Diving Expedition to Garajau - Spot a Big Mero!

( Foto: Cláudio Vieira)

This weekend I was invited for a diving expedition along with some scuba-divers, under the supervision of Cláudio Vieira, a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor and also an experience freediver.

The day was very cloudy and the wind was blowing stronger from east, so we decided to make the two schedule dive sessions inside Garajau beach.

We gather at Funchal Marina arround 1 o'clock and board inside "Pitanga" yatch, which would take us to our diving spots.

Mr. Cunha, the captain, keept the trip in a good mood with a lot of laughs and plenty of stories to tell.

First Dive Session:

I let the scuba divers go down first, after two minutes or so, i made my first dive to 18m.

When i arrived down there, they were already surround by hundreds of fishes. One black moray (Muraena augusti) and one green dogfish (Pseudolepidaplois scrofa) completed the scenario.

From above, I could easily follow them by the bubbles they made and continued to make some freedives to see what they were doing.

In this series of dives, i saw some charuteiros (Seriola lalandi) near the surface, more deeper i saw a small eagle-ray (Myliobatis aquila) just passing by the scuba-divers at the bottom and a group of sargos-veado (Diplodus cervinus).

But the best was one of the last dives. Near the boat, Mr. Cunha told that some divers were somewere ahead of me and i thought they could only be there for something special. So it was, as i descend through the bubbles, i could´t belive, a big Mero (Epinephelus marginatus) was just bellow me, i just let myself go towards him, but as soon as he spot me he wisely got away.

Second Dive Session:

Well, in the second dive session i was a bit tired and i only dove arround 16m, so there isn´t much to tell.

Freediving with scuba-divers & flying with rays

After a rainy saturday, came a sunday full of light.

I arrived early in the morning, arround 10:30. The sun was cutting in and the ocean was a bliss to see.

Surprisingly, garajau beach was still quiet, only with a few people, probably because half the beach was still in shadow.

As i was preparing to enter the water, a boat full of scuba-divers arrived near the yellow buoy. I found this an excellent opportunity to try to dive with them and see if i could get closer to the Mero (Epinephelus marginatus).

Without second thoughts i went straight to the yellow buoy, warming-up calmly in backstroke. Unfortunately, as i arrived there i looked down, there wasn't any signs of bubbles, so i couldn't know where the scuba-divers were. But no problem, sooner or later they will appear in the bottom since the boat was moored to the buoy.

So i decided to make some progressive dives to the bottom. First dive at 9m, second dive at 15m and a third dive at 18m on the top of bottom rock.

I was now ready to go to the bottom sand. The water was relatively clear and from above i could see perfectly the top of the bottom rock, so i relaxed for a while before diving.

After some breathing preparation i dive down, trying to be align with the iron chain for orientation. As i was getting closer to the bottom rock i slided a bit away towards the sand and let myself go to the depths. Arriving at the bottom i felt relaxed, so i sat down on the sand and closed my eyes for just a moment... As i opened my eyes, scuba-divers were passing by some 15m away and i started to ascend. (max. depth: 23m; total dive time: 1m35s)

Well, after this dive i was done, but i couldn't loose the opportunity to follow the scuba-divers from above and hoped they could spot something. That was what just happen.

As they were turning back at the bottom, some guy pointed is finger to west, trying to show the others that something was there. I couldn't saw it from above, so i prepared myself for a big dive. I descend some metters and look down, but still i couldn't see anything, even thus the guy was still pointing somewhere out there. So i went down a little bit more and looked to the bottom and spot 2 rays flying in the bottom, one of them was bigger than the other so i decided to follow her. I was already in "rocket diving mode" when i passed the scuba-divers and kept my "flight" along with the rays. This experience is one that makes the difference between freediving and scuba-diving, you can really follow them underwater, but of course not for long, i went up.

After this i rested at the yellow buoy and waited for the scuba-divers to come to surface.

As i was starting to heading back to land through a series of small dives, i spot a group of fishes that catch my attention, they were about fifteen sargos-veado (Diplodus cervinus), it seems like i was inside a big aquarium for a moment or two.

Freediving under rain in Garajau - finally the Mero

Today i went to garajau already late in the afternoon. The sun was covered by gray clouds, but i was decided to freedive, since the ocean was calm.

As i was preparing for my freediving session, some thin light rain came along, so i decided to left my stuff undercover and enter through the "calhau"*.

I entered the water and relaxed for a while moving slowly foward to the yellow buoy.

Then i swam a bit of croll and found out at the end that i was surrounded by charuteiros (Seriola lalandi). So my first freedive was with them, underwater arround these thirty fellows.

As i got to surface i realise the current today was stronger than usually to the east and i was nearly 20m left behind the yellow buoy. So i prepare myself for a second dive to approach to the buoy underwater. In the company of my friends i dove to 14m and felt the current pushing me east, but i kept going south west and for my surprise a ray just crossed in front of me at 10m distance, i didn't follow her, cause i wanted to go ahead. Unexpectedly, as i was starting to ascend, i saw a Mero (Epinephelus marginatus) at the bottom at my left side. I was feeling well, so i decided to go down again and followed him for some moments, but as soon as i got to close he simply put the turbo on and bye bye Mero... yet it was awesome 8) with charuteiros, ray and Mero in one single dive.

At the surface i was already in line with the yellow buoy, but still 20m left, so i croll towards there and rest for some 5 to 6 minutes. Looking down, it was completely bluedark with the iron chain, which holds the buoy, disappearing in the depths. It started to rain again, it was already 6 o´clock and there wasn't no one in the beach. But i wasn't feeling alone...

I prepared myself for a long deep dive, already expecting a drift to the east side of the beach caused by the current. I hoped to see the Mero one more time, but i didn't found him, in what i called my first underwater flying experience in Garajau Natural Reserve: i dive in diagonal to the nearly bottom rocks at 17m and just let myself go with the current passing through some rocks and fishes.

I was done for this day.

* calhau - small round stones in a beach

Freediving with a small ray in Garajau - so close

This sunday i arrived a little bit late at Garajau beach it was almost 12 o'clock.

The sun was shining and the ocean was quiet.

Before diving i meet some members of Madeira Natural Park called "vigilantes", with whom i spoke about. They will have an office there to promote and help to preserve the marine wild life found in the Garajau Marine Reserve. I share with them that i am thinking developing a program for people discover freediving.

This time the tide was high and i could easily enter the sea through the stairs and put my wetsuit in the water.

It was a good idea to bring my personal yellow buoy to sign where i am diving, cause some times there could be silent cayakes over there without notice.

Today i felt more tired then the previous weekend, probably because i start running during the week and i wasn't so relaxed.

The dives started well, i made some dives along the shore and spot a small ray moving at the bottom and follow her a bit. Then, when she turn back it was the perfect time to descend, at about 14meters, i freedive very close to her, for some moments i could see perfectly her eyes glancing to me 8).

After that I went to the yellow buoy. The first dive was the deepest to 22m, equalization was ok, but i felt a little bit tired, i stood up on the bottom sand and was amazed with all the fish coming by, but no Mero (Epinephelus marginatus)!

In another dive i though i saw a Mero, but it really was only the small ray looking arround.

I did some more dives, but i really was not getting out any joy of it and even started to cough as i was heading back to land.

Already in land, I cough some more and felt a scratch in my throat. I think this situation was due a bit of stress i was felling during the dives. But my throat will recover well.

What i also notice was that there no current at all, but probably only slightly towards west.