The Big Cheese, Mallorca

The Big Cheese dive site profile

The Big Cheese is near the port of Cala Ratjada.  It's a big rock that rises from the water and is riddled with holes giving it its name.  This was without doubt the best dive site in the area for spotting sea life: octopus, barracudas, lobster, nudibranchs, moray eel sightings are guaranteed. 

Moray Eel

Mediterranean Slipper Lobster

Pair of Mediterranean Slipper Lobsters

Barracuda in the distance

Video produced and edited by Michael

Cuttlefish

I love watching cuttlefish,

You can find them hiding under the sand, however it can be difficult to see them.

Their change of skin colour is incredible, very much like an LCD screen.

Going..

Going..

Gone!

Running Starfish

Instructor, Mallorca, Spain

During the summer of 2011, I moved from Sevilla to Mallorca to work as an instructor from 4th May until 10th August.

In total I did 140 dives.
This took my total number of dives to around 368.

Week 1

Wed 4^th May – Arrival.  

Thurs 5^th – Boat dive, boat full so didn’t do Big Cheese, Mirador instead.

                   DSDs in front of dive centre in Cala Bona, the Lagoon

Fri 6^th – Cala Ratjada, DSDs (Emma Mc 13/3/87 & Kevin T 30/10/84 Belfast)

Saturday 7^th – Painting the dive centre

Sunday 8^th – Found flat! Really nice.

Monday 9^th – Morning: Two dives, Moray Eel Bank & Red Cliff

Afternoon: Two DSDs (Oliver 22-12-92 and Stacey 7-1-93 Manchester)

Tuesday 10^th – Open Water Course (Andrew)

                         Morning: Knowledge Review 1-3 Quiz & Test  

                         Afternoon: Confined Water

Week 2

Wednesday 11^th – Morning: Open Water dives 1&2 The Mushroom & Skylight  Cave

                               Afternoon: KR 4&5

Thursday 12^th – Morning: Confined Water dives 4 & 5

                           Afternoon: Open Water dives 3 & 4 Cala Morlanda

Friday 13^th – Morning: Open Water Course KR 1,2,3  (Ilyes)

                      Afternoon:  Dive at 3 caves

Saturday 14^th – Morning: Confined Water - Lagoon

                          Afternoon: Open Water – Cala Nao

Monday 16^th – Morning: OWD KR 4 & 5 then CW 4 & 5 in swimming pool.

                        Afternoon: OW 4 & 5 The Labyrinth.

Tuesday 17^th – Nothing doing in afternoon, very bad weather.

Week 3

Wednesday 18^th – 2 Dive on boat in morning Choppy weather Cape Vermell & Harmonica Bay.  

Thursday 19^th – Late start 10:30.  DSD in The Lagoon (Diane & Ian from Manchester).

Friday 20^th – Afternoon in swimming pool doing demonstrations.

Saturday 21^st - OW Course in Spanish Theory then CW at pool

Monday 23^rd – Morning: Mushroom & Cape Vermell

                        Afternoon:  DSD in the Lagoon (Jens from Cologne)

Tuesday 24^th – Morning: OW Theory 4&5 Roberto

                         Afternoon: DSDs the Lagoon. (Dean from Swansea & Matthias from Frankfurt)

Week 4

Wednesday 25th – Morning: Boat dive The Moray Eel Bank & Skylight Cave

                               Afternoon: CW 4 & 5 Roberto

Thursday 26^th – Morning:  The 3 Caves/Cathedral then Spring Cove

                           Afternoon:  Snorkelling then hotel drop off

Friday 27^th – Morning: The Chimney & Drift dive from Conger Cave to Mirador

                      Afternnoon: Swimming pool

Saturday 28^th – Morning:  The Labyrinth x 2, OW 1 & 2 Roberto

                          Afternoon:  Naaaaaaaaaada

Monday 30^th – Morning: 2 boat dives at The 3 Caves & Harmonica Bay

                         Afternoon:  Petrol from Cala Ratjada

Tuesday 31^st – Morning:  Masks and port duty

            Afternoon: Helping dave DSD Cala Rajoli

Week 5

                                   

Wednesday 1^st June – Morning: 2 Shore dives at The Labyrinth with Bonbon

                                    Afternoon: Drop off car with Dave.

                                    Alfonso and Carlito arrive.

           

Thursday 2^nd – Morning: 2 boat dives The Labyrinth & Caves Snorkelling site.

                        Afternoon:  Pick up car then boat with Victor

Friday 3^rd – 2 boat dives Moray Eel Bank & Skylight Cave

                        DSD at The Lagoon (Ivan from Derbyshire)

Saturday 4^th – The Big Cheese!

                        Sibylle and Andrew

                        Afternoon: DSD Lauren and dad Steve

 Sibylle kindly sent me these pictures of the dive at The Big Cheese.

Monday 6^th – Theory for Alfonso while DSD with Carlo in the Lagoon.

                        Afternoon: Confined Water with Alfonso in the Lagoon.

Tuesday 7^th – Alfonso & Kirsty Open Water Dives. 2x Cala Nao then 2xCala Lliteres

Week 6

Wednesday 8^th – Spanish OW failure.  Free afternoon reading.

Thursday 9^th – The Big Cheese x 2.  Bit of a disaster! (“olvidate del Open”?)                                

                         Afternoon: Advanced Navigation Module with Sebastian at Cala Ratjada

Friday 10^th –   Morning: Boat dive to the Light House and the Devil’s Cave – amazing!

                        Afternoon: EFR with Sebastian.

Saturday 11^th – One dive on the boat at Moray Eel Bank.

                          Assisting Christina with DSDs in the Lagoon (2 x Hell Belt)

Monday 13^th – Check dive with Danish couple at Cala Morlanda.

                         2 DSDs in the Lagoon.   Michelle and Catherine from Ireland

Tuesday 14^th – Morning: Taxi to Cala Meleni

                         Afternoon:  OW theory 4&5 and Advanced Theory with Sebastian

Week 7

Wednesday 15^th – Morning:  Boat dive to The Wall and the Skylight Cave.   
                              Excellent! Lots of lobsters and Cape Town Lobsters!  Cuttlefish and Octopus
                              in the cave.

                               Afternoon:  OW 3 & 4 at the Labyrinth

Thursday 16^th – Morning: Started OWD with Chris, theory 1,2,3.

                           Afternoon: The Lagoon for CW 1-5

Friday 17^th – Morning: DSD with Mercedes in the Lagoon.

                      Afternoon: CW 2,3,4,5 in the Lagoon.

Saturday 18^th – Morning: OW3 & 4 with Chris, Cala Ratjada

                          Afternoon: The Lagoon with German DSDs

Monday 20^th – Morning: Advanced Theory @ 8:45 Deep Dive and Search & Recovert/Boat Diver
                         at the Chimney and the Caves. 

                         D mashes up my regulator - great

                                 

                         Afternoon: 2 DSD in the Lagoon.

Tuesday 21^st – Cala Morlanda with Liam and family, good tip ;)

                         Afternoon: Italian Scuba Review, Stefano, dive at Cala Nao

Week 8

Wednesday 22^nd – Morning: Dive at Cala Lliteras

                               Afternoon: OWD theory 1,2 & 3 with Gloria and Lucia

Thursday 23^rd – Morning: DSD at the Lagoon

                           Afternoon: OWD theory 4 &5 Gloria and Lucia in pool

Friday 24^th – Morning: Petrol & Taxi service

                      Afternoon: Swimming Pool then OWD Theory 4 & 5 Gloria & Lucia

Saturday 25^th – Morning: OWD 1 & 2 with Dave in Cala Morlanda

                         Afternoon:  OWD Theory Vic and Rene

Monday 27^th – Morning: OWD 3 & 4 Germans in Cala Nao 

                         Afternoon: Swimming pool with Glo & Lucia CW 3 & 4

Tuesday 28^th – Day Off

Week 9

Wednesday 29^th – Morning: washing and filling cars.  Chat with James

                               Afternoon: The Labyrinth with Nicolas

Thursday 30^th – Morning: OW confined dives in pool with English lads

                          Afternoon:  Drive to Cala Ratjada & Palma

Friday 1^st – 2 dives at Cala Morlanda

                    Afternoon: Swimming pool demo

                

Saturday 2^nd – OW 3 & 4 Rene and Vic Cala Lliteras

                        Marco Cala Lliteras

Sunday 3rd – OWD 1 & 2 with Glori & Lucia!!!!!!!  Cala Lliteres

                        Danny and Rocky arrive

Monday 4^th – Morning: Swimming pool Confined Open Water

                       Afternoon: Open Water 1 Cala Nao

                        Sa Punta

Tuesday 5^th – Morning:  Cala Lliteres OW 1, 2 & 3

                       Afternoon: Scuba Diver theory

                        Gloria lost purse!!! Then we found it…. Off to airport.

Week 10

Wednesday 6^th – Morning: Scuba Review Peter & Stefi from Beave at Cala Nao

                             Afternoon: Spanish family DSDing it at Cala Lliteres

Thursday 7^th – Morning: Luis from Sevilla Cala Lliteres DSD

                         Afternoon: Swiss OWDs 3 & 4 with Dave. Ludwig & Frederik Cala Nao

                        Granada restaurant

Friday 8^th – Morning: DSDs Cala Rajoli – Rudi & girlfriend

                    Afternoon:  DSD The Lagoon

Saturday 9^th – Morning: DSD The Lagoon Andy

                        Afternoon: DSD The Lagoon 3 Spaniards

                                    Teresa from Madrid 

                                    Ivan from Madrid

                                    Arnaud from France

Sunday 10^th – Divin’ with Danny Cala Lliteres

Monday 11^th – Nuttin dooin in morn

                         SCUBA Review at Cala Nao

Tuesday 12^th – Morning CW 1,2,3 The Lagoon

                         Afternoon OW 1 & 2 Cala Morlanda

Week 11

Wednesday 13^th – Morning:  Boat dive at Cap Vermel & The Moray Eel

                              Afternoon:  DSDs in the Lagoon.

Thursday 14 th – Morning:  Boat dive at The Labyrinth & The Three Caves.  Victor & Masks

                             Afternoon:  DSDs in the Lagoon.

Friday 15^th – Snorkelling at the Labyrinth

                      Swimming pool demos

Saturday 16^th – CW 4 & 5 The Lagoon

                          Cala Lliteres OW 3 & 4 with Gloria!!!!!!!!!

                              

Sunday 17^th – Day Off

Monday 18^th – Spanish OW course Morning Pool

                         Afteroon OW 1 & 2 The Labyrinth

Tuesday 19^th – OW Upgrade The Lagoon, Roberto

                         OW 3 & 4 Cala Morlanda, Roberto, Iosu & Oihane. Chicharra – Flying Gurnard!

Week 12

Wednesday 20th – Morning: Shore dive at the Labyrinth, Spanish group + Cristina

                                                Daniel - DM who worked in Thailand & New Zealand

                               Afternoon: DSDs Cala Rajoli assisting Cristina

Thursday 21st – Morning: Shore dive at Cala Lliteres

                           Afternoon: DSDs The Lagoon, Paul, Igor & girl

Friday 22nd – Morning: Boat dives at The Labyrinth and Three Caves

                        Afternoon: Swimming Pool, lots of people!

                       

Saturday 23rd – Morning: SCUBA Review with Alberto at The Labyrinth

                            Afternoon: DSDs at Cala Rajoli – Alex, Dena, Jan

Monday 25^th – Morning: Dive at Cala Morlanda with boy

                         Afternoon:  Dive at Cala Morlanda with 3 Spaniards and Wels Rod

Tuesday 26^th – Morning: 2 Dives at Cala Morlanda

                         Afternoon: Check dive at Cala Lliteres

Week 13

Wednesday 27^th – Morning: OW Confined

Thursday 28^th – Day Off

                           Tristan arrived!!!

Friday 29^th – DSDs morning

                      DSDs afternoon

Saturday 30^th – OW theory 1,2 &3 Dale

                          Confined water with Dale

Sunday 31^st – Day off

Monday 1^st –   Fuel from Cala Ratjada

3 DSDs

Tuesday 2^nd – 5 DSDs Cala Lliteras 2 Serbs & 3 English speakers

                        Scuba Review Cala Lliteras

Week 14

Wednesday 3^rd – DSDs Cala Ratjada

                            DSDs Cala Ratjada

Thurday 4^th – DSDs The Lagoon

                       DSDs The Lagoon

Friday 5^th – Shore dive at Cala Morlanda

                    Swimming Pool

Saturday 6^th – Shore dive at Cala Morlanda

                        DSDs in the Lagoon

Monday 8^th – Shore dive Cala Morlanda

                       DSDs the Lagoon

Tuesday 9^th – Shore dive, the Labyrinth

                                    Jonathan Rountree

                       Scuba Review, the Labyrinth

Week 15

Wednesday 10^th – Shore dive, the Labyrinth

                              Scuba Review the Lagoon

FINISHED!

Total Dives = 140

Fish

Gilthead = Dorada

Annular Gilthead = Raspallon

Saupe = Salpa

Cardinal fish = Reyezuelo

Yellow-tail = Serviola

Cabracho = Scorpion fish

Tompot Blenny = Cabruza

Fan mussel = Nacra

Sea Urchin = Erizo de mar (sea eagle!)

Painted Comber = Serrano

Sand goby = Cabuchino

Damsel fish = Castanuela

Red mullet = Salmonete

Cuckoo wrasse = Gallito

Brown wrasse = Merlo

Auxiliary wrasse = Vaqueta (brownish)

Painted wrasse = Tordo (colourful)

Rainbow wrasse = Doncella

Grouper = Mero

Stingray

Heading to the Cathedral, Costa de los Pinos

 The Cathedral and the Three Caves was located on the east of Mallorca.

The majority of the dive sites where I worked were here.

The video shows the Costa de los Pinos and Cala Bona.