Isola Gallinara, Liguria - Italy

First dive back home in Italy! 

The meeting point was in Loano, Province of Savona, Liguria, around 220 km from where I am staying in Milano.  I had met up with Milano Sub during the week and joined their Whatsapp group thanks to Stefania.  

L'isola Gallinara is near Albenga, lower left of Liguria in the Gulf of Genova

 

Isola Gallinara - the island in the shape of a turtle! 

Andrea was the organiser and I arranged to meet up with him at 9am at the Marina Divinng Shop in Loano. My trusty dive bag finally needs replacing after around 20 years of use - not bad! A wheel buckled. This meant dragging it from the car park to the dive shop along the marina.

Marina Diving Shop Loano

 I was expecting a club RIB (rigged inflatable boat) but it was actually a decent size boat.

The journey out to Isola Gallinara took around 25 minutes.  The island has been protected from 1989 as the Riserva Naturale Regionale dell'Isola Gallinara.

 

 

 

 

Christ the Redeemer

Entry: 11:03

Dive time: 57 min

Depth: 25.9m

Temp:  24 degrees C 

Weights:  9 kg

Insulation: Dry suit without inner body warmer

 

 

 

 

 

Punta Sciusciau 

Entry: 13:23

Dive time: 42 min

Depth: 23.8m

Temp:  24 degrees C 

Weights:  9 kg

Insulation: Dry suit WITHOUT body warmer

 

 

Post-dive foccacia

New Club Reef and GMC site - Qatar

Dive 1

Dive time: 41min

Depth: 17.1m

Entry time: 6:42am

Temp: 32 degrees C

Crocodilefish at start of dive

 Remora (sometimes called Suckerfish)

 Crocodilefish

Dive 2

Dive time: 59min

Depth: 12.5m

Entry time: 8:23am 

Temp: 31 degrees C

 Batfish (Platax)

The Batfish is also known as 'Teira'.

 

 

 Yellowbar Angelfish

 Lone Twobar Seabream among lots of Blackspot Snappers 

 

 Little crab

 Orange Spotted Grouper