La Costa Brava
Posted By Aaron Wood on 5 June 2006
Before long a powerful contraction reminded me that the surface was quite some distance above me. Streamlining myself I gave a few strong kicks and glided up through the water column, welcoming the buoyancy as it returned and propelled me towards the oxygen-rich atmosphere. Several times while floating on the surface I admired Adrian's form in the water as I watched his kelpie camo fins disappear into the abyss. And several times the thought floated through my mind that right at that moment, I was exactly where I wanted to be.
Adrian told me to keep my eye open for stakes in the bottom. The area that we were diving was one of the first spots in Spain that was settled by the Greeks and Romans. The rocky bays and inlets on both sides of the point made safe havens provided you were on the lee side of the point. The Greeks and Romans both took full advantage of these natural harbors. But in spite of the protection the cliffs afforded them from the intense blasts of the wind, many ships still lie on the bottom there. The sailors, after anchoring their barques securely in the calm water of the protected bays, would then watch with horror as the wind changed direction, and the very rocks that had just been protecting them now dashed them to pieces as the waves inexorably hurled them to their doom. Now of course, the seafloor is an archeological goldmine and there are survey stakes marking the spots where people labour to reconstruct the past.
After the best part of two hours, however, the 11C water had taken its toll on both of us and we returned to the beach. Sitting over an excellent lunch of baked fish and potatoes, atop the same cliffs we had just been diving in the shadow of, I felt the incredible inner calm that seems to always follow a session of diving. The sea was so calm that the wakes from passing boats extended as far back as was visible. The shadows of the cliffs grew longer as the sun slowly sank behind the mountains to the west, bringing the day to a close.
The next day I was going to meet two other freedivers from a town close by to go dive a cool little shipwreck. I met up with Wolf, his dog Diego, and Johnny and we headed for the coast. Once we’d parked the cars, we headed down a steep rocky trail toward the shore. Overnight a high overcast had slid into place, flattening the light and giving the water a steely blue-grey appearance. The sea, much more so than it had the day previous, looked cold. However, from atop the cliffs we could see deeply into the clear water. That coupled with the knowledge that I’d be snug and warm in my wetsuit had the pre-dive anticipation levels soaring once more.
- Bookmark with :
- what are these?
