Try a marine adventure in the Med for a honeymoon you won’t forget.
With crystal clear waters and the idyllic balmy temperatures of the Med, Ibiza is the perfect honeymoon island for thrill-seeking couples wanting to combine the deep-sea adventures of Scuba diving or snorkelling with dreamy beaches and romance.
Now you can buddy up with your beau and get the heart racing with PADI’s (the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, www.padi.com) Dive and Stay Packages via the company’s travel arm, PADI Travel, (www.travel.padi.com/) which offers honeymooners exclusive stays at luxury hotels on the islands with top notch fine dining options alongside his and hers experiences including private boat excursions, underwater wildlife photography courses and daily dives or deep sea snorkelling excursions to explore the diverse marine life.
During our stay we opted to experience the perfect couple’s activity – snorkelling with Scuba Ibiza Diving Center. Olga, our booking advisor is a delight and as courteous as she is friendly. We get to the diving centre, are met by owner, Paulo, introduced to our boat captain, Marlon and the friendly small group of passengers who’ll be either snorkelling or scuba diving on the afternoon excursion with us. Owned by long time Scuba diving expert and rescue diver, Paulo Peixoto (Ibiza’s answer to Jacques Cousteau) Scuba Ibiza Diving Center operates in the Marina and Paulo works closely with organisations on local marine conservation efforts. There aren’t any rookies on the trip; most are seasoned divers who’ve known Paulo and his team for years and who regale tales of dives and marine life they’ve encountered over the years to us. Ibiza is the perfect place to come and test your skills as a diver once you’ve passed a few courses but it’s also a great place to learn too. On the way to our chosen dive spot, Paulo gives us a thorough safety demonstration, helps us with our wetsuits and kits including ensuring no one has any ill-fitting leaky masks.
You do need a PADI certificate to enter the waters to dive, but not for snorkelling where you’ll sail to the same pristine clear waters as the divers, but be left unaccompanied for the time (except for the boat’s captain and with the safety equipment of course) to peacefully swim along with the terrific marine life and gorgeous surrounding coves. Advanced divers on our excursion can summersault off deep underwater for the time of their lives.
The fine warm waters of the Med (the subaquatic temperatures average around 25C to 28C) and the excellent wetsuits meant we ease quickly into the turquoise sea and never feel the cold even when we venture deeper under water and take our snorkels off.
The waters only ever become choppy from passing boats which are few and far between since Paulo seems to have monopolised the perfect secret snorkelling and diving spot.
Visibility is excellent; microscopic shoals of fish flit past us at every turn and sea horses careen around the boat at lightening speed. Moray eels make an appearance behind some rocks and the longer we swim, with the sun beating down on our backs, we are gifted with the presence of grouper fish, peculiarly bright and royal looking fish and even an octopus.
It’s one of the most energising and fun days spent on the island and of course it’s everything to do with Ibiza’s colourful underwater world but also Paulo’s gentle nature (I’m guessing so much time meditating with the ocean gives you a Zen advantage).
How To Book:
Scuba Ibiza Diving Center. Marina Botafoch, 101 – 102, 07800 Ibiza, Balearic Islands (Spain) is PADI certified dive centre. Visit www.scubaibiza.com and contact +34 971 192 884 via WhatsApp or email info@scubaibiza.com for more information. The snorkelling package costs from £47.82 per person without a Divemaster and includes boat transfers, locker storage, wet suits and kit. Scuba diving prices start from £95.64. A full PADI Open Water Diver Course costs £433.88. Flights to Ibiza were with JET2 (WWW.JET2.COM)
PADI’s Scuba Certification – Everything you need to know to learn to scuba before or on the honeymoon
The first step is to book your PADI Open Water Diver Course with a verified PADI Dive Centre where you’ll receive training from qualified dive professionals who’ll guide you through your underwater journey. PADI training can be undertaken at a centre in the UK or certified resort overseas. PADI’s Open Water Diver course is the world’s most popular and widely recognised scuba diving certification and you can become a certified diver in as little as four days with it. Once both of you are certified, you and your groom can scuba dive and connect with the marine natural world unsupervised, rent or purchase scuba diving gear, book excursions with dive boats and resorts directly too.
What’s in the PADI Open Water Course?
Phase one of the course is theory based; you have to be in good physical health (you may need an doctor’s assessment but your PADI centre will advise) and you’ll learn all about scuba equipment, terminology, and watch videos of diving skills on your laptop or phone. It’s self-directed study averaging eight hours to complete and there’s a final exam at the end.
During phase two, you’ll take your first underwater breath in a calm environment such as a swimming pool or tranquil lagoon (known as “confined water”). You’ll practice basic diving skills like clearing water from your mask, ascending and descending. Your instructor will demonstrate and review the skills with you until you’re comfortable performing them on your own. When you’re ready, you’ll move on to the final phase, open water diving!
You’ll learn to dive by diving to a maximum depth of 60 feet during phase three – the final stage. The open water course includes four open water dives in total, usually done over two days. With your instructor by your side, you’ll practice the skills you learned in confined water, and explore the underwater world. Once you’ve completed all four open water dives, you’ll become a certified diver – free to explore the oceans as you desire. To get started on your PADI Open Water Diver Course contact your local PADI Dive Centre by visiting www.padi.com.
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