DIVING IN MADEIRA

by Tanzy Teuten

My name is Tanzy Teuten, I am fourteen and I have just returned from a week in Madeira where I did my BSAC 'Ocean Diver' training. It was great!

I went to the 'International Diving Centers of Madeira', Dive Centre 'Baleia' ('whale') in Machico, which is on the south east coast of Madeira. Madeira is 200 miles north west of Lanzarote and three hours from Gatwick. Machico is twenty-five minutes from Funchal, the capital, by taxi or fifty minutes by bus.

There is a very good public transport bus system including a 'white knuckle' ride on the Rapido over the mountain or a high speed dash in Mercedes taxis along the new expressway that follows the coast.

The reason we went to Madeira was to do my 'Ocean Diver' training, and a pre-season 'splash' for my dad. We choose the Dutch run Diving Centre Baleia because they were very professional and offered the complete course, training, examinations and full BSAC certification. (Some foreign dive centres ask you to take the exams and obtain certification back in the UK).

We left home on the 29 March and returned on 5 April. Herman van Leeuwen (who owns the dive centre) met us at the airport, took us to dinner and had prepared a detailed timetable for me. My training started at 1000h on Saturday, 30 March and I took my examination and completed my final sea dive at 1600h on Wednesday, 3 April. I did three hours pool sessions, three hours of theory, an exam and five sea dives from 12m to 18m. It was organised like this so as there was a 'spare' day to dive with my dad and a no diving 'shopping day' before flying back.

There is no particularly good reason for going at Easter other than it is in my school holidays and at the beginning of the dive season it is quiet. Weather-wise it would be better to go later in the year and definitely in term-time to get less expensive air flights. (The tour operators rack up the price which is unfair and disadvantages school students and teachers). Baleia dives all the year round.

I went with my dad (a dive leader) and my mum, who doesn't dive. The location was very suitable as we stayed in the Dom Pedro Baia Hotel, Machico, which is where the dive centre is based.

There are three reef dives from 12m to 20m which were used for the sea training. The dives got longer and deeper as my experience and confidence increased. Water was 18 degrees, (shorty wet suit); visibility 10m to 15m. Fish are: Urchins, Jacks, Parrot Fish, Trigger Fish, Puffer Fish, Morays, Octopus, Arrow Crabs, Fire Worms, small Tuna, Spider crabs, red and green coral. There are no difficulties or local hazards.

We stayed in the 200 room Dom Pedro Baia Hotel, Machico. Four stars. Very well run, clean, friendly and helpful. Book it through Baleia Diving and you get the special rate. Monster breakfasts!

The Dive Centre has air, full equipment hire, wash tanks, spares, two dive trucks and two boats. A 4m RIB with a 50hp engine and a 6m RIB with a 125hp engine. Boats have O2, radios and are well maintained. There is no nitrox. There is a 'pot' in Funchal.

The 'International Dive Centers of Madeira' is owned and run by Herman van Leeuwen a very quiet and polite Dutchman (and brother of René who owns the Safari Dive Centre in Porto del Carmen on Lanzarote). Herman set up the business seven years ago. He has three dive shops, all based in the Dom Pedro Hotels, two in Funchal, one in Machico. The base is Machico. There were two dive guides. All have multiple BSAC, PADI, SSI training qualifications to AI with many years' experience. They were very competent, safe and supportive, insisting on clear pre-dive briefings, buddy checks, good signals and strict dive-plan keeping. Herman taught me to dive - he was patient, safe and fun.

In addition to diving we visited the little Whaling Museum in the next bay, Canical. Canical was the furthest southerly whaling station in Europe and killed 5,885 Sperm Whales off Madeira from 1941 until 1981. Whales still pass Madeira and boat trips are available but we were told it was increasingly difficult to see them.

The trip cost £376 for the return are ticket (per person), £300 for the training, £100 for my dad's five dives (air, cylinder, weights), £25 per night bed and breakfast, per person. To save money (about £100 per person) book the air flight at least three months in advance, do not go in school holidays, book hotel through Herman. (Full kit hire is 45E (£30 per dive), boat dives cost another 15E (£10) per dive).

You can easily do two or three dives a day and using the boats and there are plenty of local dive sites. I would recommend staying in Funchal which has more to do than Machico.
Do one dive a day and then one other tourist attraction. For example: there are excellent Levada (irrigation canals that cross the island through the mountains) walks (take walking boots); frightening sledge rides down the streets of Funchal; cable rides high in the sky, beautiful flower gardens and plenty of fish restaurants. The photography museum 'Vincentes' is definitely worth a visit as is the Madeira winery the market, all in Funchal. Fish to eat is Espada (looks like a Pike with attitude).
Madeira is inexpensive, most of the people are friendly, helpful and speak English. 'O General' is the best restaurant in Machico.

Contacts:
http://www.madeiradiving.com e-mail: baleia@mail.telepac.pt
Contact: Herman van Leeuwen Tel: 00 351 291 967435/969500

Contact: Tanzy: Warwick@WED.co.uk

Tanzy Teuten.