Castaways Sub-Aqua Club
	A Branch (Branch No 2071) of The British Sub-Aqua Club

The Great Lanzarote Adventure

Date: 17th - 22nd May 2007

The Venue:

Lanzarote, The Canary Isles.

Key facts

• Climate warm but light winds.
• Flights from Bristol (chosen because airport staff experienced with handling Jake in an airport environment!)
• Lanzarote is ridiculously easy to visit - virtually EU, no time difference - get yourself a nice self-catering villa and hire a car.
• Supermarkets easy to find and well-stocked. Happy days.
• Good beer available - Thanks must go to Jake & Webmaster for the diligent and exhaustive efforts to identify the best of the brews on offer.
• We stayed in: the periphery of Puerto del Carmen - on the plus side - superb location to get to dive centre.... on the downside, when the tourists are in town central PdC makes Blackpool look like San Marino.
• We recommend: Previous visits to the Island identified Costa Teguise as the venue of choice if you like a little less Vicky Pollard!
  

Dive Venue:

"Island Watersports" in Puerto Calero (as featured in Dive Magazine) http://www.divelanzarote.com/

Key Facts

• Owned by Norman Sparrow
• (Long-suffering) DM for the week - Tonin Aguilera (warning: please bring sense of humour; please leave all morals, ethics, intolerance of crudity and tendencies towards political correctness on quayside.... in other words - we got on well!)
• Well-equipped shop, excellent standard of equipment, facilities and cleanliness (also conveniently located cafe and small shop next door!.... ideally located for ice-cream o'clock)
• Diving from RIb - 50 yards from shop to rib in sheltered quay.
• Diving Conditions - good; comfortable in a thick wetsuit or thin semi-dry; average bottom temperature = 19°C ("bottom temperature" may be distinguished with the more common "rectal temperature" by it being usually much easier to assay with accuracy whilst wearing a wetsuit)
• Dive Sites - Lanzarote is a volcanic islands - the majority of diving is based around lava flows extending or emerging into the sea creating walls, mounds and caverns of dark igneous rock surrounded by dark sand. Average depth 17-20 metres.
• There's a couple of wreck dives too if that's what rocks your boat!
• Diving conditions - easy to moderate - not a difficult place to dive, plenty for novices to do and enough to keep all but the most technical of divers interested (we would advise such people avoid Lanzarote anyway - there is an island-wide ban on broadcasting Star Trek or Robot Wars, there isn't a single steam engine on the island and anorak emporia are remarkably scarce throughout the canaries!)
  

The Team:

• Dr & The Eastons: Dr Jake, Suzzie - and the boys... Sam at that awkward young age when boobs have lost their appeal as food - but yet to acquire a whole new appeal - and Josh - who saved us valuable luggage allowance by proving to be a highly effective (if somewhat premature) alarm clock!
• Webmaster and his Webbettes - Anthony - with Jo along for the ride - and Sophie to keep us all in check
• Sore-thumb Gooseberry - that'd be me then!

Anything to report?

Good time had by all.

A very very very relaxed dive crew - we exuded an aura of calm competence (or possibly indifference and apathy) that engendered an alarming amount of trust from our diveguide from the outset (as characterised by his hand signals towards the end of Dive 1 Day 1.... "you lot fuck off - I'm cold a getting out out of here - come up when you're ready" - which set the tone for the week.

We got to say "Hi" to Nudibranchs, Angel Sharks, Cuttlefish, Sea Horses, HUGE Grouper Cod, Cuttlefish, Morays... and for the more botanical amongst you -some stunning Orange Tree Coral and even a little Black Coral hiding out by the overhangs. (See Photos).

Cost of diving - not quite cheap as chips - but pretty fair. From a UK perspective - Not quite the red sea - but about 1,000 times easier to get to!.... and with Sea Horses!

Anything else to say?

YES - don't forget to allow time to explore the island... Lanzarote is a stunning place - provided you avoid the tourist grockle of central PdC. The rest of the island is mind-blowing- we would particularly recommend:

Northern Lanzarote: visiting the blind white crabs in the Volcanic Caverns at Los Jameos del Agua, exploring the lava tunnels at La Cueva de los Verdes and checking out the view north to La Graciosa.

Southern Lanzarote: Timanfaya National Park (check out the vast lava fields and ?active? volcano) - seriously - go there! (see below),

stop for lunch at El Chapadero Vineyard (finest tapas in the known universe) .

don't come home....

• without trying the local honey rum
• without seeing a seahorse
• without a piece of Lava Rock for show & tell (although this last one is probably only strictly compulsory for those under 8...... )

Words and above water pictures courtesy of Robert White-Adams.

Underwater pictures courtesy of Suzanne and Jake Easton.