Location: Andrixtol Bay, Mallorca
Today we left the anchorage that had been our home for a week. Protected from the prevailing northerlies and with a sandy bottom, Andrixtol has been a calm place to exist. The 10-meter depth and good visibility in the water made it a great location to finish off our PADI Open Water course from Vela, and the cliff face at the western edge made for a perfect deep dive and the start of Advanced Open Water, the gradient of the cliff continuing down beneath the waterline, changing as it descends from bare rock to a mat of aquatic life.
I was concerned that our departure would have upset the octopus that had taken up residence in our anchor. It was first seen by our first group of OW divers practicing their skills on the sea-bed and became a regular attraction on every descent. Speculation flew around s to why it has moved into our huge Danforth buried in the sand, with the theory most convincing to me being that it enjoyed a high advantage on an otherwise flat landscape. As the anchors moved to face the wind, the disturbances would bring food. On our last dive, we found that it had killed (or maybe found) a ray, and so its larder stocked for a while.
And so we set off again into the light airs that has been our theme for the Med. Anchor up, staysails up, motoring across smooth seas. As our head starts to turn towards the Straits, we think of the Atlantic and the trade winds and diving in the Caribbean without a wetsuit!
Photo 1: Beautiful Sunrise
Photo 2: Joe, Kendra, and Zoe running through passage prep
Photo 3: View of Vela in the Bay
Photo 4: Divers 10m Down in crystal clear water
Photo 5: Liz’s half-moon over the cliffs