with the Balearics generally, is characterised by interesting topography, consisting of caverns and swim-throughs with attractive arches and gulleys. Coral growth is patchy, good in some areas with gorgonian forests healthy sponges, but it’s the fish life and topography that make the diving here an attractive option. Large grouper, barracuda, rays, moray eels and an abundance of reef fish are all on view, and, although not guaranteed, you might see the odd dolphins, sunfish and occasional pelagic fish. Visibility is good, averaging 20m, and the water temperature averages from 12ºC in winter to 24ºC in summer. It’s worth noting that the islands are very seasonal and many of the dive centres close over the winter period.
A four-man recompression chamber is available at Ibiza Town.
Cala d’Hort off the west coast of Ibiza is a marine nature reserve comprised of 15 islands. Good quality dives sites in and around the reserve are easily accessible from the San Antonio area. The Sea Horse Sub-Aqua Centre at Playa Port des Torrents is a BSAC school, which focuses on dives in this area. In terms of levels of ability, there is plenty of choice. The Abyss is an exciting drop-off at Esparta Island, which drops to 45m and is home to a family of huge dusky grouper. Alternatively, there are shallower dives such as Es Payaret, just along the coast from Port des Torrents, where large schools of barracuda cruise around and damselfish and moray eels put in an appearance.
North of Ibiza Town at Santa Eulalia there are several dive centres offering a range sites. The areas offers excellent visibility and as well as scenic dives there are several wrecks, including the wrecks of the Vagabundo and Burlón, which lie at a maximum depth of 40m and can be visited in the same dive. As with the rest of Ibiza, the rocky coastline presents plenty of overhangs and crevices to explore. Crustaceans abound and you are likely to spot nudibranchs as well as conger eels, grouper, wrasse and barracuda.
Contacts
Aqua Diving Center
00 34 971 33 84 59
www.aquadivingcenter.com
El Mundo de Buceo
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www.ibizadiving.de
Ibiza Diving
00 34 971 332949
www.ibiza-diving.com
Punta Dive
00 34 971 336726
www.puntadive.com
Sea Horse Sub-Aqua Centre
00 34 971 346 438
www.seahorsedivingibiza.com
FLORIDA
Why people go
The sunshine state has many sides. By day you can be racing around the Everglades on an airboat, whistling Duelling Banjos with a straw dangling from your bottom lip. By night, you can be in Miami Beach, rolling up the arms of your designer suit and knocking back mojitos. There are beaches, spas, fine dining, and you may even run into DIVE’s star photographer Douglas David Seifert – if you try out some of the other sort of ‘dives’.
Why people really go
It’s cheap for long haul, and there are theme parks!
Diving areas
The first thing to remember is that Florida is huge. Visiting divers often go on road trips to take in the pretty little islands that make up the Florida Keys, but if you visit en famille, chances are you’ll be tethered to a convenient town, so make sure you choose somewhere in South Florida, where the diving is particularly good. We can recommend West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale, where you have good access to all the topside attraction of Florida as well as handy dive centres that will spirit you away for a day of sub-aqua escapism.
The Florida cognoscenti rate West Palm Beach’s dive sites as superior to those in the Keys. Just 15 minutes from the dive centre, there are drift dives, reefs and wrecks. One of the local operators, Force E (www.force-e.com), says it can take divers to a different wreck every day for a month. This area is also home to Jim Abernethy’s Scuba Adventures – the owner is a shark enthusiast and takes a pride in getting his clients to the best sites. He specialises in liveaboard tours to the northern Bahamas, but most of his clients want simple day trips to reefs that are just three miles offshore, leaving plenty of scope for a couple of cheeky dives.
Fort Lauderdale is best known for its long beach, but it also benefits from the Gulf Stream, which brings warm water and abundant marine life. It’s a light current, which allows for gentle drifts over the area’s reefs. Marine life is similar to the Bahamas, with plenty of small fan corals – the overall colour of the reef is a gentle green pastel, rather than the riot of colour you would expect from the Indo-Pacific. One great trick for an especially cheeky dive is to book a family day out on Crystal River to see the manatees (www.manatee-central.com), and book yourself a dive so that the kids can watch you having fun for a change!
Contacts
Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort
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www.amoray.com
Hayes and Jarvis
0870 366 1636
www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk
Kuoni
01306 747006
www.kuoni.co.uk
Scuba Adventures
001 561-842-6356
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www.scuba-adventures.com
MALTA
Why people go
Situated 93km south of Sicily and 288km from the North African coast in the Mediterranean Sea, the Republic of Malta is comprised of three main islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino. These rugged limestone islands attract around 40,000 visiting divers every year. In recent years, low-cost airlines have moved in to create a cheap holiday alternative to the crowded tourist spots in Spain and Greece. Flights to and from Malta are frequent and depart from many of the smaller airports around the UK, including Bournemouth, Bristol, Newcastle, Glasgow, as well as Gatwick.
Why people really go
Clear Mediterranean waters, history, water sports and low-cost, quick flights (less than three hours in the air from London).
Diving areas
Malta is the perfect place to slip off for a cheeky dive, as most of the best dives sites can be accessed by shore. With its rocky coasts and unpolluted water, Malta is well known for its excellent visibility, which is between 30 and 50m. Regardless of the weather, there’s always a good site to be found, be it wreck, cave or reef. The seas around the Maltese archipelago are virtually tide-less, so you can pretty much jump in the water for a quick dive at any point of the day. None of your non-diving holiday companions will even have time to notice you’ve slipped off for a bit of underwater ‘me-time’.
The busiest diving area in Malta is in the Cirkewwa area, which is situated on the northwest coast of the island and is the main terminal for the car and passenger ferries to Gozo. There are a number of top sites here, including shallow site Sugar Loaf, which is a huge rock detached from the main reef and rising some 8m from the sea bed. Keep your eyes peeled at 20m for the small statue of the Madonna sitting in a cave opening. Experienced divers looking for a bit more of a challenge may want to check out the Rozi wreck. This purpose-sunk tugboat wreck sits at 35m, perfectly upright and intact. Another top spot, which is a perfect place to keep beach lovers in the family occupied for a couple of hours of dive time, is Wied iZ Surrieg. This is a small village situated on the south coast. Here you will find the Blue Grotto, which offers beach access to a number of cave systems. You will also find the Um El Faroud tanker here at 35m. This impressive wreck is 110m-long and is sub-divided into four centre tanks and four wing tanks on each side.
Not all of Malta’s diving is on the coast – some of the best sites can be found at Grand Harbour near the capital Valletta, and at other harbours throughout the island. So while your fellow travellers marvel at the historic buildings in the town, you can get your own taste of history below the surface, including the Second World War wreck HMS Maori at St Elmo’s Bay.
Here’s a hot tip: The Fortina Spa Resort on Malta has recently started to offer diving as part of its package – aimed at those wishing to relax after a dive in luxurious surroundings, or those wishing to keep their partners happy while they explore Malta underwater (perfect plot to get yourself in the water and in the good books). Contacts
Aquarrigo Scuba
www.planetsea.ne
Atlantis Dive Centre
www.atlantisgozo.com
Buddies Dive Cove
www.buddiesmalta.com
Chikarma Diving
www.chikarma.com
Dive Systems
www.divesystemsmalta.com
Gozo Aqua Sports
www.gozoaquasports.com
Maltaqua
www.maltaqua.com
Octopus Gardens Diving
www.octopus-garden.com
St Andrew ‘s Diver Cove
www.gozodive.com
Sea Shell Dive Cove
www.seashell-divecove.com
Strand Diving Services
www.scubamalta.net
SRI LANKA
Why people go
One of the most culturally rich destinations in Asia, Sri Lanka has beautiful parks, ancient sites, and sandy beaches. It’s an easy-going destination, with accommodation options from colonial villas to backpacker centres. Among the attractions is the historical cities of the interior – one of them, Anuradhapura, has been described as the greatest monastic city of the ancient world. There are wildlife parks all over the country, Buddhist temples on practically every corner and the hill country offers a place to cool down and go hiking (but watch out for leeches).
Why people really go
It’s hot; there are great beaches and excellent curry.
Diving areas
This is a tricky one, as any visit to Sri Lanka should take in a visit to the hill country, which takes you up to altitude. Our advice would be to organise your tour so that you start off in the hill stations, then you should have plenty of time to factor in your cheeky dives when you drive down to the coast.
Most dive operations take place on the west coast of Sri Lanka, where the coastline is shallow. When the Tsunami hit this coast, it gathered height over the flat shallows and devastated many of the shoreline villages, including Bentota, which is also one of the area’s tourist centres. The good news is that towns such as Bentota are now more than ready for the return of tourism.
You have to travel out for seven miles or so to visit the granite reefs that are the typical feature of offshore diving on this coast. They offer good scope for multi-level diving, rising from 35m to safety stop depth and attracting a good variety of Indian Ocean fish life. On any dive, you can find schooling snapper and jacks, sweetlips and lionfish. Currents tend to be manageable, but visibility can be unpredictable here, as the river at Bentota carries cloudy water out to sea and seasonal rainfall can increase the payload. Sometimes, local guides try a variety of site options before finally deciding where to dive. All this means that your promise of a ‘quick dive or two’ will entail an entire morning or afternoon.
South of Bentota, towards the colonial town of Galle, you come to the village of Hikkaduwa, which again is rebuilding its trade after the tsunami. Close to shore, the reefs in the so-called ‘marine sanctuary’ look the way reefs tend to after years of dynamite fishing. They are just about acceptable if you’re desperate for a dive, but you’re really better off making the 45-minute journey to the wreck of the Conch, an oil tanker that went down after striking rocks in 1903. It has a picturesque propeller and offers easy penetration into the engine room, but in general the wreck is fairly broken-up. n
Contacts
Barefoot Traveller
020 8741 4319
www.barefoot-traveller.com
Hayes and Jarvis
0870 366 1636
www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk
Kuoni
01306 747006
www.kuoni.co.uk