MALLORCA - A DIP IN THE MED

Whilst a trip to Mallorca (Majorca) may not be the most obvious selection for a dive holiday, along with the other Balearic Islands of Menorca and Ibiza, Mallorca does offer warm water diving only two hours or so flying time from the UK. There are some genuine opportunities to dive there and several dive centres run programmes if you want a course to learn to dive as part of your vacation or just a few dives during a family holiday on the island. So I thought I would investigate what was on offer when I was out there recently...... at least that was my excuse to escape from the wife and kids for a while!!
There are several leisure/sport diving businesses around the coast, but it is best to check out what you want to do before you arrive in order to avoid disappointment. I have learnt by bitter experience that it doesn’t pay to arrive and then try to book something in the limited time you might have, especially when you need to avoid dives close to your flight. Bearing this in mind, I started my research somewhile before departure. I did not have to look far - Diver magazine carries regular details of several Balearic operators.

Diving in the North of the Island
Thus armed with the website and e-mail addresses for Scuba Pollentia, I set about seeing what was available. A brief visit to their site on http://www.readysoft.es/home/scuba confirmed they appeared to be a proficient operation, so I e-mailed them to find out more. Scuba Pollentia is based at Puerto Pollensa in the north of the island and I had fond memories of snorkeling in the bay there many years ago (where have all the fish in the Med gone now??). My e-mail to Scuba Pollentia brought a very prompt response from Matias Ximelis and confirmation of their prices, programmes and that their daily two tank outing with two boat dives suited me. They also had a place for me on their boat on the day I wanted. Much to my surprise though, Matias preferred not to take my reservation, recommending me to a competitor dive centre somewhat closer to where I would be staying. I was grateful for this selfless gesture which led me to Albatros Diving at Puerto de Cala Bona on the east coast. Incidentally, it seems that both Scuba Pollentia and Albatros Diving offer similar deals.

Eastern Mallorca
I faxed Antonio Tocornal, Director of Albatros Diving on 00 34 971 586807 and received an early reply from Martine Heyvaert. They too offered a two tank deal for 4,900 Pesetas per dive (about £21) which included tanks, weights, boat trip, and divemaster/guide.
Just a few weeks later, I arrived on the quayside at Puerto de Cala Bona shortly before 10am. Within a few minutes, I was let into the rooms which made up the Albatros offices and dive centre. They were adequately laid out with equipment stores, changing areas, compressor room and a small sales areas for a restricted amount of kit sales (masks, fins and such like) and promotional items such a the ubiquitous tee shirts and badges.

Well equipped
Albatros’s new diveboat is conveniently situated just a few paces across the road. The boat, a 7.5 metre Valiant RIB, was purchased at the Barcelona Boat Show. Well fitted out (radio, O2 set, racks for 12 bottles etc) and powered by 200hp Yamaha outboard, it is something that Albatros are justifiably proud of. Like all their equipment it is inspected and certified by the authorities in Palma, the island’s capital.
Before my dives, my log book and qualifications and current BS-AC membership were properly inspected. It is worthwhile noting that dive insurance is compulsory in Spain, but that BS-AC membership will cover this; otherwise a fee is payable. I was then buddied with John, another visiting BS-AC diver. We then sorted out all the necessary kit for two successive dives, we walked the short distance to load the boat before promptly setting out to sea. We had a party of 14 on board, plus boat coxswain, but there still seemed adequate room.

No hablo Espanol - No Problem!
During the day I dived with German, Italian, British and not to mention Spanish divers, as well as Anna, a Swedish instructor at the centre, who acted as my guide in the morning. We had no communication difficulties; the language of diving at this level seems universal and, besides, we received dive briefings in German, English and broken Italian. All you need is a little imagination and you can soon translate the names of the different species of fish.
The dives I made were relatively modest to just short of 20m with the second morning dive only 10m, maximum. Although we only had 10 litre tanks, dive time of around three-quarters of an hour was possible on each occasion. The sea bed was either rocky or had large boulders across it, as well as extensive areas of seagrass. Open sandy areas were generally avoided as being of less interest. The visibility varied a little, depending on exact location, but was typically 20 to 25m. I was told it can be a good deal better than this at times. Water temperature, according to my computer was 27°C, and therefore surprisingly only a degree or two cooler than many dives I have had in the Red Sea and Far East! During my dives I saw a good range of marine life, but not the density or variety one would expect of a coral reef. Species seen included numerous wrasse, vast shoals of tiny sardines, starfish, sponges, various colourful polyps, nubibranchs, several scorpion fish, groupers, small squirrel fish, small lobsters/crayfish and an attractive brown and yellow moray eel.
Returning to port in the early afternoon, I joined Tony (Dr Antonio) and his team for lunch at a little harbour-side restaurant a short way down the street to discuss diving at Albatros and in general. It was not long before I was invited back for a third dive in the late afternoon. This time a small group of us went further up the coast.