Checklist �
Costs ( approximate )
SCUBACHAT
Discovering the Costa Brava
AS DIVERS , WE DREAM OF EXPLORING tropical places and underwater environments full of colour and life without a huge price tag . Our club diving expedition to the Costa Brava ticked those boxes without breaking the bank .
Members of Thurrock Aqua Club 0608 took our RIB – towed by the motorhome – as well as a car and caravan to the Mediterranean to explore the unfamiliar waters of Spain ’ s Costa Brava , from L ’ Escala to the wellknown Medes Island of L ’ Estartit . Our group consisted of Diving Officer Darren Gibbs , Training Officer Maria Steer , Callum , 14 , plus Krzysztof and Agnieszka and their daughter Nela , plus non divers Oliver , 16 and six-yearold Louie .
We set sail from Newhaven to Dieppe and made our way through France . After some hairy moments on the roads through the Alps , we arrived at Lacus campsite . [ On the return journey we took a slightly longer route home via Toulouse , to avoid the mountain region ].
This was an ideal spot , five minutes from the beach and marina , on the edge of a small carp fishing lake with views of a bar and supermarket , which ensured evening activities were sorted !
We launched our RIB at a ‘ turn up and pay ’ slipway adjacent to the marina , and moored up at Club Nautica , L ’ Escala . The marina
had a well placed docking area for pumping the cylinders next to the very helpful and knowledgeable Orca Dive Centre ( orcadiving . net ) which made filling our cylinders for the next dive a real breeze .
A quick stop at the marina petrol station for fuel and we were ready to explore the coastline and the national marine parks . All the dive sites were buoyed , indeed use of an anchor was prohibited . The water temperature of 24 ° C and with viz up to 20 metres made the reef diving a pleasure ; you could pick your depth from 5 m to 30m . The reefs were thick with colourful sponges , coral and schools of different fish ; and there were wrecks ranging from 12 to 40m .
I dived in a 3mm wetsuit and while the thermoclines could be a shock , they remained manageable . For the non-divers , snorkelling was excellent and cooling off in the water from
the 35 ° C heat was much appreciated .
Our visit to the Medes Island allowed us to dive with inquisitive groupers , who loved to pose for the camera ; there were also walls of different coloured fan corals .
I found four different species of nudibranch , plus several golden moray eels and octopus . The area suited us all , from snorkellers to Advanced Divers with reefs , walls , tunnels , caverns and caves , as well as the wrecks . We visited 21 different buoyed dive sites , with more to return for in the future .
We would recommend the beauty of the underwater environment of the Costa Brava to any diver . Here ’ s our handy checklist for those wishing to do the same . MARIA STEER , Thurrock Aqua Club
Photographs by Maria Steer , taken on GoPro hero 7 black with macro lens and lighting rig
Checklist �
For the RIB
� International certificate of competence ( RYA powerboat level 2 provides you with the qualification to apply for this ).
� SSR ( Small Ship Registration ) boat registration
� Boat Insurance
� Ensign flag
For diving
� Dive qualification cards
� Dive insurance
� 5mm semi-dry ( hood and gloves for the wrecks )
� 3mm wetsuit for shallow divers
� If diving with a centre you need to show a logbook
Costs ( approximate )
Ferry : £ 450 for motorhome and RIB Tolls : € 250 Camping : € 350 per week Marina : € 40 per night for a 6m RIB Launch : € 22 per day
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