TOAST ON SARDINIA

by Jon Gunns

Sardinia, paradise island in the Mediterranean with mouth-watering foods and wines and an emerald sea, or that at least is what the brochure said. So how come on the first day of our trip it was raining and cold with a slate-grey sea? Possibly, that we were very early in the year? Alternatively, that it was April Fool's Day and any minute the weather was about to cheer up?

Fortunately, the campsite had agreed to open out of season for us and we quickly unpacked our 3 large tents and started to erect them. Work in this department was temporarily halted in order to allow the half throttling of the man who had only packed 2 sets of tent poles, and it was only after a degree of trial and error that our temporary home was finally ready for occupation.

We were based at Camping Isuledda on Sardinia's rocky northeast coast on a 2 week long trip. We were fortunate to be able to borrow 2 boats, an inflatable and a RIB, on the island and these were quickly launched from the campsite's slipway and moored at the jetty. The campsite adjoined a gently shelving bay with an open sandy bottom at 6 metres, ideal for refresher training. This was just as well as the wind blew up after our opening 2 dives and confined us to shore diving for a couple of days. When the weather cleared, we prepared the boats for diving, only to find that one of the engines had given up the ghost. Shuttling divers in the single remaining boat we managed one further dive and then the second engine caught fire while at sea. Recovering to base, we consoled ourselves that nothing else could go wrong.

Then it started raining.

Our tents developed leaks in unexpected places and the shore diving was becoming increasingly monotonous. On the bright side, the standard of basic skills in the club had never been higher.

With a bit of creative accounting of the club funds we managed to repair one of the engines and chartered a local dive boat. The rain stopped, the sun came out, the sea emeraldised and we were back in business.

Now the diving started in earnest and we made full use of some cracking dive sites. The east coast of Isolo Caprera, an island about 20 minutes by boat north of our campsite had several good dive sites. The Garage, was a sheltered inlet with seabed at about 13 metres. Amongst the rocks there was a lot of sealife including octopi and we appreciated the improving visibility, now often greater than 10 metres. Further offshore, Landrover Reef dropped sharply away from the surface. We dived to 30 metres and saw stonefish and octopus on a very attractive site. Seven Wreck Reef on the north of the island lived up to its name, or at least one seventh of it, as we passed a wreck on a dive to 25 metres. Currents here were somewhat tricky.

East of Isolo Monaci lies the lighthouse of Isolotti Monaci and we enjoyed a pleasant dive here to 25 metres seeing the ubiquitous octopi and eels. Just across the bay from our campsite was a rocky shoreline at Capo Tri Monte that seemed to offer opportunities and we dived on rocks below the Fortress Hotel. Again, lots of sealife to see in only 8 metres of water.

Some 100 metres beyond the campsite jetty there was a small island in the bay that suggested itself as a night-dive site. Suitably prepared we ventured in for a moonlit shore dive. Here we saw cuttlefish and octopus out hunting.

Getting more ambitious, we decided to trailer a single boat cross-country to a dive site further along the coast. We had been told of a Japanese freighter in good condition not far from Club Med. On arrival at the site we decided to launch across the local beach. We had been warned that the sand here was soft but it was clearly able to support the weight of our towing vehicle. Until it didn't. And we bogged in. Two hours later we finally got going, eventually diving everybody twice in 4 waves onto the wreck of the Japanese vessel ANGELIKA, sunk in 1982. The wreck was upright and in good condition in 21 metres. With very good visibility it was possible to see most of the site in our 2 dives, including the grand-daddy of all spider crabs. Having travelled over a 200 metre hill in getting to site we had strayed into BSAC Level 2 territory and were forced to use Level 1 Table B for our first dive back at sea level. To ensure there were no mishaps we rigged a decompression station and insisted on a safety stop on return. It was quite unusual to watch divers from the surface as they made their stop at 6 metres, sitting on the cross-trees of the ship's mast. Halting for a pizza on the way home we voted this the highlight of the trip so far.

With the end of the trip in site we planned 3 dives for our last day including a return to Scog Motorietto where we had previously dived on a wrecked freighter in only 10 metres of water. What really stood out about this wreck was the quantity of brass fittings still in situ there. Care had to be taken when descending to avoid the glare from sunlight reflected off the fittings.

We dropped in for a farewell night dive just offshore from the campsite with the welcoming flames of a barbecue to guide us home. Afterwards, as we tucked in to hamburger and hot dogs washed down with cold beer we raised our glasses in a toast to some exhilarating diving on Sardinia.

OTHER INTERESTING BITS
Water Temperature: I wore an 8 mm semi - dry suit which was fine for diving in 12°C water but chilly when wet after a long boat ride. The sea warms up later in the season.

Costa Smeralda: The Costa Smeralda where we dived offers probably the best diving on the island. The Gulf of Arzachaena is set around an Italian national park and leads out to a chain of rocky islands between Sardinia and Corsica.

A Bit Of History: Admiral Nelson considered Sardinia to be the finest island in the world, admittedly this endorsement may have had more to do with its strategic position for an attack on France rather than for any aesthetic reason. It was from Sardinia that Nelson sailed immediately before the Battle of Trafalgar.

Getting There: The main airport on Sardinia is at Cagliari on the southern coast, about 150 miles away from Costa Smeralda.

Italian Way of Life: The Italian way of life is fairly relaxed. In peak season when campsites are properly open, beware of restrictions on noise levels in the middle of the day which might affect vehicle movement or cylinder charging.

Would I go Again? Definitely - but later in the year and with all my tent poles!