Trip Report Elba - Italy

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Contributor
Messages
346
Reaction score
15
Location
Europe
# of dives
200 - 499
This is the second time we've been there and again it was a most relaxing and wonderful vacation.

Elba belongs to the toscan archipelago and has a long cultural history. In July and August it's also one of the most loved summer residences of the italian people - so if you like it relaxed and peaceful, it's probably better to avoid these two months. Besides diving you will find interesting things to discover on Elba and also for non-divers there are a lot of activities going on.

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Same as last year we've been again at Barbarossa Bay (0.5km out of Porto Azzuro) and stayed at Camping Arrighi. We rented one of the summer houses / huts, because we're not "real camper" (no caravan) and personally I like a tiny little bit more comfort than that what you get if you live in a tent for two weeks ;-) Camping Arrighi is right next to the beach and directly on the Beach you'll find the local dive center Omnisub.

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Diving in the Mediterranean is not as spectacular as in tropical destinations, but also has it's own charm. Dive spots around Barbarossa Bay include extensive seagrass areas as well as dive spots with rocks and walls. And if you can't call your dive trip perfect without looking at scrap iron, there is even that: at Punta Nera there's a small propeller plane sitting in the seagrass just waiting for you ;-) All in all the dive sites are more on a smaller scale so it's ideal for slow divers (e.g. taking pictures).

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The dive center is a little family owned diving business. Heart and soul of it is Mirjana, who runs the office and is your trusted contact in question of organisation - not only concerning diving, but also where to dine / to shop / places to see (topside) and last, but not least medical issues since she's a certified nurse. Markus not only captains the boat, but also can help with technical problems and Uwe: he is the personified calm and that's not only great for being an instructor, but it's also helpful to keep the hectic bustle on a low level when everyone gears up and tries to be the first in the water ;-) On friday evenings they organize a dinner for all divers which takes place alternately in one of the two restaurants directly at Barbarossa Beach.

[video=youtube;pjB3lH6N_0U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjB3lH6N_0U[/video]

Monday to Saturday two dives per day are offered, one at 09:00 am and the second at 2:30 pm, Sunday's one dive (IIRC 10:30 am), once per week there's a night dive (usually at Picchi di Pablo) and irregulary there's a day trip with two dives offered for destinations farther away. There is an additional boat that can be rented by dive clubs and groups and if you do not want to dive with just one dive operator, there is a so called Dive Card Elba available which allows you to choose between five dive centers (Aquanautic, Cavo Daving, Omnisub, Spiro Sub and Unica Diving - 10 Dives) all around Elba.

All dives at Omnisub are boat dives (entry: forward roll). Also diving with Omnisub means independent diving (= no guiding! It's all you and your buddy/ies - except a guide has been booked or someone is really unexperienced or there's a need of a buddy). Briefings are always detailed, even if everyone on board knows the spot by heart. Nevertheless I'd recommend to ask if something is'nt clear, so you can plan your dive (e.g. at Remaniolo: how long to dive from the one anchor point nearer to the coast to the great purple gorgonian colony - which is a 10-15 minutes dive, because it's on the other side of the little island, and they start at about 35m - so planning is indeed dearly recommended). Most of the dive sites can be planned as shallow dives as well as deeper ones. And again: if you have questions, just ask and you will get whatever help you need to plan your dive, but don't expect having a guide with you in the water.

When you sign up you'll be asked for a valid medical form, your cerfication and logs (or how many dives you have / when was your last one). Probably your first dive will also be your check dive. You'll get a box for your gear that will stay on the boat (except if you skip one dive and it's really busy, then you probably will be asked to put your box into the dry room until your next dive). If you want to hang up your suit, you have to bring your own hangers (and in this case you have to put your suit into the dry room at the end of the day). The tanks (12l & 15l steel tanks, DIN, Nitrox available) also remain on the boat (compressor is on board), so basically all you have to do is to initially pack your box and put it on the boat. And the next days you just walk to the beach after your breakfast (maybe one espresso and a croissant con cioccolata at Matteo's), go on the stage, climb onto the boat, relax and dive - that's it :) The decision which dive site it will be for the next dive is made on the spot due to weather conditions. Additionally they keep an eye on the sites someone already dived, so that you don't have to go to the same place over and over again. But whenever you have a special wish, they try everything to meet your wishes - just tell them. There is one downside: the facilities of the dive center are very (really very) basic, which means that yes, you can wash your gear after a dive, but it's kind of improvised. Therefore most people wash their stuff at the end of the trip before they leave. There are additional facilities for divers on the camp ground of Arrighi, but we never used them.

Not surprisingly, most of the customers of Omnisub are from (all over) Europe. Main languages are Italian, German and English. When we were there, there have been dutch, french, austrian, swiss, german and of course italian customers. The funny thing was, that probably a fourth of the people we met this time, also have been there last year in june, when we spent our first vacation at Barbarossa Bay. Some of these guys go there at least once a year for the last 17 or 18 years when the business originally opened. I guess it's because some of them are campers which tend to be very sound people ;-)

Anyway, even if I'm pretty sure, that we won't be there every year from now on, but I'd still would and will go there for another vacation. I really appreciate the laid back attitude of the place, the independent diving and the family atmosphere. AND - of course! - the blessings of real italian kitchen, not to mention - la dolce vita! :))

Pictures:


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Links

More about Elba:

Arrighi & Omnisub:
 
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Thanks for the report! How is marine life (fish) around there? Sardinia and Corsica has several marine reserves, do they also regulate fishing around Elba?
 
Hi there,

Thanks for the report! How is marine life (fish) around there? Sardinia and Corsica has several marine reserves, do they also regulate fishing around Elba?

since I've been neither to Sardinia nor Corsica yet, I can't tell how's marine life compared to Elba. But fishing is regulated and the whole archipelago is a national / marine park (it's supposed to be the largest in europe). We've seen all kinds of fishes and critters, but e.g. no luck of seeing an ocean sunfish yet (hasn't been the right time of the year anyway - IIRC best chances of seeing it is in spring).


HTH


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