Diving along the Black Sea coast in Northern Bulgaria
Diving has become in recent years a favourite pastime with Bulgarian and foreign holiday makers on the Black Sea coast. Well-equipped with diving outfits and underwater cameras, and accompanied by experienced instructors, the adventures take a plunge into the waters of the Black Sea and head straight for underwater caves and reefs, or shipwrecks, or military aircraft lying on the bottom of the sea. On their way to the depths of the sea the divers meet various representatives of the maritime flora and fauna, including several endangered species. It is a unique experience and hides no risk at all whatsoever, the experts from the Vodasport centre for underwater sports claim. The centre lies in the village of St. Nikola near the Rusalka (“Mermaid”) resort. “People come to us to take them to interesting places from the underwater world, and it is our job to provide them with a safe and pleasant diving,” Nikolay Mitev, owner of the centre explains. Before diving into the salty waters of the Black Sea tourists are given brief instructions and familiarized with safety regulations. This is followed by a screening of a video of some of the landmarks they are about to enjoy on the sea bed. Diving under water is held April-November, but the summer months remain the most favourable time for this extreme sport. The greatest enthusiasts come from the UK, Germany and Russia. Children also dive deep into the waters of the sea. In the opinion of their parents this is the best way to get them to appreciate nature and rescue it one day from the devastating incursions of contemporary civilization. The youngest age at which diving can be allowed is 8 years. On the contrary, there is no upper age limit, provided the person does not have a major health condition that makes diving contraindicated. There is a lot to see in the depths of the Black Sea, but one has to keep one’s eyes wide open and be on the alert for chance ‘meetings’ with representatives of the maritime flora and fauna, experienced divers argue. In their words this is the only way for one to spot the ‘masters of camouflage’, i.e. the flounder, the sea dragon or the sea scorpion. Their incredible ability to alter their external colouring depending on the environment poses a serious challenge even to the sharpest eyesight, Nikolay maintains. In his words the many cave and rock formations along the Black Sea coast have turned into a safe habitat for the underwater world, and especially near the reefs next to their openings the sea swarms with crustaceans and all kinds of fish. The mating games of the sea horse in June, for instance, are a lovely sight, as well as the darting of the anchovy schools in late summer. “The constant duels of the crabs on the seabed will certainly make you lose track of time and space,” Nikolay says and adds that is not very infrequent that one chances upon a ‘jelly fish snowfall’, a fairy sight that evokes mysticism. And finally, if you are very lucky you may even sight a Black Sea shark in its natural habitat. In recent years divers have expressed genuine interest in sunken ships and aircraft. According to Nikolay, some of the wrecks are 3-4 000 years old. Those were merchant fleet sunken in antiquity times, but the largest number however belongs to manowars and aircraft from World War II. “Divers are looking in particular for them because they have become a sort of an artificial reef for the flora and fauna. Some of the foreigners come here equipped with preliminary information about a certain vessel or aircraft and demand that we take them exactly there,” Nikolay contends. Sea diving is in fact an experience very much similar to levitating in Outer Space. It is no coincidence that the underwater world is perceived as the mirror reflection of Outer Space, as it is the same feeling of weightlessness. That is why astronauts spend some of their training under water. Much like space explorers divers in the Black Sea feel like the true discoverers of a mystique world that remains inaccessible to the majority of the people.
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