https://blog.usticadiving.com As divers we have access to a world that some people will never be able to see or even appreciate. When conversing with the locals or with people frequently visiting the island who never went scuba diving, I realise they know very little of Ustica and that they’re missing the best part of it. I always say that there’s a Second Island underwater!  That’s why I feel the responsibility to showcase the beauty of the sea and educate those who can’t see it for themselves. Children are the best ones to start with, as they are the future protectors of our planet. By educating and showing children the ocean through a conservationist’s eyes, we can hopefully help them develop their own love for the underwater world and for the marine environment as a whole. Having this principle as the starting point, in the past few years, I’ve been trying to figure out a way to reach the little ones, especially those whose parents wouldn’t ever encourage going scuba diving, or even snorkelling. In my career I have had the privilege to teach numerous kids to scuba dive and to admire their natural ability in staying underwater. But those were a kind of “pre-selected” children, mostly initiated by the family or have already developed a special passion for the sea. Since living on the island all year, my thoughts have been drawn to the local children, but at the same time, to be known mainly as a dive operator working for tourists made it arduous for me to reach out to them, as I was thought to be an alien living in the underwater world and would have nothing to share with kids because of the hazardous activities I perform. From Aquawoman to Advocate The opportunity arose at the beginning of 2023, with the Environmental Foundation Marevivo and the Guardian Dolphins educational program. I was already assigned the responsibility of leading the operational team of Ustica Island for Marevivo Sicilia, but it was only with the approval by the national headquarters of the association and acceptance by the local school to carry out this environmental education program, that allowed me to connect with children in a proper way. Guardian Dolphins Delfini Guardiani dell'Isola is a project with the aim of setting up educational courses about environment and sustainability for the primary and secondary school classes of the Italian small islands. During the academic year the students are guided by the operators of Marevivo and the teachers to leave their classes and plunge into the surrounding nature discovering its naturalistic, historical and cultural aspects,  as well as facing  the threats that weigh on the marine ecosystem. We were three operators (me and other two locals, Tony and Valentina) in charge of the 3rd, 4th and 5th class of primary school (well, actually they figured as two classes because there were only two students of the 4th cl. who were merged to the 3rd cl.). The program, apart from its standard topics, was focused on awareness of the marine protected area of Ustica Island. The four sessions for each class or group of students included a couple of indoor activities for drawing, playing, creating artworks and knowledge, while most of the time was dedicated to outdoor activities and excursions. They had an inland walk (well, never far enough from the seaside!) along the footpaths of the natural reserve, a beach clean-up and an educational meeting with the local fishermen at work. During the project they had to create their own The Book Of My Sea (Il Libro del Mio Mare) and record their experiences as evidence of their progress. The first day was dedicated to starting the book by drawings, each one giving oneself a nickname, setting the rules of behaviour and best practices as naturalists and to knowledge assessment of the MPA. It striked us how interested the younger ones were compared to the older children, contrary to what we expected. We thought we would have had  difficulties talking about environmental issues with the little ones, while they engaged more enthusiastically , acquired the concepts and made them their own. Instead, the 5th class (10 and 11 year-old kids)  was hard to get deeply involved in the activities - we struggled to hold their attention and they often had a bit to say when giving instructions or listing to-dos and not-to-dos about environmentally friendly behaviour. Even if it was an indoor session, we decided not to take it at school: thanks to the MPA we carried out the full program having the Welcome Centre as a base, making them feel comfortable and see it as their House of The Sea. By the way, a Blue Corner is installed here by Marevivo containing equipment and teaching materials related to the program, available for anyone, at any time. The second appointment was the Beach Clean-Up Day. Finally going outdoors! The local bus brought them to one of the little bays of the island, in the A Zone of the MPA, where we spent a couple of hours collecting debris among the rocks (yes, a rocky beach, no sandy beaches on Ustica Island!) and sorting the items by type of material while providing important information about separate waste collection and single-use plastics. We also found strange items from distant seas, such as the Indian Ocean or the Atlantic, which gave us the chance to introduce the idea of an ocean planet instead of separated seas. The following outdoor session was focussed on identifying plants and animals of the island during a hike along one of the traced paths of the terrestrial nature reserve. Some of them taking pictures with a traditional photocamera, others filling out an identification chart for sounds, smells, colours and textures of the elements in nature. Everything was closely related to the sea, especially when we stopped over a “marine terrace” containing fossil shells, letting them know that the island has not always been on the same level and that in some way it has had its geological ups and downs. The last educational session was about an interview with local fishermen (who happened to be relatives to most of them!). It’s a challenge to talk about conservation and  preservation of marine species when living in a community partially based on fishing activities, where fishermen are part of their families, if not their parents themselves. Capture and protection are a bit difficult to go along together; that’s why the MPA of Ustica has set several projects to improve sustainability in small fisheries while involving local fishermen in species monitoring.  Probably if we imagine the few fishermen left on the island as an endangered species to preserve, we might find a balance between conservation and production. However, our aim is to implant in children respect for marine life and working people at the same time, so we let them prepare a list of questions they would have had in mind. Based on children’s questions and fishermen’s heartfelt answers we could investigate their knowledge and points of view in order to adapt the lesson. Four intensive sessions are still too little for a conservationist development, but earning the certificate of “Guardian Dolphin of the Island” given by the Commandant of the Coast Guard  and announcing their promise to take care of their island in front of dozens of people is something that gives them the idea of a kind of responsibility that they will have to take part in. The Stepping Stone To the “Blue Education” Delfini Guardiani allowed me to kick off further cooperation in educational projects and awareness programs with several institutions which took place in the following months. As part of the Board of Nature & Environment of the Research and Documentation Centre of Ustica Island (Centro Studi e Documentazione dell’Isola di Ustica) , I got involved in a couple of  school projects of cross-cultural ways to acquire skills and guidance (called PTCO programs in Italy). One of them was extremely challenging as I wasn’t expecting to be in charge of the whole program, and I almost felt overwhelmed by such an amount of responsibility. The good outcome of an educational program for 39 students of a secondary school of central Italy,  was for me much more demanding than organising the ultimate diving vacation of the year for hundreds of scuba divers. The students arrived quite prepared on the goal of their “mission”: going through four main topics - water, land, fire and air - they had to create a proposal of a plan for a sustainable living on the island. My role, in the guise of Marevivo operator, member of Centro Studi and accredited Dive  Operator of the MPA, was to create and coordinate the activities for 3 full days that would cross these topics. The results exceeded my expectations: students and teachers fell in love with the island and gave us new hints on how the island shows itself to peering visitors;  wide availability and spontaneous collaboration of other members, professors, operators and volunteers who have done their part to achieve the same goal and without whom I could have accomplished nothing. (Photo Album & Description at this link )   Volunteering for Raising Awareness among Holiday-goers and Movida Summer is probably the most fruitful period if you want to reach out to the greatest number of people visiting the island, but probably the worst one when it’s about serious issues. Unluckily, as a seasonal operator myself, it’s also the most intense period of work, allowing me no extra time for any other activity outside of managing and running the operations at our dive centre.  Nevertheless, as for any other program of Marevivo on Ustica Island, I was never alone: Tony, my wingman, did an outstanding job in our volunteering summer program. In accordance with an established protocol between Marevivo Sicilia and the Marine Protected Area Ustica Island we provided  information on the naturalistic highlights of the island, as well as sharing the best practices to enjoy the features in an environment-friendly way. More than that, Tony and other volunteers were on the front line leading thematic excursions to enhance some natural attractions in order to enjoy them in a responsible way. The week program we created was offered for free to all visitors and included: a Snorkeling Tour guided by the marine biologist Giulia of the MPA; a visit to the Museum of Earth Science on the Falconiera peak guided by Zaira, a Geology student, with the amazing explanations given by the expert professor and president of the LABMUST,  Laboratory-Museum of Earth Sciences Island of Ustica (Franco Foresta Martin, who offers these visits for free by his institution); and an excursion to the Grotta Segreta (the Secret Grotto, the most known of the island!) where Tony would give instructions on what to be cautious of and explain why it has such a fragile environment. Also many of our clients enjoyed taking part in these programs after the diving day and had the chance to discover other interesting facts and natural attractions of the island that are not underwater! Every night, in the after-dinner hours, the MPA centre was open for promotional events, documentary screening, educational entertainment for children or simply as a meeting point for information and reservations. After a long and exhausting day at sea and then at the office I hardly managed to spend another couple of hours of the night talking, planning and organising the activities but once I got together with my team, it was even harder not to take action! The Year-end Challenge While the summer season approaches the end and we’re longing for relaxation and for what we call our “ chilling-dives”, for the kids it’s the start of a new academic year and new projects are ready on the desk! It’s the turn of Plastic Free Schools Small Islands (Sicily Environment Fund) , a project that aims to involve all the schools of the small islands of Sicily, supporting them in implementing practices aimed at reducing single-use plastic in schools. The students of at least three classes are asked to produce or perform an artistic creation, material or digital, and participate in a contest where a final prize will award the school with a water filtration machine and the three classes awarded will also be given reusable water bottles. They had  2 months time (15th Oct. - 15th Dec) to start the project but it wasn’t until the last two weeks we managed to put them to work with the teacher at school and with extra afternoon sessions, kindly prepared by the MPA centre. We worked on a model of the island, where children would first place little objects depicting natural elements after the declaration that “This is the island I want!”  and then creating ugly objects made by plastic debris, representing massive constructions and buildings, to endorse the statement “This is the island I DON’T want!” . The elder students created a poster with drawings and texts,  displaying the Goal no.14 of UN Agenda 2030 while with a few of the middle school class we set up a funny short-movie of a Plastic-Free hero who moves into some moments of the kids’ lives warning them on the overuse of plastic and giving alternatives. While I'm writing this article we’re still waiting for the response by the commission, whether our school in Ustica is going to win the water machine or not. Nevertheless, me and Tony believe we are already winners when we get the kids involved in environmental activities and have the chance to spread awareness on this topic. Mhm…ok, yes - we’re also hoping to win!! Keep following us to get the news and see our videos when published by the school! A glance at the past year I’m glad we have been busy in all seasons of the year. We got in touch with children and adults, locals and foreigners, sharing awareness and best practices for sustainable behaviour, whether living on the island or coming just as visitors. There is no selected target when it’s about the environment, everyone has to do his part, but each category of people needs custom methods and understands different languages. Furthermore, it’s not only about the audience: those who are dedicated to environmental education have different interests and work in various fields . As a professional diver and dive entrepreneur, my area of expertise can only be the marine environment, and more than that, focussed on Ustica Island:  despite boasting to be the first marine protected area in Italy, the island needs much more conservation endeavours and scientific research plans. Because of its richness in marine biodiversity and uniqueness for its geographical position and geological origins, we work on improving sustainable tourism by increasing citizen science activities and offering conservation programs included in our holiday packages. However, visitors come for a short stay while locals, unless they decide to leave the island and live somewhere else, will have to take care of their territory, and especially of its surrounding sea, since it’s a little island. And that’s why we  embarked on the mission to work  with children and young people of the island, with the purpose to create a new generation of island guardians. A new year is to come, full of new programs and challenges, and I’m looking forward to giving my share! What about you? Whether you're already professional diver or willing to become so, looking for a position in a PADI 5*Resort with a environment-friendly approach and active in marine conservation projects, contact us now Or if you're a recreational scuba or a freediver interested in spending a more valuable dive holiday, have a look at our Marine Life Experiences and Citizen Science projects.   Acknowledgements for all 2023 achievements go to: - The CEO at Marevivo Sicilia for establishing a local group on Ustica Island and entrusting me as the local leader; - The Director of the Marine Protected Area of Ustica Island for the inexhaustible availability in making things run smoothly and for bringing our projects to the attention of local administrators; - The local Team Members and partners of the different projects, without whom we could not have carried out the activities; - Last but not least, rather the first, my partners in life and in business, who support and encourage my projects and missions, and with whom I share any success (and alas, failures, too!)   https://blog.usticadiving.com/blog/a-lively-year-for-a-living-sea.html https://blog.usticadiving.com/blog/a-lively-year-for-a-living-sea.html 27/12/2023 23:00 Time to read: about 12' Ghost stories, ghost houses, ghost towns, ghost notes…Although scientists say there is no evidence that ghosts really exist, there are plenty of people who think ghosts are real. What I know for sure is that ghost nets ARE damned real. A Ghost-thing usually refers to something that is deserted, dead, muted, empty or creepy. What makes a ghost net spooky is the desolation of marine life brought by an abandoned fishing net and this last one is the killer to be charged. Well, perhaps it’s more correct to state that the ones behind the net are to be held accountable. The wonderful seabed of the Marine Protected Area Ustica Island is threatened by abandoned fishing gear. “Is that what you’re saying?!”  When Ghosts Became Real It all started on a sunny and busy day on the Linosa Sunshine Dive Boat in the middle of the high season, when divers of every kind and level display even the most fanciful requests. We also had the RIB beside the boat for the daily customers who had to be in port in time for the hydrofoil back to Palermo. Despite the bustling people on board and under the boat, we always have the chance to have a little talk in a different pace with any of our guests. It so happened that one of these light-hearted chats between one of us and a friendly dive guest had ghost nets as a topic. We obviously tend to avoid describing the negative aspects of our environment, but sometimes you meet people who are sensitive to environmental issues and inevitably we share our concerns. It was only a few months later, at the end of the season, that I found myself filling out a grant application for the project “Ghost Nets Removing in Ustica Island”. Ok, this got critical. I mean, it’s not that we weren’t taking the issue seriously before, but now I had to map our spotted ghost nets in Ustica’s seabed, create a project, provide a budget, make a feasibility plan, include all actors needed, check authorisations, evaluate the critical aspects, describe operating methods and point out the importance of this mission related to the environment and the community without putting it in a “Miss Universe” mode by willing the peace for the world. Putting in words our capabilities and our motivations wasn't such a simple task in the end. 17th March 2023: the agreement is signed and we are officially in charge to carry out the first mission of ghost nets recovery focussed exclusively on Ustica Island. Go and Get them! Spring has come and it is time to get into action. Stage 1 – Survey. We selected 5 spots among all spots around the island where we detected abandoned nets. We surveyed them once more for a specific recognition of the underlying substrate and dimension estimation of the nets, in order to set up, for each site, the specific procedures of the action plan. Stage 2 – Action For each dive spot a single expedition took place. The dive team consisted of commercial divers, professional divers, a marine biologist and an underwater video operator and photographer, supported by the crew of the dive RIB, in charge of handling surface assistance and operations coordination. Two of us dove to flag the net and connect it with a signalling buoy, so the fisherman with its vessel could approach to collect the buoy tied to the net and pull it in with the winch. During the lifting, we would carefully extricate the entangled net from the bottom facilitating the recovery on board. It never went in the same way for each spot. For example, in Punta Falconiera we managed to recover the spotted net in one go. The vertical wall made it somehow easier and we were quite happy to clear not only the naturalistic scenery from such ugliness but the underwater archaeological itinerary situated nearby has now its charm restored! In Punta San Ferlicchio we had to replicate. Not because of the one net identified, but for a second net spotted during the recovery. It was as massive as the first one. So for the purpose of the project actually it turned out to be an extra job, but nothing can beat the delight in seeing this portion of the seabed thoroughly cleaned! In Secca della Colombara the job has been completed as expected but we were not fully happy with it. The net was so old and we had to dive a couple of times to pick up several exfoliated parts of it, which just broke away during pick-up. And, we also found a portion of a net forming a big entanglement with vertical development and anchored on the bottom, full of encrusted marine life. We just decided to leave it there: it wasn’t harming anymore and we would have killed more species in collecting it than leaving it at the bottom. More than that, there is still an extension of the initial net which is nearly covering an area of gorgonians. We still have it in our plans to take action again before the current might displace the net and damage the corals. In Scoglio del Medico the operation was carried out smoothly and rapidly: the net extended towards a deeper bottom than expected but as there was no current and we managed to arrive directly on the net without swimming for long time to get on it, we had enough time to include an extra job. More than others, this net had several live crabs trapped. Scoglio del Medico is one of the most beautiful dive spots of the island very popular among scuba divers, and alas, a favourite spot for fishermen. It has abundant wild life, rich in pelagic and benthic species, so very appealing for any category. Stage 3 – Delivery At this point, it’s the MPA and the local government to come on stage. The recovered nets are delivered as special waste, as for local procedures and regulations, and shipped to land, eventually for recycling process. But a third option is still in progress: reuse. Which is our favourite one and I am sure that it’s the best at the end. Making Lemonade When we recovered the first ghost net, I was thrilled by the successful operation and fascinated by the coralligenous biocenosis on the pieces of nets. While still wearing the dry suit I stared at them the whole trip back to the port and would have wanted an expert next to me to explain what species they were, if any of them could have been an alien species. A few days later I called a dear friend of mine who is a marine biologist and told him what was on my mind. “Isn’t it just a waste to leave these concretions to dry under the sun, once they could be analysed and studied by researchers and may give us some new answers?!! I mean, you don’t collect ghost nets every day”. I could see him smiling on the other side of the phone while giving me two reference researchers to contact in order to ask whether it could be of any interest to take part to the operations and be on site when the nets would have been recovered. Some weeks later, a small team of students from the Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences Department of the University of Catania was sent on a mission to Ustica Island and investigate on the concreted species of the recovered nets, hunting for alien species. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. The Fishing Issue Ultimately, the mission was to remove from seabed the ghost nets that have been lost, dumped or abandoned, but which continue to trap and kill wildlife. As a Marine Protected Area, there are many restrictions on local fishery and there’s a small fishing fleet which turns in only few licenced vessels. However, some forms of net fishing are still allowed and due to seabed conformation and currents occasionally nets get lost or trapped. The removal brought back to life benthic species and pristine underwater sceneries. Despite the MPA regulation is quite strict about fishing - sure enough spearfishing is entirely forbidden in the whole area - surveillance and control are still weak. On the other side, local fishermen are poorly supported in the management of lost nets or even assess any alternative to fishing methods or to fishing itself. Moreover, while fishing activities can be monitored, regulated or reformulated, accidental loss of fishing gear is a failure for the entire system: fishery industry, tourist industry and most of all, the environment. Once the net is at the bottom of the sea, there is no obligation for anyone to recover it, not for the fishermen or for the local community. It just lays there and it’s accepted by everyone as a loss. But nothing in nature just "stays", and while nature does find its own way, the action of a net continues in the wrong direction, determining the failure of the whole process. The Missing Piece If we look to the end the process turning out to be a success, we get to the delivery, shipping and eventual recycling, which are already well-established steps of the process. The municipality deals on a day to day basis with waste delivery and is held responsible, in case of special waste, together with the Coast Guard in case of waste derived from the sea. So, the missing piece of the whole process is the recovery. And that's how we got into action.  The amount of nets recovered by the operation is raising awareness of locals and stakeholders on what lays underwater, which is normally covered by water and hidden from eyes (and hearts!). We firmly believe that we were the right people at the right time for this project. First of all, it gave us the opportunity to act in concrete terms and in a systematic way against a threat we had to live with. We often were asked as a favour to help to set free an entangled fishing line or net, or attempting to remove portions of ghost nets we encountered during the scuba excursions. But none of these practices are the solution and more than that, it is not sane to encourage random and rough actions in terms of safety for the divers and effectiveness in solving the problem. Ghost Nets Removing in Ustica MPA really provided for a concrete solution.   Neither the first nor the last, but the indispensable Our mission is not anything new, though. I mean, there are many organisations and associations around the globe fighting against ghost nets and other fishing gear, involved in greater and more challenging operations than ours. Furthermore, as for the first Marine Protected Area in Italy, conservation as well as regulations has been implemented on Ustica Island for over 30 years, so great amounts of lost fishing gear would be downright unthinkable. Nevertheless, small nets are threatening coral walls, sensitive species and habitats on the seabed and it is unacceptable to encounter any ghost fishing gear while scuba diving in one of best scuba destinations of the Mediterranean. And we will do our best to meet anyone’s expectations. Closing Credits Successful outcomes are always the result of a whole team working well together. We cannot refrain from mentioning all the players in the field, to whom we are grateful. Involving the fishermen in the operations gave us the opportunity to form a special bond with them, breaking the wall usually built between them and us dive operators. They have fully appreciated our mission and intend to cooperate in a task force set up by local stakeholders in order to prevent other ghost nets and ghost fishing gears abandoned at sea. The participation of the Marine Protected Area was imperative and unavoidable as any marine operation on Ustica has to be authorised or communicated. But it was more than that: the director in person followed the operations and intervened in problems which rose along the way. Most of all, the MPA gave the major support in terms of promotion, as it fully financed the photo & video report of the whole project. The Coast Guard has been a valuable partner. Unfortunately, in Italy bureaucracy is quite constraining also at sea! But the local office was very efficient in providing authorizations in order for us to operate lawfully and was present at sea for any emergency. The biggest hurdle was the waste delivery. That was when we appreciated the intervention of the Municipality of Ustica: only the local authority could take in charge of this tricky issue, allowing us to proceed with operations without the stress of thinking what to do with the nets after the recovery. The students from the University of Catania added a precious research component to the project, conducting a study on the fauna associated with ghost nets and an evaluation of their impact on the marine environment. We’re thrilled to know about the results! Have a look at this video >>> and you’ll get the whole picture of our mission in only 12 minutes of footage: loaded with valuable content and astonishing images it’s a transmission of concepts and feelings in a clear, concise way. That’s because of our young but experienced filmmaker Stefano, who took part to our dives, with his brother photographer Mathia, sharing our achievements as well as our failures and struggles. Last but not least, indeed Sicily Environment Fund, our grantor, is the first one to be thanked for allowing the whole project to be realized. We are honoured Gaia and Ambra have placed their trust in us as being one of the projects of their first round of partnerships in marine conservation. I’m really glad our paths have crossed for the better and personally happy for sharing a mission with two passionate and determined women as few around. Author: Tatiana Geloso  - Co-owner of Mare Nostrum Diving, Entrepreneur, Professional Diver, Scuba Instructor & Ocean Advocate Actors: Danilo Genovese - Co-owner of Mare Nostrum Diving, Entrepreneur, Professional Diver, Commercial Diver & Surveyor Mare Nostrum Diving - Recreational & Commercial Dive Operator, SEF Grantee. Stefano & Mathia Coco - Riccio Blu Visual Communication Felice & Gioacchino Caminita - Local Fishermen Soc. Coop. C. Colombo Davide Bruno - Director MPA Ustica Island Com.te Aldo Spagnolo - Coast Guard Alessandro, Roberta - Professional Divers & Mare Nostrum Diving Project Supporters Marine Biologists: Marco Spoto - Diver Giulia Aversa - MPA Consultant Francesco Tiralongo - Chief Researcher Study on the fauna associated with ghost nets Grantor: Sicily Environment Fund Gaia Agnello Ambra Messina     https://blog.usticadiving.com/blog/uncovering-the-haunted-sea-of-ustica-island.html https://blog.usticadiving.com/blog/uncovering-the-haunted-sea-of-ustica-island.html 25/11/2023 00:00 Time to read: about 6' There are many reasons why the phrase 'off season' should not weave defeat into your holiday plans, especially for marine lovers. The most popular question of people who have never been diving in Sicily is – “at what time of year is it better to come?” And while any operator would answer “from May to October”, my answer to it is “anytime”! The answer lies only in who is looking for something to do on land, during free time from diving. Because the sea is rich in underwater discoveries all year round and every season brings its own advantages. Best of all, fish don't listen to hotelier dictated seasons and marine sightings 'off-season' can be the most alluring of the year! I’ll be honest – anytime is good for diving in the Mediterranean but it is not possible to take a trip to Ustica at any time and expect to find all facilities open. By the way, we are open about 10 months a year – so just avoid that little time we need for boat and equipment maintenance! Since the time I’m writing is spring, I would like to tell you about diving in Ustica in springtime, which is conventionally off- season. Here are some good reasons why you should consider a diving holiday on Ustica Island now, and useful tips to get the most of it. Don’t let the forecasts fool you Firstly don’t always believe the online weather forecasts.  A lot of them will simply predict thunderstorms and rough seas 5 days a week. They are happy to get this correct maybe 60% of the time.  So, we actually have several very nice sunny days during the cool season, as well as calm sea. And the micro-climate of the island is most of the times positively unpredictable. Winter in Sicily is short. March and April are called the crazy months, as we can get incredible summer-heated days followed by rain and sea storms, but if luck is by your side you may be surprised.  It must be understood that as an island, Ustica is washed from all sides by the sea - by this at any time the dive can be both super comfortable and challenging. Nevertheless, the advantage of the island is that on some side it is always good: if the wave came from the North, then in the South - calm and diving. In a word, we always go to sea for diving. Yet, I recommend planning a few extra days and being a little flexible with the diving days. We will keep you well informed on the weather in the lead up to your booking, and give you options. Underwater Life in Spring We dive year-round here in Ustica so I can tell how different it can be from November to April. It's amazing how marine life changes and how some species replace others! During a couple of weeks of early spring, algae begins to bloom (producing a biomass of microscopic phytoplankton) so water becomes not so clear. But this has pluses: a "crowd" of fish appears which has swum it to reap. Ustica is famous mostly for its groupers, barracudas and amberjacks: they don’t seem to prefer this period though, but this event gives place to so many other species that seem to disappear in summer, such as octopuses, lobsters and cuttlefishes, while any cavity is literally stuffed with shrimps. Needless to say that diving in a marine protected area is always a privilege, much more after a calm winter with no tourists. Other significant plusses While the winter months might generally be considered the ‘low season’ to many, they do offer significant plusses to both divers and more general tourists. Probably an obvious bonus that comes to your mind is low price – by its very nature a low season will offer you the lowest average flight prices and there are significant differences in accommodation rates when comparing low season to high season.  But here I would point out some other evident benefits why an off-season trip to Ustica is well worth considering: Few boats around or none at all – the dives can be totally for yourselves. Sometimes we’re the only ones at sea!  The entire dock is available for us (well no, we share it with the seagulls!)  and we can enjoy wildlife in its natural environment. Temperature - Nobody likes to get cold, which is why preparing for cooler water diving is key. Thick (7mm) semi-dry wetsuits, hoods and even dry suits get divers diving in much cooler water than the 16-18°C lows we experience in the Mediterranean winter, and so can make diving here comfortable enough. What I say is that natural fresh wind is much better than air conditioning, which can affect sinuses and ears. Life on the Island – once you’re back on land, you get that feeling to be a guest of the local inhabitants and not a generic visitor or tourist. They might ask you how your dive was, suggest you how to explore the inland nature of the island, tell you about the harvest of the time. I mean, they have time to talk with you; they’re (still) relaxed. At the restaurant, they might ask you what they can get you for dinner (as they probably won’t have the full menu à la carte). Why then with Mare Nostrum Diving? There are a lot of great reasons I usually highlight for diving with us, all of which are enclosed in our “One Fin-Shot Beyond” motto. But if I wanted to convince you to choose us now, one of the first things that come to my mind is that if you are willing to live an off-season experience, you should choose who really lives the off-season life on the island. Especially underwater. What can a dive guide - diving from May to October – tell you more about the special features of this specific period? It can be an experienced guide, pleasant and trustful or it can be a native dive guide (not diving in winter), but none of these can lead you to uncover the peculiarities of marine life undisturbed by the flocks of summer divers. Ultimately, I can also identify the “non-reasons” why you would choose us in low season. Most likely we do not have our Day Cruiser Dive Boat taking us diving, so it’s not the vessel that will make an outstanding difference (although our RIB has nothing to do with a conventional one – we still won’t let you carry your equipment back and forth at each dive, you can still exit from water by the solid ladder with your tank on and take advantage of an awning in case of hot sun or little rain). We also do not have our entire crew at your service for extra comfort or little arrangements. Think about it, you’ll only be with us owners and probably get the captain diving with you.   By the way, we’re not even promoting any cheap offer for this period. How much more would you be willing to spend to have an organization to share with a few, if not with anyone else? So no extra, no discount. Just normal price, which turns out to be very cheap once you get an exclusive experience.   If you're planning to dive in Ustica in Spring, book here your dive package now!   Author: Tatiana Geloso co-owner of Mare Nostrum Diving, PADI IDC Staff, conservationist & commercial diver. Cover Photo: © V. Ambrosanio Underwater: © G. Ombrello https://blog.usticadiving.com/blog/diving-off-season-on-ustica-island-is-it-worth-doing-and-what-you-need-to-know.html https://blog.usticadiving.com/blog/diving-off-season-on-ustica-island-is-it-worth-doing-and-what-you-need-to-know.html 03/04/2023 22:00