Diving in Portugal

[grouchyturtle]

What are water temps there, this time of year?

I'm going to Lisbon first week of August. Primarily not a dive trip, but thinking of maybe getting a dive or two in one day.

Dreading the idea of possibly using rental gear, but too much of PITA to bring everything with me for just a dive or two. Besides we're trying to pack light.

 

[Soakedlontra]

@ricmvger I have contacted one diving center here in Porto but nobody is going out right now because of the rough conditions of the ocean. Here the coast is very exposed (how I appreciate the sheltered waters of Puget Sound now!) and the wind keeps blowing from the north. I thought about going to Lisbon or Algarve for few days and I have contacted other diving centers but I am still waiting for a reply. I guess it seems to me that it is rather hard here to arrange something at the last minute. Not to mention transportation. In Italy I was able to catch a train and a bus to the ferry terminal to go to Isola del Giglio and I did not have to rent a car. Here it is far more difficult. I have decided to leave on Sunday so I won’t have enough time to go diving after all.

@grunzster I brought my gear with me and what a hassle having so much extra luggage with me! A flight may look cheap at first glance but when you start to add the cost of luggage its price can rocket pretty quickly. I also had to make sure that my bags did not exceed the airlines required maximum weight and dimensions for fear that they would not make to the aircrafts.

As far as water temperature goes people dive with dry or semi-drysuits.

 

[grouchyturtle]

Thanks! Considering I just sold my drysuit, I guess I won't be diving...unless there are spots where you can do a shore dive.

 

[Soakedlontra]

Thanks! Considering I just sold my drysuit, I guess I won't be diving...unless there are spots where you can do a shore dive.

Good luck in finding a spot to do a shore dive in Lisbon, I have the feeling that the Algarve would be a better place to do that. I was on the beach today... the conditions were pretty good for surfing not scuba diving. Are you a surfer as well?

 

[grouchyturtle]

Or I can just be happy that I got to dive the Spiegel in the most amazing conditions ever last week, and just not dive when I'm there.

 

[Soakedlontra]

Or I can just be happy that I got to dive the Spiegel in the most amazing conditions ever last week, and just not dive when I'm there.

No idea where the Spiegel dive site is...it sounds good, though!

 

[grouchyturtle]

This Spiegel

 

[Soakedlontra]

This Spiegel

Uh? Are you kidding me? So it's a scuba joke after all? or a scuba quiz?

At Alvaro Siza's (one of the most famous contemporary architects in the world) open swimming pool with sea water and built on rocks right next to the ocean (the only place where I was able to swim and get away from the bloody wind) I saw a guy loading the trunk of his car with scuba cylinders...I wonder where the hell he was taking them! The the ocean was like this:

[video=youtube;qbBWsqtke2o]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbBWsqtke2o[/video]

 

[grouchyturtle]

No joke...wasn't sure if you were joking. Lake like conditions, no current, amazing vertical vis, not too hot that day, and just 2 of us diving from a rented 22 footer.

That looks like one of my shore dive. As the group stood on the jetty, the famous last words, spoken by one diver were, "those waves aren't that big!"

We didn't get too far.

 

[Soakedlontra]

No joke...wasn't sure if you were joking. Lake like conditions, no current, amazing vertical vis, not too hot that day, and just 2 of us diving from a rented 22 footer.

Still haven't a clue where this Spiegel is...