Diving in Europe? Madeira?

Hello, I have just got back from my first dive holiday in Barbados. It was fantastic and I can't wait to get back under the water again.

Unfortunatly - beeing a student - I think it is going to take me a long while before I can afford to go to an exotic location again.

So to my question, can anybody recomend any good places to dive somewhere in the Mediterranean / canaries, or anywhere else where you can get a holiday under £200?

I have seen a few websites about diving in Madeira, that look good, has anybody been there?

Diving the Med will not compare to Barbados, but there is some good diving to be had. There is less marine life due to overfishing, but there are some wrecks, caverns, and such. I've never been to Madeira, but spent some time in Malta last summer.

From London you can get inexpensive flights to Malta. High season does not start until approximately June, so if you travel there before then you may find some bargains. One note is that a cursory medical exam (about £4.50) is required unless you bring a signed statement of medical fitness to dive from your physician :doctor:. This can be arranged by any dive shop there.

:book2:

Hi Suzana

Like Drew says there is no comparison between the Mediteranean and the Caribbean but there are some Fantastic sites around L'Estartit in Spain (near Girona).

Looking through my log books I have done over 258 dives there over the years and can tell you the cavern diving (not to be confused to the 'Techie' Cave Diving) is beyond comparison.

The Medas Isles off the North East coast of Spain have many beautiful and picturesque sites that are begging to be explored.

The underwater caverns vary in size (side mounted cylinders not required) and some are so large you could drive an underwater VW bus through them.

My favorite sites are Dolphin cave (Bronze dolphin at foot of cave that divers kiss), La Vaca (teaming with sea bream), Les Ferrenelles (baracuda shoals and Eagle rays) and Grouper alley (Groupers as big as motorbikes and twice as hard to ride).

If you need more information please email me at amorecroft@newskies.com

Safe diving
Aquamore
:book:

Hi suzana and welcome to this great board

Barbados is fantatic and I think a little underated in terms of Scuba.

Anyhow plenty of warm water diving locations to be had from the UK and I suppose the best being the Red Sea. It is possible to go really cheaply at the moment. I am on a weeks liveaboard this year for £550 that includes all your diving food etc, the only thing you have to pay for is beers!! so you really don't have to take any spending money. You can also do Eygpt land based for approx £400

You might consider Lanzarote, Tenerife, even Ibiza but you are going to have to add on the cost of diving.

Malta out of season i.e after September tends to get pretty cheap too.

Just some ideas to think about. I shall try to get a few links together for you.

Neil

Suzana:
Save up and go to Bonaire with us! I promise it will be some of the best diving in your life.
Neil is going as part of the group and got a great price on air fare. It's September of this year.
Would you consider it?
:sunny:
PS Welcome to the scuba board!

Wow!

I think I'll save up for Bonaire too!

Aquamore

I have visited Dolphin Suba team in Kalkan, Turkey for many years and it is a great dive location which is very affordable.

Hi Suzanna,

There's such a place only 1 and a jalf hours flight from London, to Alicante and then 80 km north, you'll arrive to Moraira.
With Mermaid - diving center, located in Moraira, you can get to many dive sites like "Penon Ifach" with arches at 12 m and on the other side of the cape, walls up to 25 m.
"Descubridor Island" with walls up to 23 m.
"Moraich Cave" with a sweet water fountain and a nearby siphon up to 12m and many many more....
At Mermaid, you'll find not only hospitality with a smile but also all the services and facilities a diver needs: showers, mini bar, storage room, 2 compressors, inboard diesel engine rib boat.

If you want more information, you can send a mail to :
mermaid@mermaid-diving.com

Regards,
Jacob

Hi,

I'm sorry nobody seemed to answer Suzana's original post about Madeira.

It IS beautiful with "funtastic" dives. The is a preservation law and you can dive in places where there is no fishing and fish are friendly.

Then, in the little island of Porto Santo (just near Madeira) they sunk a boat (30m deep and very good vis.).
=-)

You should try it ... and tour operators in the UK surely will find prices within your reach.

Enjoy