Crimea isn't just sun and sand - a couple clubs will teach you to scuba dive in the Black Sea and show you some of the most interesting seascapes in the world: replete with shipwrecks, caves and even an underwater gallery featuring busts of Soviet leaders.
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Certainly, I appreciated the beauty of my surroundings. From the old Black Sea military port of Balaklava, we embarked by boat across the Black Sea to the legendary Yekaterininsky grotto – one of the favored Crimean getaway destinations of Empress Catherine the Great.
Skipping over the waves and sousing us with salty foam, the boat proceeded along the same route the empress used to take more than 200 years ago. A warm coniferous smell from the wooded cliffs scented the fresh breeze. Seeing giant rocks overhanging the sea on the left and the sparkling expanse of water on the right, I began to understand the empress’ infatuation with the place.
The grotto is a large cave, about 50 meters deep, just big enough to house a small sailboat. According to legend, Catherine would have the boat crew wait outside while she and Prince Grigori Potemkin would spend hours alone in the grotto – probably admiring the light beams dancing on the walls.
But what struck me the most upon our arrival were the jellyfish. The jellyfish, ranging from fist‑sized to bigger than a human head, swarmed around the entrance. As we tumbled off the boat, we got an even closer look at them, our wetsuits protecting us from stings, we could sit back and enjoy the show. Floating there in the deep blue water, the round white jellyfish looked like snowflakes gracefully falling during a silent winter storm.
Moving along the cliffs and cutting through schools of fish, we gradually descended down to 20 meters – the limit for beginners. Our first thought was dinner, so in addition to admiring the scenery, we gathered a huge sack of mussels for dinner, plucking them from the rocks. Experienced divers are known to eat raw mussels right there under the water, but we decided to pack ours away to cook onshore.
And the three of us still wanted to get more diving in first. Led by our instructor Volodymyr Avramenkov, we went to the adjacent Revushchy (Roaring) grotto. When the sea is stormy, the sound of air bursting from the mouth of the cave rises to a roar. But even though the waves were sizeable the day we dove, conditions on the sea floor nine meters down were calm and still.
One of the attractions of Revushchy grotto is its freshwater springs. If you move a stone, air bubbles may start running along the edge, indicating spring water coming from underneath.
After spending time in the drowsy, dark‑green light of the grotto, it was with regret that we returned to the surface – to be struck with a profusion of light, motion and sound. However, the promise of a mussel dinner was enough incentive to return to the boat and head for a neighboring bay. There, one pair set about building a fire and prying open the mussels while the other cut up the cheese and vegetables. A delicious‑smelling stew was soon simmering.
But before we could dive into the food, our instructor led us on one more dive. We leapt at the chance, but because it was already dark, we first had to receive some instruction on how to communicate during a night dive.
We moved slowly, lighting the way ahead with underwater lamps. The seaweed swayed in the current and, in long pink and crimson strands, waved like a woman’s hair. Occasionally, the beam would land on a surprised crab, causing it to raise its claws in defense, or on a sleepy‑looking fish whose expression seemed to say, “Turn off that light and leave me alone!”
After returning to the bay and our dinner, Avramenkov praised us for the discipline we’d displayed. But we apparently left our restraint at sea as we immediately hungrily dug into our food without taking our wetsuits off first.
When we returned to Balaklava later that night, I felt as if the day had been a great adventure.
“The Black Sea is not as colorful and rich in flora and fauna as the tropical seas, but an attentive diver will find many fascinating things here,” said Avramenkov, who is also director of the Kyiv‑based Alex Diving Center.
Besides the many caves, the Crimean coast – with its combination of sea, mountains and forest – simply makes for a beautiful setting.
“It’s very important what you see as you go out to dive,” Avramenkov added. “In Egypt or the Mediterranean, you see deserts or villages. Here you can come out on a deserted beach, make a bonfire and cook
| Diving instructor Volodymyr Avramenkov prepares to enter another world. |
the shellfish that you’ve caught.”
The Black Sea is actually cleaner today than it was 10 years ago because many polluting plants have closed down for economic reasons. The Black Sea has witnessed a resurgence of many kinds of fish stocks, including the gray mullet. The numbers of mussels and other shellfish also have increased dramatically, giving scuba divers more to look at – but not to kill. Scuba hunting is considered poaching under Ukrainian law. Divers also have their own unwritten rules and don’t disturb sea animals like crabs.
But there are plenty of other things to search for underwater. The Crimean coast is a trove for treasure hunters, with shipwrecks littering the offshore areas. The most concentrated stretch lies between Cape Khersones near Sevastopol and Cape Tarkhankut farther up the west coast. Avramenkov said that near the ancient east coast city of Yevpatoria, wrecks date back to the 1700s and heavy storms occasionally toss fragments of pottery and Turkish sabers to shore. War ships and Greek merchant vessels lie buried in the sand below.
Where to dive
4 Cape Tarkhankut – Besides being the site of numerous wrecks, clear water and beautiful seascapes, Tarkhankut also boasts a unique, underwater “gallery” featuring dozens of busts of Soviet leaders, including Lenin and Stalin, that informally evolved over the past decade.
4 Kalamitsky Bay, Yevpatoria – Lying some 25 meters down are the remains of the German transport steamer Santa Fe and submarine U‑102, both of which sank within a month of each other 1943. According to one version, the sub mistook the Santa Fe for a Soviet vessel and fired at it. Both cargo and weapons can still be seen on the site.
4 Khersones Reserve Museum – Lying nearly 20 meters below the surface of the sea, the “museum” features an ancient fortress, anchors of various shapes and sizes as well as fragments of Greek pottery.
4 Cape Aya – The cape boasts one of the most accessible and, consequently, popular wrecks in Crimea; that of a ship laden with wine that went down in a heavy storm in 1904. Located 22 meters down, the ship’s deck is still intact and, though covered with barnacles, the scale of the massive screws can still be seen.
4 Simeiz – Simeiz is one of the best places to spot dolphins. Go diving early from a boat several kilometers from shore and there’s a good chance you’ll come across a school of dolphins and be able to swim with them. At the nearby Lebedinka Beach there’s also a 50‑meter labyrinth of underwater caves. Finally, there’s the wreck of a World War II‑era American bomber lying at 15 meters.
September in Crimea is known as the “velvet season” – when the sun is no longer scorching hot but the water is still warm and there are fewer vacationers. It’s also simply a better time for diving, because the water becomes clearer as it begins to cool down. In fact, with the right equipment, it’s possible to dive year‑round in the Black Sea. Some have even been known to celebrate New Year’s underwater, complete with a yolka tree and champagne.
ALEX DIVING CENTER
2/3 Serhyenko, Kyiv.
Tel: 559‑1927.
www.diving.com.ua
A PADI open‑water diving course costs $250. You can pass the course at the center’s base in Simeiz, Crimea.
One dive with instructor and
equipment costs $25.
A day trip from Simeiz to Balaklava costs $65 per person, including two guided dives, equipment, boat trip and dinner. A diving cruise to Kalamitsky Bay to see the Santa Fe and U‑102 wrecks costs $250 per person
for three days.
Alex is planning its first‑ever diving cruise to Zmiyiny Island near Odessa, said to be the gravesite of the legendary Greek hero Achilles. The three‑day trip is planned for late September and costs $300 per person. Contact Volodymyr Avramenkov at
(8‑050) 311‑8755 for details.
AQUAMARINE DIVING CENTER
5 Nazukina Quay, Balaklava.
Tel: (0692) 53‑03‑52.
www.voliga.ru/index.htm
An open‑water diving course costs $260.
One dive with instructor and
equipment costs $25.
A two‑day diving cruise to view the wrecks of western Crimea costs $800 for
a group of up to five people.
