.jpg)
| Scubadiving on the Costa Blanca area of Spain |
|
FRONTPAGE_NO_TRANSLATION_AVAILABLE
 Depending on your resort along this coast you can find underwater caves and caverns, explore recent but surprising wrecks or participate in one of the many diving courses offered by the excellent local dive centres. The diving courses are offered at reasonable prices and you can easily book it into your normal holiday schedule. Underwater visibility varies with the weather conditions, usually averaging 7 to 30 metres / 26 to 98 feet but sometimes exceeding 39 metres / 130 feet. Water temperatures are quite comfortable ranging from 13° to 26° Celsius / 56° to 80° Fahrenheit. The weather on Costa Blanca in Spain permits year-round dive activities. Spain possesses assets to satisfy even the most demanding of divers. The sun, the sea, a history rich in tradition, striking geographical contrasts and superb landscapes partly account for the topside success of this country. The rest of the explanation lies in the diving itself: A fabulous underwater realm comparable to any other dive destination in the world. Costa Brava is 180 kilometres or 112 miles of jagged cliffs covered with pines and shrubs that cling to its slopes, sheltered beaches and fishing villages. The sea and its laws rule life here. In general the sea is calm from May to October and offers unforgettable diving. La Massa de Oro, a small island off Cape Creus, is home to an incredible symphony of gorgonians swaying back and forth in the gentle sea.  To preserve its submarine heritage, the government of the province of Catalonia helped create model underwater preserves. As a result, the region is rich in marine life boasting more than 2000 species that include Mediterranean grouper, bream, octopus and lobster amid a breathtaking background of caves, tunnels and drop-offs. Areas like the Medes islands, the Cape Norfeu drop off, the Los Ullastres submarine peaks or Tamariu´s finger like canyons provide adventure enough for any diver. Natural wrecks like the Saint Prosper, artificial reefs like the Reggio Messina at 35 metres/115 feet or more modest wrecks like the Boreas, a 42-metre/135 foot tugboat, invite divers to explore the mysterious depths. Depth varies from 30-40 metres/100-130 feet and visibility can range from poor to 60 metres/180 feet, depending on the currents. Summer water temperature is 21 degrees Celsius/70 degrees Fahrenheit on the surface and 18 degrees Celsius/65 degrees Fahrenheit at depth.  Just past Barcelona, the coastal scenery begins to change. Heading south, travelers will pass through the Costa Dorada, Costa del Azahar and less known for its diving but still worth visiting, Costa Blanca. Typical Mediterranean animal life is found in these areas in generally clear waters. Diving is centered in the towns of Calpe, Javea, Alicante and Murcia.Further south, is the Almería region and the Costa del Sol. Here visitors can go hiking in the mountains, fishing or enjoy a pleasant dive anywhere along the area’s 600 kilometre/370 mile coastline. A key dive attraction here is in Cabo de Gata. Divers can see gigantic schools of barracuda, endless underwater meadows and centuries old ships’ anchors. Wrecks include a 100-metre/330 foot long merchant steam ship. Dive depths average 18 metres/60 feet, visibility reaches 60 metres/180 feet and the water temperature is close to 26 degrees Celsius/80 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface. Further down the coast, travelers will enter the gates of Andalucia with its white villages and incredible blue sky. A little farther away are the mythical cities of Granada, Sevilla and Cordoba featuring houses endowed with shaded patios. The whole region moves to the sound of flamenco music while savoring typical Andalusian gazpacho, a chilled soup made with locally grown tomatoes, onions, green peppers and fresh herbs. Wreck diving These days a new breed of divers are capable to get to previously unreachable sunken ships. These mixed-gas divers can go hundreds of feet deep by changing the gas mixtures they breathe at various depths. The increasing availability of exotic gases and the popularity of tech diving also insure that more Costa Blanca wrecks will give up the secret of their locations.
The geological characteristics between Denia and Benidorm have created an area packed with (underwater) caves and caverns of which many are still unexplored. North of Moraira lies the Moraig cave system, an underground river that ends up in the sea. Since 1974, intensive exploration takes place with the objective to find the origin of this freshwater spring. A discovery of the source could end the permanent shortage of tap and irrigation water in this region. This daring project is so ambitious that even the local government contributed with funding. In spite of the fatal diving accidents of 1982, (2 divers), 1989, (1 diver) and in 1992 Bernhard Pack the founder of the "Moraig: Expedition Speleo-Hydrological project, German cave divers continue the search for the freshwater spring. A sample taken from the cave some 1188 metres approx. 3900ft. deep inside still contains tracks of salt. Along with the Germans, the majority of cave divers here are mapping the system, the deepest penetration up to now (year 2000) ends at 1500 metres approx. 5000ft. The Sirio The Sirio once known as the titanic of the Mediterranean, was a 4141 gross ton ocean going liner. In 1906 she struck Bajo de Fuera off Cabo de Palos on the Spanish coast. Like the titanic there were hundreds of casualties. Since then, divers have visited the ship numerous times to excavate items that survived the wreck. In 1995 a permit system was introduced to limit diving on the Sirio. Today she lies in 60 metres of water… waiting Conclusion
This does not mean that all the wrecks or caves are limited to hard-core tech divers. Drysuits, uplines, wrecking tools, argon bottles and backups to your backups are not always required at Costa Blanca. In years gone by, local divemaster 'Pete' Esser toured these sites with a single 12 litre and a hand-me-down regulator. On the other hand, these wrecks and caves are not the place for the newly certified diver with a couple of Caribbean reef excursions in the logbook. |
Scuba Diving - The great atmosphere and watersports attracts individuals and families alike. You can enjoy fishing, windsurfing, scuba diving, snorkelling and great seafood, or just relax on the beautiful stretches of beach. All cliffs and islands as well as the reef with the drop off at Benidorm offer attractive diving opportunities. 
Some of the famous deep wrecks along Costa Blanca.
To see the best of Costa Blanca’s wrecks and caves, divers must pass the 39 metre / 130 ft “recreational limit” suggested by most training agencies and dive operations, and may find themselves involved in stage decompression stops of moderate duration. | < Anterior | Siguiente > |
|---|