LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Mallorca 05/06/2006 A family trip or a dive holiday? Is Mallorca the solution to both…
Having started diving last year and already had a dive holiday this year I wanted to take my two kids away on holiday but also wanted to try to get some diving in while I was away.
I remembered reading late last year in the PADI oriented Sport Diver magazine about a dive company in Mallorca geared up for day boat diving and getting you back quickly to enjoy the rest day with your non diving holiday companions.
That company is SCUBA MALLORCA ran by Mick & Jessie.
Scuba Mallorca’s website had some nice dive sites detailed and even better offered a discount for email bookings and cash payment (you can tell I am tight Scottish Diver now, can’t you?)
After checking flight dates and booking via expedia (http://www.expedia.co.uk/ ) on an excel airways flight direct from Glasgow to Palma Airport.
I booked a self catering apartment online at Puerto Pollensa ( The DUVA - Aparthotel DUVA - Puerto Pollensa) in the north where Scuba Mallorca is located.
After booking flights and Apartment I sent the email booking through to Jessie and arranged to be picked up on the Monday after I arrived from the hotel reception.
Next I posted on YD in the buddies section to see if anybody was going to be around in Mallorca. (Mallorca June 3-10th 206 )
All sorted the kids & I arrived on Saturday night. I then took the kids the fifteen minute walk down to the beach and found the Dive Shop. The kids were then shown around the apartment complex, local shops and amenities and on the Sunday I made sure they were all settled in and ready to let me head off in the morning.
Monday 05/06/2006
Monday morning picked up as agreed outside reception.
Got to the dive centre, welcomed warmly, met & had a good gab with Purple Vonny and then started getting nervous about my lack of dive experience.
Dive 1: (My Dive 47) 09:44 Am - Cap De Formentor
Max Depth: 26.2 Metres
AIR - IN: 200 BAR OUT: 60 Bar
Duration: 37 Minutes
Buddy: YD – Purple Vonny
The boat (Miss Connie) was loaded and ready to leave port for 9am.
Everybody was given a 12 Litre Aluminium Cylinder (Din for a couple of us) with 200 Bar Fills.
Vonny & I where buddies, we checked our kit (I had to dismantle my regs from the cylinder as I had left the cylinder firmly bungeed to the boat – which was just great as this let me get even more nervous about being an inexperienced idiot) and the guides (Ron & Kat) gave a site brief with nice diagram and good descriptions then reminded everybody to check they had not left the cylinders bungeed to the boat…...
As all divers on board where experienced (So I am told! including me - I have very different views on experienced and my efforts at diving so far do not warrant being called experienced) they had decided to go to one of the advanced sites! Cap De Formentor.
A stride jump from the back of the boat (or a long jump in my case).
Last time I had my 5mm Wetsuit on I used 5Kg however having never used an Aluminium cylinder before I wasn’t prepared for how light they are. I tried 6 Kg and couldn’t get under so ended up getting another 2 Kg from the boat (thanks Kat!) after an unsuccessful attempt to submerge.
PV & I Finally got under and stayed close to Ron (The Diving Dutchman in the dry suit. The water was 20-21oC not exactly freezing!).
The Viz was just spectacular, easily 25+ Metres probably 30+ Metres,
Lots and lots of small shoaling fish, two banded Bream, Rainbow Wrasse.
Ron found an Octopus almost straight away and held his hand out in some strange Dutchman - Octopus mating ritual, the Octopus couldn’t resist when curiosity took over and it slid out its little hollow for a better look.
After the Octopus decided it had enough of getting nothing from the tight Dutchman’s hand it swam away.
This was superb, the first time I had seen an octopus and also combined with it swimming off.
After going down to have a look and seeing a medium sized grouper and a dessi (?) in the blue with shoals of smaller fish we made our way around the lovely wall with Ron finding more octopuses, scorpion fish nudibranch & lobster.
PV was a great dive buddy especially near the end of the dive as my Ali cylinder was getting lighter & my buoyancy was getting dodgier than normal she stayed close and checked on me frequently.
When we surfaced the dive boat reversed right up to us and we climbed the ladders with our full kit on, the guides and skipper took our fins off and helped us on deck.
Post dive snack was served while we changed cylinders and chilled in the morning sun, we where given water and lovely freshly baked bread with cold meats and cheese.
After a short surface interval we had arrived and everybody was given a brief of the next site.
Dive 2: (My Dive 48) 11:19 Am – Ron’s Cave
Max Depth: 8.7 Metres
AIR - IN: 200 BAR OUT: 80 Bar
Duration: 48 Minutes
Buddy: YD – Purple Vonny
This site we where told was an easy enjoyable dive with a cavern with a wide entrance which led into a breathable air pocket.
Yet another diabolical stride from the back of the boat!
As we went down and at the entrance to the cavern, Ron stopped to take a photograph of a Yellow bodied black headed Benny that had decided to just sit and relax in the calm clear Mediterranean seas.
The group went in by twos into a very dark cavern which didn’t have much vertical clearance and even with my big bright torch (Greenforce F2 with Tristar Plus) I got a tad nervous, as I couldn’t see PV unless I had my torch shining directly on her.
I started breathing erratically and then lost my buoyancy control altogether, I bounced off the roof upside down, managed to get hold of a rock and calm down a little then gave PV the signal to turn around as I didn’t want to be in that cavern.
Graciously PV turned around and followed me out the cavern, although she did what any photography obsessed diver does and paused to take some shots of the cavern exit illuminated by the sunlight from outside, I don’t think these shots turned out due to the poor Viz from the crap coming out the bottom of my wetsuit!
Once outside the cavern PV and I settled into an easy bimble dive in the shallows admiring the lovely seascape and finding a few scorpion fish.
Plenty of shoaling small fish, two banded bream, Rainbow wrasse.
Plenty of those little black fish with the < shape tail (Antheas?)
A great wee dive has had even after my hasty exit from Ron’s cave.
Once again the boat came to get us on the surface on the calm clear seas and whisked back to the harbour for 12.30.
PV Invited the kids and I for lunch, so we got a lift back to my Apartment, picked up the kids and got in the hire car, drove to Can Pick a fart with the kids, PV showed us around her fantastic apartment with wonderful sea view (she really is a lucky girl) and then she treated us to lunch at her Local taverna.
A Brilliant day and a fantastic YD’er met.
Thanks to Vonny for the Photos and being a great buddy.
I dont have time to write up the other dives to the same level of detail however here is a summary:
Tuesday 06/06/2006
Dive:3 (My Dive 49) 09:45 am – Formentor Steps
Max Depth: 22.6 Metres
AIR - IN: 200 BAR OUT: 50 Bar - 8KG
Duration: 42 Minutes
Buddy: Samy the Spanish Chef
Dive:4 (My Dive 50) 11:11 am – Jeronimo Cavern.
Max Depth: 19.5 Metres
AIR - IN: 200 BAR OUT: 70 Bar - 8KG
Duration: 49 Minutes
Buddy: Samy the Spanish Chef
Wednesday 07/06/2006
Dive:5 (My Dive 51) 09:32 am – S Cave
Max Depth: 27.4 Metres
AIR - IN: 200 BAR OUT: 50 Bar 7KG
Duration: 42 Minutes
Buddy: David Ursell (YD Land Locked Dave)
Dive:6 (My Dive 52) 10:59 am – Formentor Island
Max Depth: 19.2 Metres
AIR - IN: 200 BAR OUT: 70 Bar 9KG
Duration: 51 Minutes
Buddy: David Ursell (YD Land Locked Dave)
Thursday 08/06/2006
Dive:7 (My Dive 53) 09:28 am – The A cave
Max Depth: 26.8 Metres
AIR - IN: 200 BAR OUT: 40 Bar 9KG
Duration: 41 Minutes
Buddy: David Ursell (YD Land Locked Dave)
Dive:8 (My Dive 54) 10:57 am – Tunnels of Love
Max Depth: 23.5 Metres
AIR - IN: 200 BAR OUT: 10* Bar 9KG
Duration: 59 Minutes
Buddy: David Ursell (YD Land Locked Dave)
*Overstayed at depth after a short survace interval and accumulated 11 minutes of deco, Buddy stayed with me at all times and we completed deco and surfaced safely, I was offered his octopus for the ascent after all deco time completed and we surfaced using this, held onto each others BC and surfaced safely.
Friday 09/06/2006
Dive 9: (My Dive 55) 09:44 Am – Fantasia.
Max Depth: 12.2 Metres
AIR - IN: 10 Litre Steel - 200 BAR OUT: 60 Bar 7KG.
Duration: 54 Minutes
Buddy: YD – Purple Vonny
Shore Dive with PV hired Cylinder and weights from Scuba Med.
A Great Shore dive with a Mutant Tube worm (No I am not called Purple Vonny a Mutant Tube!).
Reply With Quote
