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The wonderful Bay of Campomoro

The beautiful island of Corsica rises like a mountain out of the Ligurian Sea. It is covered with a pungent vegetation known as maquis, and it is said that even from some way off, the island, the aroma of thyme, rosemary and lavender is unmistakable. Corsica has a great deal more to offer than just its beautiful landscapes: its long and varied history - and not least the opportunities it offers for scuba diving! - make this island a jewel of the Mediterranean. Scuba diving centres abound throughout the island, most of them German- or French-run and the romantic west coast of the island offers the best diving opportunities, alternating as it does, its jagged, rocky gulfs with sand and gravel bays.

W e start our diving-trip in Ile Rousse and travel on the "MS-Beluga," - an old steel ship adapted for Scuba diving by Hans and Gerda Berz - to the "Reef of the Sleeping Virgin". The reef starts approx. 60 feet below the surface and descends to a depth of around 135 feet. We let us drift on the current and admire the spectacle of these rocks, totally covered by yellow Creeplet. The full impact of the reef's beauty is best enjoyed at a depth of around 90 feet. The red and white Sea Fans, their large fan-like fronds gently waving in the current, are absolutely captivating. The horny corals in these waters can grow to an amazing 4.5 feet. We can't believe that we are actually in the Mediterranean.

D own in the south-west of the island, a little further south than Calvi, is another favourite diving venue of ours. Spiny Lobsters of all sizes peep out of the small, rocky caves, their feelers with the chemical sensors gently moving with the current. These creatures come out onto the rocks at night in their search of food.

Sea Breams, so called "Salema"
A giant shoal of Sea Breams passes by. These fish belong to the species "Diplodus" and grow to about 1.5 feet. They are primarily herbivorous and one interesting fact is that they always look for food at exactly the same time on a certain area of seaweed. They feed primarily on algae. We get very close to these school of fish, without them making any attempt to move away. I can see a moray eel (Muraena helena) in a rock crevice. I always wonder why the creature is so called, because it doesn't in the slightest resemble that beautiful of woman of ancient Greece! Mouth open to reveal its sharp strong teeth, it waits in the crevice for food. With a jerk I pull my dive buddy Klaus away from a large conger eel coming out of the ground close to him. A tangle with this creature could be very painful.

E very rock crevice offers further glimpses of Corsica's underwater world, whether it be the red Scorpionfish, tube worms and fan worms, cuttlefish and octopus, the plentiful yellow anemones (yellow Creeplet), the colourful sponges and red Sea Fans or the red so-called precious corals.

F ilitosa boasts many reminders of earlier civilisations, including examples of dolmens and menhirs, from the Megalithic Age - a very important archaeological discovery in Corsica.

A jaccio, Corsica's second largest town, was the birthplace of Napoleon and there are many tributes to the famous general in the town, such as the "Cours Napoleon" (the main road), the many statues or even the tiny figures in the window displays of the souvenir shops.

T he "Calanche" area, with its reddish rock formations shows how powerful the forces of nature can be. These huge rocks rising steeply from the waves have been given their dramatic shapes and the cracks and crevices that make them so interesting, by the action of the waves upon them over thousands of years. Fango-Valley is a good place to pause and take a dip in the warm river water, which flows down from the mountains. And if you are lucky, you may also catch sight of the small fresh water eels which abound here.

I t is said to have been in Calvi that Admiral Nelson lost his eye in 1794. Today the town is the home of the 'smart set', but there is something for everyone here, whether it be the charm of the beautiful old citadel-town, or the many cafes around the half-moon bay. There is even the wreck of an aeroplane in the bay in front of the old town, known as "The Bomber of Calvi". The American B-17G went down on 1944 and now lies about 90 feet down, totally overgrown.

T he coast road, with its terrifying hairpin bends, winds its way up to Nonza, a beautiful village situated on the northern-most tip of the island. Nonza is built on a cliff which stands 600 feet high, and offers the most fabulous view of the surrounding bay with its dramatic black gravel. The gravel was in fact a product of a former asbestos factory nearby, but it is difficult to imagine the bay without it!

D iving on Corsica's west coast means deep diving and decompression stops are usually necessary. As many of the creatures of the Mediterranean are nocturnal, it is essential to do some night diving. I do this with my friend Yann, an instructor in Campomoro.

Red Coral "Corail du Corse" are used for jewellery-making
S inking slowly down in the inky water, I realise that the beam of my lamp cannot penetrate far into the intense blackness. But gradually the underwater world emerges and its nocturnal occupants - crayfish, lobster, spider crabs, spanish lobster, shrimps and so on - remain motionless, blinded by the strong light of my lamp. Just the right moment for taking macro-photos. The polyps of the red corals "Corail du Corse" are only visible at night, when their white tentacles peep out of the red calcium carbonate shells, so coveted for jewellery-making. It is a most unusual sight!

S uddenly a large, black shadow is cast over the dark water. A shark? A grouper? Or perhaps a tuna? I will never know for sure, but I still remember the keen fear I felt at the time! The small sea slugs at least look peaceful, feeding on the sponges with their small tongues! The next day I go to see the big Dusky Groupers of Lavezzi. These huge, majestic fish can grow up to 6 feet long in these waters and they live around the Lavezzi Islands to the south-east of Corsica. They are quite famous these days, attracting scuba divers from all over the world, and it certainly is an unforgettable experience to feed these extremely curious fish! Carefully, I pull a boiled egg from my bag and suddenly I can't see a thing! I'm surrounded by a huge swarm of fish - all kinds of fish, including the groupers - they appear from nowhere to partake of the meal and competition is rife! Then the egg disappears into the cavernous mouth of one of the groupers.

I n the bay of Porto-Vecchio the "Wreck of the Drunkards" lies on the sea bed, a large cruiser sunk by an alcoholic crew! The wreck is guarded by red and brown scorpionfish, sea slugs and tube-worms. A purple starfish walks soundless on the soft sand and an octopus peeps out of a hole in the ruined hull. Anemones and reddish sponges grow on the hull and their growth marks the passing of time. This dive is in fact the last in our diving trip. There is a lot more to discover here and we decide to visit this beautiful island again, with its delightful aroma and its fabulous landscapes.

Sea slug, the Dark-Pointed Dorid