Dr. Romero in the World MENORCA
Dr. Romero in the World
MENORCA AN OASIS OF LIFE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN , in spite of the lamentable state that the Mediterranean presents, the Balearic ones are still refuge that of great variety of marine species. Ave like the Black Cormoran can be located in the Mola, gigantic cliff that dominates the creek of Mahón. Dolphins, dyers, brown, groupers, déntos, jack fish, tunas, escorpion fish, nacras, lobsters and conches of the gender reddish charonía, are habitual in these waters.
Diving
on the Malakof ® Francis Abott 95Without changing me clothes, I attend the first exit with clients in the diving school. It is a small group, three men and a woman, and all of my city. I count them that I work here to be able to make my pictures and to know the island, I see looks of envy in their eyes (if they knew!).
The
Malacof ® Toni Romero 95We will make two immersions. The first one in a jetsam, to some 40 m of depth. Wiliam marks us the localization with the help of a compass and of pictures of the coast. Once we arrive to the approximate area, we make last successive with the sonar until he/she appears, very clear, on the flat bottom of sand. We toss the anchor and we hook the jetsam for the band of the current, long about 60 meters of nylon end and we stay anchored on the structure.
I equip myself in five minutes, leaving this way, more I space the clients ,y I throw myself to the water with a monobotella of 15 l. It is too small for that depth, the ship it is exactly 38 m. and I will only have fifteen minutes of air with a stop of decompression of three minutes at 3m.
The wait is made endless, I don't see the bottom, only the great blue that I am attracted by as an imam. Under drifting as an airplane for the end of the anchor, the water becomes suddenly darker and the jetsam appears, like in a dream of he/she swims her. It is immense, he/she will have 80 m. of span for 15 m. of sleeve. I descend exactly in the center, the whole cover he/she has collapsed on if same, they have only been some beams that they look to the sky and in them I see a déntos cloud (Dentex dentex).
My Nikonos enters in funcionamento, I have little time.
Hastily a flock of lemon fish (seriola dumerili) of 40 Kg. it wraps us for some instants, they disappear and I return my attention to the jetsam.
The jetsam is plagued of brown (Hellenic muraena), in spite of their lowering aspect and although they are damned fish, to my I find fascinating. They swim back with one astonishing easiness. For the Romans it was a dish, even those they only raised in aquariums for their consumption. In Morocco they cook it fried and they put it in I marinate with honey and raisins, of this way conserves it. It is said that when you are bigger and you have pains of rheumatism, you eat this plate and you put on as a bull.
I discover a grouper that with face of bad fleas, he/she observes us of reojo. Wiliam comes closer to make him some pictures. The fish that he doesn't find anything well that he/she approaches so much, he/she gives a wag and it disappears leaving a cloud of excrements.
I take down myself for the overboard covered with gorgonias, and to six meters, the flat bottom of sand is. Among the eternal posidonias I see a nacras colony (Pinna Novilis). This mollusk before very abundant, now it is practically impossible of seeing near the coast.
The ship, collapsed in 1920, he/she has left seating in the bottom in such a way that to the swimming along the helmet one has the sensation of surrounding a wall. When arriving to the prow I see a tremendous breach in the one that a colony of lobsters lives. My theory is that the ship collided in the cliff located to prow, and possibly, the captain made march behind to try to save the ship. That road of water was the cause almost with certainty of the shipwreck.
Among the steel beams flocks of mullets of a swim considerable size. A formless heap of barrels, with their mouths looking at me lowering, it attracts my attention. When playing the wood he/she comes undone in my hands, as the cork. In the bottom appreciation some curved forms and when focusing the lantern, I distinguish a couple of thick cóngrios as my leg.
Fifteen minutes of that intensity, they are as fifteen seconds. Pity, I have to return to my means. To three meters I put my thoughts in order, while, the current rocks me.
The sea loves me and everything I care the rest a little.
We eat with the clients, all euphoric ones are for the immersion and we devour with hunger of lions. At three o'clock hours we return to the water, this time we go to some rocks that are not very far from the jetsam. Paco counts me all that I will find in the bottom. We repeat the maneuver, and already in the water, I see that not there is way to hold me the tank. The atalajes is disassembled while I descend until the fifteen meters. Sat down in the bottom, I finish making me a double knot and I continue to the other ones that they go away.
To the foot of the rocks, just as Paco he/she has told me, we discover an immense sargos flight. All of a sudden I am untied the one knot and Wiliam come rapid to throw a hand, we look at ourselves to those eyes and it arises that spark of friendship and companionship.
Starting from this moment, step to consider it as a partner. Starlings, corvallos, salpas and escórporas, accompany us in an immersion that, after that of this morning, he/she knows us to a little.
The turn to the port is already when darkening, tired and with cold, with the idea in the mind of a bed.
Newspaper of an Island, © by Toni Romero 1995 (forbidden the total or partial reproduction of this text)
It vacates mountain
(Island of the Air) ® Toni Romero 95
The island of the Air is a rock located to 15 minutes of navigation of the port of Mahón, he/she has one of the submarine landscapes more beautiful, and it is crossed by several caves. Typical of these waters it is the giant mollusk, the Nacra (pinna nobilis) decimated by the exploitation and the big banks of dates of sea (litophaga litopaga) that poblan all the rocky mass of the one this of the island. Their exploitation based on breaking the rock with a chisel, it has caused an irreparable damage in the life marine of the coastal sustrato. At the moment he/she tries to diminish the ecological impact with the decrease of the I number of licenses, for the capture of mollusks on the part of plungers. In They are Bou a basilica it exists submerged Paleocristiana, regrettably alone it is appreciated in their entirety from the air.
One of the curiosities of the Island, they are the megalithic monuments, the famous " taulas " and " talayots ", authentic necropolis that you/they sprinkle the island in all their extension. It is not necessary to get lost the arrival of the small fishing fleet to the port of Mahón, one can fresh fished cómprar in some local located near the jetty of he/she Gets up.
It is horses ®
Toni Romero 95
San Juan's party is very famous for the horses, to those that everybody tries to play while these they jump among the people. The typical drink of the island is the " ointment " a " gin " mixture and lemonade.
Lastly the King's Island, located in the center of the creek of Mahón, is a curiosity that happens absolutely desapercibida for the tourists. It was monastery, jail, lepers' hospital and barracks, now totally abandoned it is a place with a magic and a charm difficult to describe. You consents to her with a boat - taxi property of a canary that this located near the terminal of the Transmediterranea.
The exits toward the diving points, you can organize them through the dive center Torret Soaks. Suny and the rest of the staff, they will give you a good service to a very reasonable price , with a very interesting list of jetsams and caves. Another option very to keep in mind it is the one of renting a kayac, to be given a turn making snorquel. A very natural way of discovering the marvels of the coast and their suburbs.
