Skin-diving in the Mediterranean
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Für die deutschen Freunde -->
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This is the view we know... The sea.
However, we only see the surface.
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It was boredom
during the holidays
that induced me to
buy a snorkel
and diving goggles.
Since that time I like it,
the view into the depth.
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Under the surface we find ourselves in a quiet,
different world.
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In the beginning, it costs quite an effort to put your head into the water
and breathe through the snorkel.
It is best to practice this in shallow water,
where you can still stand safely on the ground.
If that works, you can try to float and simply drift on the water.
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Let's slowly drift towards the rocks now.
In the oxygenated water of the breakers crashing against the rocks colourful
fish are romping.
They are small fish, which feel save here, hidden away from the big predators. Moreover,
they find food here in abundance since the water is warm and full of tiny crabs and
other micro organisms.
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The sea foams and bubbles. Millions of air bubbles are around us. Do you feel the
prickle on your skin.
Parts of plants and tiny pieces of jellyfish that have not survived in the breakers
whirl in the current.
The wind is freshening now and the breakers are getting more powerful. We should swim
out to the open sea a little.
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Now, let's try to leave the surface and dive down into the blue.
Just hold your breath, a few strong movements with your fins will
push you deeper and deeper.
That is fun if you know the technique of ear clearing. In a depth of approximately two
meters the water pressure presses on our ears. Then hold your nose and try to press the
air out. Since it can't get out it will be pressed into the small canal that connects
throat and ears. A little snap and the pain is gone.
Now you fell as fit as a fiddle even in a depth
of five or six meters.
Should I not be with you next time, please, ask an experienced friend
to show it to you again. By the way, it's an old and very important
rule that one must not dive alone.
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Look,
there is a
big starfish
there below.
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From above it is hard to be recognized because of its red colour. The seawater filters
out the red components of the light. That's the reason why red is a camouflage for the
creatures living in the sea.
Let's have a closer look at the starfish.
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This specimen has hundreds of thorns on each arm (is it 'arm' in English?). Starfish of
such respectable size are not easy to be found. More often than not they hide in the sand.
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Follow me below the magic border of 10 meters depth now.
In this depth, we have no real contact to the surface anymore.
The buoyancy is low and you seem to merge with the sea.
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In the bottom right corner of the picture
you can recognize an octopus.
These shy creatures live
between the rocks and don't
like to be disturbed.
<<<
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Now, its looking somewhat blurred ...
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... and disgustedly swimming off into the blue leaving a huge black cloud behind.
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There are other creatures living between the rocks, too, crabs, for example.
They are armed with two huge shears, one of which
is always bigger than the other.
Life is dangerous down there, smaller crabs are eaten up by the bigger ones.
If you want to catch a crab, take hold of it from behind, then it won't pinch you.
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On our return to the surface we meet another well-fortified inhabitant of the sea, a
stinging jellyfish.
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I look forward to our next shared dive.
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All the photos of this tour we have taken with a one-way camera.
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Familie Haller