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In
recent years diving in the Mediterranean has endured some
bad press due to the all too obvious results of pollution
and enthusiasm for spear fishing. Although there are undoubtedly
still many sites almost devoid of life, there are certain
areas where a very active effort is being made to turn the
tide and re-establish and preserve the naturally abundant
marine life. Spear fishing is now not so prevalent as it once
was and divers are being encouraged to look at the alternative
of stalking their prey with a camera, which requires both
the same skill and patience. In order to promote this activity
there are now a whole crop of annual photo~sub and fish photo-hunt
competitions in France, Italy, Spain and Malta. I was recently
invited to visit Corsica to compete in one of the longest
established photo-subs, entitled "Les Rendez-vous de
l'Ernotion", which was to be held in the marine reserve
of the Levezzi Islands and was stunned by what I found.
Having
not visited Corsica before, the most I could recall about
the island was that Napoleon Bonaparte had been born here
in the town of Ajaccio. Corsica is in fact one of the least
developed of the Mediterranean islands and has a spectacular
landscape ranging from Alpine vistas to cliff top fortress
towns and classic golden sandy beaches lapped by clear blue
water. A two hour flight from London immerses you in a gentle
pace of life within a culture and history that has been influenced
and enriched by repeated invasion from almost every great
trading nation in the Mediterranean basin. There are a number
of diving centres around the coast of the island, but my visit
was to be centred on Club Atoll which is located in the medieval
citadel of Bonifacio on the southern tip of Corsica. The centre
offers more than just diving as the facilities include a most
attractive villa style hotel with terrace restaurant, bar,
swimming pool and even a dive shop.
Accommodation
is in studio apartments in the gardens which can provide for
families, club groups couples or individuals. You can also
learn to dive here as the centre is certified by PADI, BSAC
and CMAS (children can also learn to dive here) or perhaps
indulge in a speciality course such as underwater photography.
Daily diving is from a hard boat which is fully equipped with
numerous full sets of Scubapro diving equipment, so you could
choose to travel very light.
The
dive sites are predominantly in the area adjacent to Bonifacio
and around the Levezzi islands themselves which lie in the
straits of Bonifacio between Corsica's southern coast and
the north coast of Sardinia, and are only 40 minutes away
aboard the dive boat. A typical week's diving here will comprise
a mixture of "two dive" days, with the boat returning
to port for lunch after the first dive, and safari days where
a bar-b-que lunch is served on the boat or on one of the attractive
beaches found on the Leyezzi islands. Most of the sites feature
huge boulders, drop offs, caves and fields of eel grass in
the shallows, all of which provide a habitat for a diverse
variety of marine life.
One
particularly memorable dive was at a site named 'Werou Ville"
(Grouper Village) where the Mediterranean grouper is decidedly
alive and well. We were surrounded by very large and inquisitive
fish, who had obviously not experienced spear fishing, which
produced some excellent photo opportunities. This site also
boasted an profusion of red coral in only 25m, which has become
a rarity elsewhere, and an abundance of morays and octopus.
The shallower sites also support the more common orange sea
fans, swathes of cup corals and anemones under the overhangs,
shoals of fish and enough macro life to keep the average photographer
happy for weeks!
The
competition itself attracted a total of fifteen photographers
from France, Belgium and England. The rules allowed us one
day of reconnaissance and preparation followed by one day
of competition with the final day reserved for judging and
presentations. We were allocated two films to expose in seven
hours from which we had to present a portfolio of six slides.
The theme of the competition is *Les rendez-vous de Pemotion"
(literally: the meeting with emotion) and could be interpreted
in any way the photographer wished. Many of the photographers
had brought models with them and as I was on my own I viewed
my opponents with a little trepidation to begin with. The
judging panel included artists, underwater photographers and
diving journalists, so it was very difficult to guess the
type of image they would favour.
The
day of the competition dawned calm and sunny, which was a
relief to the organisers and competitors alike, as late in
the season the likelihood of strong mistral winds increases.
Some of these photo-sub events are very intense and even stressful
when some teams feel national pride is at stake. However,
a distinctly relaxed and friendly atmosphere prevailed throughout
the day of competition, with many photographers discussing
their problems and what they had seen and photographed. This
camaraderie and loosening of tongues may of course have been
induced by the wine served with lunchll However, the competitors
were no less determined and the activity was periodically
frantic as photographers and their models tried to squeeze
in four and five dives in search of the winning shots.
The
evening then brings that nail biting wait for the films to
be returned, which is either followed by personal elation
or total despondence dependant on your results - many of the
photographers considered this to be their true "rendez-vous
de l'ernotion"! Although my shots lacked the inclusion
of a diver I was reasonably happy with the varied portfolio
I had compiled.
The
winning portfolios and slides were as varied as the judging
panel and it was easy to see that everybody views the emotion
experienced in diving in many diverse ways. The event was
a tremendous success and very enjoyable and I have now come
to appreciate that there are still areas in the Mediterranean
which can rival tropical sites around the globe. Additionally,
my own results have spurred me on with plans for next year
when I should be accompanied by a model!
Results:
Portfolio
Category (six slides)
First:
Marc DeBatty, France
Second: Mark Webster, England
Individual
Slide Category
First:
Marc DeBatty, France
Second: Christiane DeBatty, France
Third: Jean de Bremaeker, Belgium
Fourth: Alain Maniette, France
Fifth: Jean Louis Ferret,i France
Sixth: Mark Webster, England
Further
Information
Club
Atoll Diving Centre
Hotel Kelea
Cavallo Morto-BP3
20169 Bonifacio
Corsica
France
Corsican
Places
Rutherford Business Park
Marley Lane
Battle
East Sussex
TN33 OHZ
Reproduced
from in focus 56 (January
1996) with kind permission of Mark Webster |
