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| Diving Sardinia by Jim Garland - DIVE Magazine June 2008 |
6/15 |
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Sardinia is a big, mountainous island, so for divers it makes sense to
choose a base and stick to it. I recommend the town of Palau (not to be
confused with the Micronesian state of the same name), situated in a
strategic position on the northeast coast of the island, in an area
known as the Costa Smeralda, or Emerald Coast. The multi-millionaire
Prince Karim Aga Khan transformed this region into a holiday paradise
in the 1960s. Palau is a gateway to two first-rate offshore locations: the
Maddalena archipelago, just 2km off the coast; and Corsica's Lavezzi
marine reserve, a 40-minute boat ride away. The surrounding area has
about 40 dive sites to pick from, ensuring a range of spectacular
diving opportunities irrespective of weather conditions. The dive sites
are suitable for all levels of experience, with depths ranging from 5m
to 35m.
The sites consist mainly of walls, swim-throughs, granite pinnacles and
boulder gullies with a couple of wrecks thrown in for good measure.
While exploring the cracks and crevices, you can be sure to find
scorpionfish, moray eels, congers and various other shy creatures - but
don't forget to have an occasional look out into the blue, where there
is always a chance of spotting eagle rays, barracuda and other pelagics
passing by. A short boat trip to the Lavezzi reserve will guarantee a
close-up encounter with large Mediterranean groupers - a truly
memorable experience.
Palau itself is a relatively small town, with friendly people and
accommodation that ranges from campsites to five-star hotels.
Restaurants are plentiful and cater for all tastes; most are reasonably
priced. For those not diving, there is ample opportunity to simply
chill out on one of the many sandy beaches in the area.
San Francisco Cave: A great dive on the eastern side of Caprera
Island, taking in walls, caves and boulder gullies. During the dive,
you can expect to see overhangs colonised by red gorgonian fans; bright
orange, red and yellow sponges; and golden sea daisies. Those with a
keen eye will be amazed at the vast array of nudibranch species grazing
on the algae-encrusted boulders.
Washington Rock: This is the most spectacular dive in this
corner of Sardinia. At depths ranging from 5m to 33m, this awesome
granite pinnacle is completely festooned with sea fans. It also
provides the diver with the opportunity to observe some of the
Mediterranean's larger species including moray eels, schools of
barracuda and, if you get lucky, eagle rays.
Grouper City: If you want to get up close with grouper, this is
the best dive in the Mediterranean, bar none. The resident fish here
used to be fed by divers, but the feeds have been banned and the fish
have been left with a no-fear attitude to divers. Expect to have them
in your face.
Seasonality
The best time to visit Sardinia is during May,
June and September, as the island gets very busy during the peak
holiday months. May and June are also the best months to see big
specimens of the Mediterranean king crab, eagle ray and large tuna.
Water temperature varies from 13-22°C in spring to 23-27°C in summer,
with temperatures dropping in autumn to 18-24°C. In summer, there is a
thermocline present at about 12m, below which the temperature drops to
around 13°C, so a two-piece 5mm wetsuit is the best compromise.
Visibility can be up to 30m.
Getting there
The most convenient airport is Olbia, a 35-minute drive from Palau. Meridiana (http://www.meridiana.it) and easyJet (http://www.easyjet.com) fly to Olbia from Gatwick and Bristol, while Jet2 (http://www.jet2.com) flies direct from Leeds Bradford to Olbia. Ryanair (http://www.ryanair.com)
flies to Olbia from Birmingham and to Alghero from Stansted, Dublin,
East Midlands and Liverpool. Transfers can be organised by Nautilus
Dive Centre (http://www.divesardegna.com) on request; alternatively, independent travellers can make their own way by bus or hiring a car locally.
Printed in Junes edition of DIVE magazine.
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