Diving trip in SOF Cassis (pics)

[BartW]

with all these threats about how to post pics,.....
I took some time posting about our diving trip last october.
We went to Cassis with some friends by car, and the boat on the trailer,
some more friends came by TGV and some others by Ryanair,




after a 1070km drive, we put the boat in the water on a good slibway in La Ciotat

Our homebase is the very nice harbour of Cassis. We got a mooring position on the first lane, right in front of the bars and the restaurants, next to that Aprea Mare boat.

this is another picture from Cassis harbour from last year, when we had a mooring place completely on the other side

here you can see the first callanque to the west of Cassis, which is in fact another harbour called Port Miou

tourists boats are visiting the callaques in the area,

this was on a sunday, we were moored in cal. de Port Pin, on the background you can see the locals sunbathing,
behind the rock they were swimming, just like we did, water was 23°C mid october.
On the pic we were preparing for the next dive

and turquoise at some points

here at the end of the day, returning in the harbour

we usually did a full day trip, one dive before and a second dive after lunch,
here we had lunch in a nice restaurant in cal. de Morgiou

prepairing for a dive in front of Bec d'aigle

more pics of bec d'aigle

here we had a lunch stop / pic nic on island Bendor, just in front of Bandol

happy divers waiting for the next dive on Bendor

the girls wanted an icecream, on the island was no icecreamshop,
so I made a quick hopover to Bandol for 2 icecream.
SWMBO doesn't like icecream so she was able to make this pic when we came back to Bendor.

preparing for another dive, In front of la ciotat.
Coincidently on the pic in the background you can see a big yard for superyachts, don't know more about this place, (some mates on here might know) I never investigated, the only thing I know there are alway's a few superyachts (+100ft) moored for maintenance or rebuild, and some on the dry, under a huge movable buylding (can glide over the yacht)

this is another lunch stop at Goudes

We have been diving on islands Riou, Jarre and Maire, and famous points such as: Le Grand Conglué, Impérial de Large, Les Posiers, ... and Wrecks ao L'arroyo, Dalton, ...and some caves and grottes.



this was a pic nic at Cal. de Sormiou

Usually SWMBO was helming the boat, she dropped us at the diving spot, and waited during our dive approx 45min.



towards the end of the day she helmed us savely home,
going backwords in the mooring space was awquate (very narrow space in front) but she managed very well

and then the end of the day, reorganising the diving stuff, and bringing scuba tanks for filling to the dive shop (on the quai, just opposite the boat).
after that a shower and then the gastronomic part of the trip, but that's not boaty, so I gues thats for another forum, but worth another interesting story,
but I believe that my quotum for nr of pictures is fully used

 

[epervier]

Bartw,

Excellent post, great pictures,

thank you for sharing with us.

 

[longjohnsilver]

Great pics Bart. Don't expect weather (or vis!!) like that here next September. Hope the diving was good.

Have you decided yet where you're going to base yourself.

 

[jfm]

Great pictures Bart, thanks. I've cruised that area, but only once so I don't know it well,and it was windy/rough so I couldn't get into some of the calanques. Cassis port looked nice. The superyacht yard in La Ciotat is a branch of Monaco Marine, and as you say they do a lot of large yacht work there. Mirabella 5 had her mast removed there last year for her 4 year rig inspection, using a 100m mobile crane that came on 13 lorries. I've got as picture of that somewhere

It was good to see all those details of the K2660. Fantastic boat, and great looking. In the stern to moored shots she is a long way from the quay. How do you get on/off? Jump?

Thanks again for the post/pictures

 

[Divemaster1]

Nice ones....

Now what we want next is the underwater ones so we can convert the non-divers here.....

 

[BartW]

Great pics Bart. Don't expect weather (or vis!!) like that here next September. Hope the diving was good.

Have you decided yet where you're going to base yourself.

not yet decided where to base in september, but have really considered all your remarks, thanks for that, still have a lot of reading to do in some specialised books.

but for october next year, definitly Cassis again, the diving there is really good,
some of the best in the med + adriatic, and we have done Spain, Rosas and estartit, Croatia, Dubrovnic, Hvar, Rab, and friends have done Malta and Italy.

Region Varoise (that part of SOF) is really special,
here some teasers sorry no real pro pictures

caves (some very big ones)

a old Canon

a Conger eal and a murene in that canon

very nice gorgones

langouste

many scorpion fish

many fish around wrecks

you have a VERY nice boat John !

 

[BartW]

It was good to see all those details of the K2660. Fantastic boat, and great looking. In the stern to moored shots she is a long way from the quay. How do you get on/off? Jump?

Thanks again for the post/pictures

yes I am very pleased with the boat, we have had a lot of fun with her.
I am still thinking of a "bigger " boat you know about, but thats for later. Because for now, this kind of setup allows us to make a maximum use of the boat, considering the available time, with work, family and friends.
This season we did 160hrs, last season 140hrs, I discovered this week there is a log figure of +3700 nm in RM C80.
This could only be achieved with such a multi purpose boat,

to get on and off ?
for loading and unloading crew and equipment, I loose the bowline a little and pull the sternlines so that there is a gap of less then half a metre between quay and boot.
when I leave the boat alone, I make the sternlines longer, and pull the bowline very tight and I jump. (or pull a sternline a little while jumping)
have been thinking about a small ramp, but we have no room for that,
and not really needed while we are still young

thanks for posting !

 

[BartW]

Nice ones....

Now what we want next is the underwater ones so we can convert the non-divers here.....

your call

see previous post

 

[AndieMac]

Another great post Bart....well done

They certainly pack the boats in close together, you would need a lot of confidence and skill to berth in a strong cross wind.

Noticed the West Highland terriers, are they your own? Beaut little dogs, very popular here.

Cheers

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Great post, Bart. I too know that coast a little as we had a few weeks in Port St Louis before going on to Majorca. Agree with jfm. It seems you were lucky with the weather. We always had wind on our trips and often bad weather too. You did not miss anything by not visiting La Ciotat. It's an industrial port and not very interesting to visit.
You have a nice boat too. It looks very practical and the blue hull looks great

 

[scubaman]

Fantastic pics of what looks to have been a fantastic trip! Thanks for posting!

Underwater pics are a teaser indeed. Sorry for drifting slightly but I just had to post this clip from my local waters. It was a good day to actually see some aquatic life. So, extra appreciation of your pics, they made me miss getting back into the water again, though.

 

[Nick_H]

Thanks Bart, great photos.

 

[Major Catastrophe]

Fabulous report. Can#t wait to start diving next year.

Just a small point, is it usual to display your dive flag all the time, even when parked at the quay?

 

[BartW]

Noticed the West Highland terriers, are they your own? Beaut little dogs, very popular here.

Cheers

Andie,
the two dogs are from my friends, two couples who are the main contributors to this trip.
when they are quite and polite (the dogs),
they are allowed to join us on the boat every now and then.
last year once they were sea sick together with the lady's, oh what a mess

I have no dogs, I have other sources of concern, ao a boat

 

[BartW]

Can#t wait to start diving next year.

no you don't want that,
the diving is just an excuse to be on the boat,
at the end of the day I usually say, "couldn't we skip the diving part "

Just a small point, is it usual to display your dive flag all the time, even when parked at the quay?

correct !
normally it should be taken off, but as I see many professional diving boats with the flag permanently on, also in the harbour, I didn't bother.

I still have to make some clips to fit them on and off more easyly,
now it is just with ty-raps on the antenna

but I do take off the anker ball

 

[jfm]

OK, I'm a novice diver, like 10-12 dives. That conger looks very unfriendly. What's the score? Is it actually very friendly and it's only kidding when it snarls and shows its teeth in a "I'm gonna bite your arm off" way? If I see one like that should I stroke it and make friends? Or should I craap myself? (I find even the photo scary!) How close was the camera?

 

[MapisM]

Bart: great report, thanks for taking the time to prepare and post it.
Just curious, how do you keep your trailer in such fantastic shape?
Do you rinse and clean it after every usage?

If I see one like that should I stroke it and make friends? Or should I craap myself?

Imho neither, J.
"Live and let live" in not only the more appropriate approach, in an environment where we're just guests, but also the safer.
The animal in the pic is unfriendly because it's scared by the diver, which is pretty big, full of weird bits, makes a lot of bubbles and possibly flashes. A sort of monster, from its viewpoint...
In fact, that's not an unusual reaction - see below.
But not dangerous either, as long as you're not messing with it.
Here the camera was at 2 to 3 ft, I'd guess in Bart pic the distance was similar.
You have to be very close to the subjects underwater, to get a decent lighting from the flash.

 

[Kawasaki]

Fabulous report. Can#t wait to start diving next year.

Bleedin eck Major.
Bass are not that hard to catch

 

[BartW]

OK, I'm a novice diver, like 10-12 dives. That conger looks very unfriendly. What's the score? Is it actually very friendly and it's only kidding when it snarls and shows its teeth in a "I'm gonna bite your arm off" way? If I see one like that should I stroke it and make friends? Or should I craap myself? (I find even the photo scary!) How close was the camera?

The one with open mouth is a Murene, the grey one is the conger.
Some divers think that Murenes can be dangerous when they are angry, but that's not thrue. Mario is right, they are very scared.
They are night animals, so they want to be left alone.
And it is the right advice to touch nothing under water !

The pictures where taken I think at about 1 ft
underwater flashes only work till max 3ft

 

[BartW]

Just curious, how do you keep your trailer in such fantastic shape?
Do you rinse and clean it after every usage?

Mario,
perhaps you have not noticed but it is a alluminium trailer (Harbeck)
The alluminium is spray painted in metallic collor.
But yes, I rinse it thorowly after every trip (removing the salt)
and in winter time, with the boat off, I wash it with soap and hot water.
the trailer is now 20 months old, but still looks as new.

even with the alluminium trailer I am slightly over weight limit, 3850kg without luggage and empty fuel tank.