My first dive in Bandol

About kelly the 29 / 06 / 2021 Reading time: 7 min

Célia, Mélanie and myself (Kelly), had the chance to test for you, the first dive with Manta Club. The opportunity to test and share with you this unique experience ... Spoiler: it was too good!

Arrival at the club

To be quite frank, diving scared me a little. Maybe my claustrophobic side that stood out a little too much. So i was mixed between intense joy to finally be able to dive and irrational fear to get stuck underwater!

The appointment was made and we went, all three, at the beginning of the afternoon to the diving club of Manta club. It is located next to the stadium car park, on the Corniche Bonaparte.

There, Eric, the director of the center, and his whole team greeted us with a smile and good humor. After a brief presentation of the club, serious things started!

The preparation

Because a dive needs to be prepared, Eric took the time to explain all the steps to us of it step by step. Or we were going to surrender, how to the dive was going to happen, that specific equipment was going to accompany us, what is a regulator, what is it for… everything.

And you know what ? He was such a pedagogue, human and reassuring, that all my worry evaporated during this half hour of explanations. My only desire now was to go!

We were equipped with a wetsuit, a mask and a pair of fins. Dressed like Commander Cousteau, in his early days anyway, we were ready to go.

The advantage of baptism: you let yourself go. It is the club team, which is by the way very nice and very welcoming, which takes care of your bottles, regulators and all the equipment a little heavy and cumbersome. You just have to let yourself be guided.

Departure by boat

Head for the Manta Club boat, located just in front of the Center. Once men and equipment loaded, we left for a short crossing towards Ile Rousse.

This little piece of land, visible from the coastal pathIs a protected area where fishing and landing are prohibited. All this in fact a privileged place to observe marine flora and fauna.

We throw ourselves into the water ?

Who says baptism, often says novice. And that's why we did not dive all three at the same time, but one after the other. So, Eric accompanied us and held hands, literally, throughout our dive. Un individualized service So who, I assure you, is essential for this kind of experience.

Looped jumpsuit, bottle on the back, mask on the face and fins on the feet, it's high time to go see what's going on below. I then sitting at the edge of the boat, facing the sea, to take the plunge. And yes, facing the sea. Because according to Eric's words and precious experience, if we dive from behind, we find ourselves making unnecessary antics in the water. And believe me, with all this material on your back, you don't want to cavort!

So I threw myself into the water with Eric who was waiting to receive me.

Clear water diving

First step, blow bubbles. It may sound silly, but it is actually essential ! Because it is by breathing correctly in the regulator, with your mouth, as you start to blow bubbles. And since this regulator will serve as your lung, believe me you will like to blow bubbles before going further.

With the bubble diploma in hand, the time had come to explore the seabed. Eric, still holding my hand, started to deflate my vest so I could sink and so start the discovery.

Be careful to breathe well while covering your nose to decompress and you avoid unnecessary earaches. But don't panic, the team will explain to you how, before and during the dive.

The exploration began. As we went down, quite a few species began to show themselves to us. So, silver sars, multicolored saupes and peacock wreaths were there. Without forgetting the magnificent starfish with a flamboyant orange red and the beautiful black sea urchins nestled in the hollows of the rocks.

The most impressive, for my part anyway, was to see the underwater life from below. It may sound silly but, being a snorkelling enthusiast, I used to see fish from above, from the surface. There, being submerged under water, we crossed the benches in front, and we could admire all this marine life from the bottom. Watch the fish feed on the algae they found, watch the sea urchins move their spines right in front of our eyes… just being there, among them, like everything was normal. Everything seemed incredibly light.

Little regret having forgotten the GoPro on the boat … But hey, at least that makes indelible memories in our minds, which only belong to us!

Special mention to Eric, who was fair Great. He held our hands from start to finish, took our news underwater very regularly, paid close attention to us, guided us and showed us the different species ... it was just perfect.

It's time to go back up

After 30 minutes of experience and 6m of depth descended, it was time to go back to the boat. Again, it was enough to let go. Eric and his team took care of recovering equipment and bottle. Our only mission was to swim up to the ladder of the boat.

You will tell me, but if we go one by one, we won't get bored on the boat? The answer is quickly answered: no. Because in the meantime, swimming and paddling are on the program.

It's already over ?

After an afternoon spent between the surface and the seabed, it was time to get back to port. Once again, you don't take care of anything, they take care of everything: unloading the equipment, cleaning, logistics… everything was planned.

Then, after some chatting with the team, the moment of graduation has arrived. We are officially baptized diving, and we are very proud of it. Besides, I think it shows in the photo!

COVID-friendly

Sanitary measures at Manta Club are serious business! Disinfection tanks for equipment and combinations are available right out of the water. Special products for diving are used to disinfect everything. Thus, from the regulator to the wetsuit through the fins, everything you will need will have been cleaned and disinfected with care.

the balance sheet

In short: unreal.

I was left excited but worried, with lots of misconceptions and here I am soothed and delighted to have had this unique experience at least once. To have finally been able discover this Mediterranean next to which I grew up and which had remained rather mysterious until then.

We recommend that you all do this at least once in your life. Small or large, moreover, because baptism is open from 8 years old.

It was magical. A big thank you to the entire Manta Club team, to Eric and his family as well as to Stéphanie for their gentleness, their pedagogy and their kindness.

See you soon for new experiences!