La Costa Brava
Posted By Aaron Wood on 5 June 2006
Another week, another trip. I wonder if someday I'll find this mundane. I sincerely hope not!
Last Friday I was helping a friend do some work on his basement when the phone rang. Glanced at the caller ID - it was from work. I answered, half expecting to get scrambled for a flight. I fly for my living. Instead, they told me of a trip coming up for Sunday afternoon. "You're going to Barcelona through Gander" they told me, "You'll be back Thursday night." Good news to me, because I've been looking for a chance to practice my Spanish for the last few months.
Now, my geography isn't as good as it should be, but I knew that Barcelona is on the Mediterranean, and of course the prospect of being able to squeeze in a dive or two if conditions favored seemed like a good thing. After checking the weather for Barcelona it looked like it might be a bit on the cool side, but then sun and 13-15 degrees Celsius is pretty nice for February, at least where I call home.
As I logged onto my computer later that evening, the thought crossed my mind that checking Deeper Blue for members in the area might be fun. One name came to mind immediately. Adrian will either be in the area, or he'll know who is, I mused. Checking his profile I saw that he was from the Costa Brava, an area just north of Barcelona. I sent him an email, and at the same time posted a thread looking for freediving spots in the area. Adrian replied, posts were added to my thread, and before I knew it I was heading north in a rental car from Barcelona.
After checking into the hotel I phoned Adrian and half an hour later we were sitting over a bowl of steamed mussels staring out over the placid Mediterranean. Later we drove up to the top of a hill for a better view of the area. Adrian pointed out a beautiful bay with rocky walls rising out of the turquoise water. Right at the foot of the bay there was a perfect sand beach. "We often dive there” he said simply. "It's a very nice spot."
I didn't know what to say - the snow-capped Pyrenees in the background, the rugged cliffs, and oh, the sea! . The afternoon sun was sending long shafts of light into the water. I stood, speechless, doing my best to take it all in. Possibly misinterpreting my silence for lack of enthusiasm, Adrian said, "But wait 'till you see where I'm taking you tomorrow. It's REALLY nice there!"
The morning dawned finding me in the very best of spirits. The sun rose into the clear blue sky blasting rays of light deep beneath the glassy surface of the sea. After meeting Adrian, we started out. "Where are we headed?" Frank asked curiously. "You’ll see" was the only answer we received.
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