Simply Diving Autum Holiday

Madagascar  12 October - 27 October 2006                                               

We left home to catch our flight from Heathrow for Paris, connecting flight to Madagascar and internal flight to Nosy Be in the north of the island. Flight and travel duration 24hrs. But being ruffy tuffy divers took this in our stride. Hotel - bungalows in a semi - circle with a central swimming pool in tropical surroundings. Beach approximately 100yards away and the dive centre (Forever Diving) run by Sylvia of French background approx 300yards.
Woke up had breakfast comprising of fresh fruit coffee and pancake. Collected dive equipment and off to the dive centre to see Whale shark, dolphins, swordfish and marlin. No request for logbook no dive check on last dives etc - Good Start. Off to the boat which was a 5m hard boat that took about 4 divers, coxswain and helper.
Off we went to a small reef about 10m deep, anchor up and every body over board, from under the boat came  ‘Jan where are you’? Imp on the boat ready to do a buddy check, when a reply came back we have done a check and your not here!! So self check and over I go. Cylinder 190bar up at 80bar 30min dive with a 5m-safety stop. Good safe dive!!. Rest of the diving as regards buddy checks, cylinder fills where similar. Coral diving but all in about 20-30m deep. Fish life not as prolific as say the red sea but what was there was much bigger. Barracuda 1500m long (although I decided not to measure them) monster moray eels and the biggest ever turtle about 2m x 1200w shell. As the egg laying season was soon this was one of the first leatherbacks to arrive. Corals are still pristine and large fan corals are very big, clams very pretty and my favourite clown fish are green with a dark band down there back but as with everything is bigger.