QueenCherryUK
01 Nov 2024
Patrizia picked me up from my hotel in the van. She was warm and friendly and told me about the dives we’d be doing, local sea conditions, her life as a diver. In other words, my diving day started from the moment she arrived.
Both dives were beautiful, just off Isola dei Cavoli. The first was Nave (The Boat, named after a rock formation). The second was one of the Canyon dives. Roberto pointed out many things and took time to take in the beauty. He sets a slow and calm pace. I’ve never seen such enormous schools of Barracuda (both dive sites) and I also spotted Fireworms on the sea floor on the 2nd dive. We also saw large Groupers, Parrot fish, different types of Wrasse, and... “a very fast fish”—I still haven’t figured out what scooted past me . The swim-through arch on the second dive was beautiful. Roberto brought me over to a rock to see delicate almost lace-like white creatures and also other Nudibranches in vibrant colours elsewhere. I never would have seen them without him.
Roberto went far beyond expectations. After I had a problem upon descent with my mask and panicked, he looked after me for the entire dive. At the time, I thought I didn’t need that level of attention. In hindsight, I probably did. There were 6 of us, but he took control of the situation and still had his eye on everyone else. Despite diving for over 20 years, holding an Advanced Open Water certification, thinking I had developed good habits, I didn’t react how I thought I would. To be clear, there was nothing “wrong” with the mask. I initially thought it fit better than my own, but that wasn’t the case underwater. I was lucky to be with a man like Roberto. He took the time to calm me down and reassure me that I could in fact breathe and that I was entirely safe. After our dives, he rebuilt my confidence. He made me feel better about what happened.
Hot tea and biscuits and crackers were served between dives, with great humour. Some beautiful fish (pictured) entertained us in a feeding frenzy when Roberto swept some crumbs over the side of the boat. We were also given water. When we returned to shore, we rinsed our own wetsuits, hoods, masks, boots and fins, but otherwise didn’t lift a finger. All equipment was loaded on the boat for us, and we didn’t have to unload either. (We had each been allocated a crate at the dive centre for anything we didn’t want to bring with us.) Patrizia changed the tanks over, which was efficient, but we still checked them, in line with safe diving practice.
Reception staff were immensely helpful, especially when I accidentally left my computer on the back of a sink in the toilet building, not even in the SubAquaDive building. (Some might like to know that the Toilet facilities are part of the general Marina complex and are free, but the Marina Showers cost 2 euros.)They went and got my computer for me while we were on the phone together and then kindly gave it back a couple of days later when I was able to return to Villasimius.
The other thing I’d highlight about the SubAquaDive reception staff was just how easy they made it for me beforehand. I don’t choose who I dive with based on slick websites, but good communication is important to me. I expect people to be out on a dive, not sat at a desk, but these guys replied fully and almost instantly, in English. They answered questions so comprehensively, they pre-empted many questions. That was not my experience with any other Sardinian dive centre. They do not require “chasing”. They proactively want you to have the information. Once you compare what they are offering, to what you can figure out from elsewhere, it’s an absolutely obvious choice to go with the people who are invested in Customer Service and who make sure every diver returns safely, having experienced the beauty of Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area. I simply cannot recommend them enough. 10 stars, if it were possible.
Because SubAquaDive offers free Nitrox, I didn’t want to potentially be the only person on the boat diving without it, so I enquired about finally doing the PADI Enriched Air certification. It turns out that I was wrong about any need due to other divers in the group, but it was still worthwhile to have done the course. Most Isola dei Cavoli dives are shallow, because that’s where the wildlife live, around 18m. Their course prices were competitive—just ask them, as it’s not listed on the website. It included all the online instruction materials beforehand, which were significantly more comprehensive than I expected, and also in person instruction prior to dive covering how to use analyzer; calculations for maximum depth and reverse—the best blend for a known depth; how to fill in the log; how to set my own computer; and an eCertification Card, which arrived straight away. Roberto was great at explaining things. Calculations I’d struggled to understand suddenly seemed like common sense.
For those interested in equipment, they had the Best fitting size 36 boots and fins I’ve ever worn. They were so secure, they never felt tight, but I needed help getting my fins off, which is the opposite of what often happens to me. The XS 5mm wetsuit they found for me was in immaculate condition. An additional shortie on top and a hood meant I wasn’t cold at all. Water temperature was 21C at the bottom in October. I had 2kg extra in my BCD pockets to account for the added shortie plus my own slight lack of fitness since my last dive, which felt about right. It was nice to not have to have all of it around my waist and it helped balance the weight of the tank too, in terms of streamlining and trim, given the tank size. My BCD was fine, and we took them off in the water, so we didn’t have to climb the boat’s ladder with 15L steel tanks on our backs, a service I really appreciate.
I just can’t get over how good SubAquaDive is, and how nice they all are. If you want to dive in the beautiful Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area , I’d highly recommend SubAquaDive.