CAPO GALERA, HERE EVERY DIVER WOULD LIKE TO REMAIN A "PRISONER" OF THE DIVING CENTER
The name, at first glance, might seem uninviting, even a little "jinx" for the most superstitious, but who has been here sworns that if he could remain "prisoner" forever at Capo Galera Diving Center they would have no hesitation in accepting , to sign with their eyes closed this "sentence" to live every day in this corner of Sardinia where one of the most beautiful land imaginable plunges sheer down towards the dream seabed that only the northwest coast of the island knows to offer.
In practice, two paradises in one. A "miracle" of nature that anyone can see by visiting, even for just a few minutes, the "Dutchman's Villa",as the building that houses the specialized diving center, with professional instructors, founded and directed by Gaddo Risso is commonly called. However, called only and simply "Gaddo", a commercial diver born and raised by the sea of Alghero. A magical place, as Gaddo likes to define it (who even "off season" does not resist the temptation to wear a wetsuit and carry a cylinder, dealing with underwater work in port waters and water collection basins) in a few words. “A unique place to experience the sea, just come to Capo Galera to understand why”. He has understood why since he was a child, at the age of six or seven, he began to go underwater, falling in love with a world destined to become firstly the home of his hobby, then his workplace and the his own life. Determined to "live for the sea and not only for what you can receive from the depths, in terms of pleasure, emotions, but also for what you can give to the sea, helping to defend it", as do many other enthusiasts who have become excellent divers just by visiting his diving center.
A magic that emerges already during navigation along the coasts dotted with ancient towers, on a sea that has seen the mysterious people of the nuraghi arrive, furrowed by the ships of the Phoenicians and the Romans, by the Spanish and barbaresque galleys. A magic that becomes deeper and deeper in diving, and that is not only witnessed by the depth gauge. A plunge into pleasure that begins every day as soon as you wake up, with a view of a photography Oscar-worthy panorama, to be followed with breakfast on board Hande, the splendid gulet moored in the port of Alghero, an original alternative to staying in a hotel. , with maximum comfort a stone's throw from the historic center of the Catalan city. A two-masted 26 meters ship, with accommodation in double cabins with private bathroom and shower, equipped with a large and bright living room entirely covered in fine wood, tables, chairs and a bar area that guarantees maximum comfort, Outside, a wonderful panoramic table and magnificent cushions both aft and bow, which Gaddo "found" in Turkey and with which he crossed the Mediterranean until he anchored in the bay of Capo Galera, in front of the villa.
A villa built on a promontory in the center of the gulf, in the middle of the Mediterranean scrub, where, even if the city with its thousands of attractions is only a quarter of an hour away by car, guests prefer to stop by in the evening, in front of the fire, to tell and hear stories of the sea. A beauty that you never get tired of and that if possible , if you could, to remain imprisoned in Capo Galera, who knows for how long.
Ready, at every awakening, to immerse themselves in something extraordinary because, explains Gaddo, sly as only those who have a name that recalls a cat so much can be seen , "the sea is beautiful, the equipment available would be enough to take a ride on the Titanic, our instructors have more licenses than a Top Gun pilot and lobsters are extremely sociable…This enchanting corner of Sardinia is considered one of the sanctuaries of the sea and one of the most important naturalistic and underwater sites in the world, especially thanks to the presence of countless caves covered with dense blooms of sea daisies, sea anemones, and that in the most sheltered parts hides fantastic ramifications of the precious red coral ".
Undemanding caves, with large entrances and large tunnels, which alternate with others that have long and tortuous tunnels and which are off limits to those who have not achieved a great experience. Like the one that many diving enthusiasts have built in the periods spent in the "Dutchman's villa" (an oilman who built it in the 1950s) capable of accommodating about thirty people, in seaview rooms that have a terrace overlooking the sea.
The diving center offers, in addition to the best of what mother nature has been able to create, also the top of what man has produced: starting with Mares equipment (a brand that has become synonymous of diving for millions of enthusiasts throughout the world with which Gaddo has built up a very strong relationship over the years, becoming "Top Flag Mares Diving center", equipment which is replaced every year, something that practically no one else or almost does. “Three compressors guarantee a recharging capacity of 44 cubic meters”, explains Gaddo, “with a transfer mechanism in intermediate cylinders to guarantee the best air quality”.
And for those who are lazy (at least on land) and could be frightened by the fact that the equipment must be brought from the villa on the cliff, about fifteen meters above the sea, to the boats, here emerges the solution: "Zepp, the old and glorious little boat placed on a track and reused as a lift, which led from the square of the villa to the pier, was replaced by a more convenient freight elevator, to transport wetsuits, masks, snorkels, fins and above all cylinders" . From the pier at the foot of the cliff it becomes child's play to embark on Patrizia, a splendid 15 meters wooden Aprea, built in 1966 by the axe masters of Torre del Greco and completely renovated in 2001 to comfortably carry twenty divers, and reach in short crossings, from ten to thirty minutes, the diving sites. Just enough time to prepare the equipment and look forward to a new dive. Very often explorations halfway between reality and dream, led by expert divers who know every ravine of the coast, every cave and every point where you can hide some fascinating detail.
A range of destinations of which Gaddo and his staff have selected eight fabulous dives: Along the Cliffs, Grotta di Nereo, Grotta della Madonnina, Grotta dei Fantasmi, Grotta dei Cervi, Grotta del Cabirol, Il Porticato, Il Tunnel. Diving that you can talk about endlessly in the evening, making them "live" perhaps even to those who have done "only" snorkeling along the cliffs of the promontory; or maybe they have walked the many paths that lead into the scrub and lead to delightful coves of emerald green water. Or, again, who have chosen to stay dry by visiting Alghero, a city-fortress that preserves intact the towers and ramparts on the sea, and the whole gulf, where man, since the Neolithic, has left his testimonies: nuraghi, necropolis, Roman and medieval ruins.
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