Scuba diving in the area?
Jul 18th 2009, 7:11 am
#1
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Scuba diving in the area?
Hi all, Hubby has just become PADI qualified and we'd like to know if anyone can recommend a good diving school in the Ayamonte area please. We've googled and come up with one in Isla Cristina but there's not much info on the website and we'd prefer personal recommendation if possible. Thanks.
Jul 18th 2009, 8:37 am
#2
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Re: Scuba diving in the area?
Hi Yvonne, I know someone who goes scuba diving but from what I remember he goes to the Algarve. I will see if he has any information for Ayamonte.
Jul 19th 2009, 1:15 am
#3
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Re: Scuba diving in the area?
It´s not really an area for scubadiving, as said most of it you can find in Portugal, Eg.Tavira. Whilst I lived in Lagos there was a recommended divingschool based in Praia da Luz, called Blue Ocean Divers, try a Google.
Out here we eat the fish, we don´t look at them in their natural habitat.........
Out here we eat the fish, we don´t look at them in their natural habitat.........
Jul 19th 2009, 7:59 am
#4
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Re: Scuba diving in the area?
Hi all, Hubby has just become PADI qualified and we'd like to know if anyone can recommend a good diving school in the Ayamonte area please. We've googled and come up with one in Isla Cristina but there's not much info on the website and we'd prefer personal recommendation if possible. Thanks.
.There is a big centre in Albufiera - I met them at the LIDS and have a brochure of theirs. They seem to be quite good - have all the gear for hire and a new well appointed centre. Your hubby would need an early start to dive there but it would probably be worth it if he's keen.
Also a Carvoiero there are a couple of Padi centres. I read a report on one of the diving forums about someone who had dived with a dive school in Faro - near the docks apparently.
Let me know if you find anywhere else - either by this thread or by PM. Who knows I could be a buddy for your OM. BTW I'm PADI RD.
Jul 19th 2009, 10:07 am
#5
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Re: Scuba diving in the area?
Jul 22nd 2009, 10:18 pm
#6
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Re: Scuba diving in the area?
I'm a diver too and have been on the same quest. There are schools at Tavirra, Olaho and Faro - according to the Portugal diver website - but I was unable to find them. I also went to find the Isla Cristina one but couldn't. The next nearest on the Spanish side are in Cadiz! There are Padi Dive Centres further along the Algarve - and to be honest I wouldn't think that the diving along the sandy stretch of coast is going to very interesting - you need a few cliffs, reefs and wrecks .
There is a big centre in Albufiera - I met them at the LIDS and have a brochure of theirs. They seem to be quite good - have all the gear for hire and a new well appointed centre. Your hubby would need an early start to dive there but it would probably be worth it if he's keen.
Also a Carvoiero there are a couple of Padi centres. I read a report on one of the diving forums about someone who had dived with a dive school in Faro - near the docks apparently.
Let me know if you find anywhere else - either by this thread or by PM. Who knows I could be a buddy for your OM. BTW I'm PADI RD.
.There is a big centre in Albufiera - I met them at the LIDS and have a brochure of theirs. They seem to be quite good - have all the gear for hire and a new well appointed centre. Your hubby would need an early start to dive there but it would probably be worth it if he's keen.
Also a Carvoiero there are a couple of Padi centres. I read a report on one of the diving forums about someone who had dived with a dive school in Faro - near the docks apparently.
Let me know if you find anywhere else - either by this thread or by PM. Who knows I could be a buddy for your OM. BTW I'm PADI RD.
Aug 19th 2009, 7:40 pm
#7
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Thread Starter
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 105
Re: Scuba diving in the area?
I'm a diver too and have been on the same quest. There are schools at Tavirra, Olaho and Faro - according to the Portugal diver website - but I was unable to find them. I also went to find the Isla Cristina one but couldn't. The next nearest on the Spanish side are in Cadiz! There are Padi Dive Centres further along the Algarve - and to be honest I wouldn't think that the diving along the sandy stretch of coast is going to very interesting - you need a few cliffs, reefs and wrecks .
There is a big centre in Albufiera - I met them at the LIDS and have a brochure of theirs. They seem to be quite good - have all the gear for hire and a new well appointed centre. Your hubby would need an early start to dive there but it would probably be worth it if he's keen.
Also a Carvoiero there are a couple of Padi centres. I read a report on one of the diving forums about someone who had dived with a dive school in Faro - near the docks apparently.
Let me know if you find anywhere else - either by this thread or by PM. Who knows I could be a buddy for your OM. BTW I'm PADI RD.
.There is a big centre in Albufiera - I met them at the LIDS and have a brochure of theirs. They seem to be quite good - have all the gear for hire and a new well appointed centre. Your hubby would need an early start to dive there but it would probably be worth it if he's keen.
Also a Carvoiero there are a couple of Padi centres. I read a report on one of the diving forums about someone who had dived with a dive school in Faro - near the docks apparently.
Let me know if you find anywhere else - either by this thread or by PM. Who knows I could be a buddy for your OM. BTW I'm PADI RD.
Aug 20th 2009, 8:14 am
#8
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Re: Scuba diving in the area?
Hi Mike, just returned from CE and Edd went along to Indigo Divers in Albuferia last Thursday. Had to be there for 8.30am but as we have the hour time difference, this wasn't too bad. From 8.30am to 2.30pm it cost 85 euros (incl all the kit) and he had 2 dives. The visibility wasn't brilliant apparently but he's still new to it and learnt quite a lot of technical stuff so it was worth it in that respect. He was quite impressed with the company.
Mike J
Sep 29th 2009, 4:58 pm
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Re: Scuba diving in the area?
Just been diving with Subnauta in Portimao. Their web site is www.subnauta.pt [Note: I have no connection with this business except as a satisfied customer]
As you will see if you visit the site - they are fairly new (since 2007) and are a very good and professional set up. They have a large modern dive centre not far from the Marina in Portimao from which they dive. They have 3 boats - including a liveaboard for longer trips past Sagres etc, and a 10m RIB which we used. They will dive every day of the year, weather permitting (apparently it gets a bit rough in January ) . The have a couple of golf buggies which transport your gear and you right to the boat on the quayside and back again. Almost effortless diving
. They have a full range of kit which is included in the dive price, which at 75Euros for the day I thought reasonable. Nitrox is free, if certified. All I took was my computer and log-book but even then the dive consoles have an integrated computer anyway.
The water temp was not bad at 18C - and apparently it doesn't vary that much. The standard protection supplied is 7mm semi-dry, which personally I found a bit too much and was a bit too warm
. The visibility was variable and peaked at around 5m - which isn't bad for the Atlantic. Most of the interest is on the bottom so you do need to get up close and personal with the rocks. We dived a couple of reefs and the wreck of a Greek freighter. The next day there was a dive planned on a large Norwegian ship which had been torpedoed during the war. I was sorely tempted but couldn't get a free pass 
The dive-centre at Portimao was easy to find if you follow the maps on the web site and took around an hour to reach from CE. The only thing to be aware of is that the dive shop is not on the front line, it is round the back in the road that runs parallel with the main road, The only slight downside is that they start at 08:00 - which does mean you get back to CE by mid-afternoon so only need a half-day pass!
They take bookings by phone so you don't need to recce - just remember to take your log-book and certs. Beware the shop does seem to observe the siesta so don't call mid-afternoon.
I did look up Indigo in Albufiera whilst I was there - it looks a bit more cosy but unfortunately they were not open when I got there and their window seemed to suggest that they were only diving 2 or 3 times a week.
As you will see if you visit the site - they are fairly new (since 2007) and are a very good and professional set up. They have a large modern dive centre not far from the Marina in Portimao from which they dive. They have 3 boats - including a liveaboard for longer trips past Sagres etc, and a 10m RIB which we used. They will dive every day of the year, weather permitting (apparently it gets a bit rough in January
) . The have a couple of golf buggies which transport your gear and you right to the boat on the quayside and back again. Almost effortless diving. They have a full range of kit which is included in the dive price, which at 75Euros for the day I thought reasonable. Nitrox is free, if certified. All I took was my computer and log-book but even then the dive consoles have an integrated computer anyway.The water temp was not bad at 18C - and apparently it doesn't vary that much. The standard protection supplied is 7mm semi-dry, which personally I found a bit too much and was a bit too warm
. The visibility was variable and peaked at around 5m - which isn't bad for the Atlantic. Most of the interest is on the bottom so you do need to get up close and personal with the rocks. We dived a couple of reefs and the wreck of a Greek freighter. The next day there was a dive planned on a large Norwegian ship which had been torpedoed during the war. I was sorely tempted but couldn't get a free pass The dive-centre at Portimao was easy to find if you follow the maps on the web site and took around an hour to reach from CE. The only thing to be aware of is that the dive shop is not on the front line, it is round the back in the road that runs parallel with the main road, The only slight downside is that they start at 08:00 - which does mean you get back to CE by mid-afternoon so only need a half-day pass!
They take bookings by phone so you don't need to recce - just remember to take your log-book and certs. Beware the shop does seem to observe the siesta so don't call mid-afternoon.
I did look up Indigo in Albufiera whilst I was there - it looks a bit more cosy but unfortunately they were not open when I got there and their window seemed to suggest that they were only diving 2 or 3 times a week.
