Back from Corsica
The waters in Scandola were incredibly clear
We got back from Corsica on Monday night. All I can say is wow! What a paradise. We went scuba diving near St. Florent (Ludo Beach), The Cape of Corsica in the north, as well as near Calvi. We were supposed to have done one dive in Porto, farther south, but if got cancelled because of weather. The diving was good, especially near Calvi, but the best thing we did (and indeed one of the best things I’ve ever done on vacation) was to rent a boat out of Porto and cruise up the coast of the Scandola reserve, stopping to snorkel and freedive along the way.
The Scandola reserve is a protected nature reserve with no roads and foot access. The only way to see the area is by boat, and the only way to dive it is without a tank, as scuba diving is not permitted. The shoreline is absolutely stunning, the water was crystal clear, there were critters everywhere, and the water was warm and wonderful. If you are heading to Corsica, I highly recommend the town of Porto and a trip out to the Scandola reserve by rented boat. If you don’t have a license, that’s okay, you can rent a little boat that takes about an hour and a half to get you there, but it still leaves you a load of time to explore if you leave early enough. The next time I am in Corsica, I will be heading back to Porto/Scandola as quickly as I can.
Nudibranch near Calvi
The whole trip was amazing, and I have to say, I was amazed at the things we saw. Right away, from the boat we came in on, we saw dolphins as we arrived. They were jumping and playing next to our boat. We also saw a pod of dolphins playing near The Cape of Corsica in the north on our way to a dive. One thing I didn’t expect at all was to see a gigantic pod of whales on our way out, they were rolling parallel to the boat in the distance. I never thought I would see whales in the Mediterranean but we certainly did. In addition to those two marvels, we also saw rays, conger eels, moray eels of several varieties, nudibranch, barracuda, grouper, cuttlefish, several species of octopus, a triggerfish, and much more.
All in all, it was a fantastic week of sunshine, water, diving, and discovery. Corsica is truly a marvel, and I can’t wait to get back. If you are planning a trip, an want to go scuba diving, make sure to head over towards Calvi. Oh yeah, and one pro tip: if you see a wild pig on the island in Corsica, don’t feed them with your hands. Evidently, they will take everything you hand to them, even a finger or two!
[Update: For those of you who want to see where each shot was taken, I have attached geo-locationing to my shots on my flickr account here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/83275239@N00/sets/72157624429872639/map?&fLat=42.6194&fLon=8.9532&zl=10&order_by=recent ]
[Update 2: I have added the terrestrial shots to my other site. There are photos of Scandola and Piana there: http://www.w3rks.com/?p=63.]
Fish, Man’s Best Friend
This unique video, courtesy of Alexandre Boscari, was taken a little over a week ago while diving in Port-Cros. The fish in question is a Grouper or “mérou” in French. They are usually pretty tolerant of people, but this one is downright friendly.
Evidently, this fish is known by the locals as the “Mérou Calin”.When it sees divers, it approaches them slowly, and waits to be petted, just like a dog! Check out the video after the jump to check it out. Thanks again to Alex for this great footage.
Wonderful Morning!
Grouper or mérou in French
Saw my first grouper (or mérou in french) in the bay this morning! In fact, I saw my first two grouper. Pretty big day, it was one of the only things I had never seen, and now I can leave for Thailand on a super good note.
Check out the pics here: http://www.azur-diving.com/Snorkeling9-09
The sea was calm and visibility was great, and I also saw two cuttlefish (or Seiche in french). In fact, I got some video of them spraying ink and scooting away super fast. I will post those some time after I get back from Thailand. I also saw a bunch of Scorpionfish (or Rascasse in French). Got some good pictures of those too.
Scorpionfish or Rascasse in French
This week has been super busy, so I didn’t get my Canon Powershot D10 review completed yet. Stay tuned. I will try to have it completed for when I get back from Thailand.
Talk to you all in a couple weeks!
