The Man Behind the Mask

So he started diving to get away from his girlfriend and he likes to Gamble!

Lets find out more about Iain Irving, Instructor/Co Owner Island Watersports Lanzarote.

Why did you start Scuba Diving?

Well, Marie and I went to Thailand in 2001 and the airline lost Marie’s case.  After 3 days of bad tempered girlfriend I needed to find something to do or one of us would not have left the Island!  I enrolled in a PADI Open Water Course and got hooked.

 

In your spare time what do you like to do?

Spare time? I like watching Rugby now as I am too old to play anymore and motor cycling.  I would like to buy an enduro  bike to tour Lanzarote but Marie wants a new bathroom first.

What drove you to become a Scuba Diving Instructor?

I always wanted to live abroad and totally agree with the old adage ‘choose a job you love and you will never work a day in your life’. OK it is not that simple and it didn’t happen over night.  I really enjoyed my diving while Marie had  some fantastic holidays  along the way.

 

Do you have a favourite type of dive?

If I had to choose I would say Night Dives, it really is so different at night. I love encounters with the larger animals like Rays and we see them feeding at night which is just amazing. I enjoy all my dives, but seeing Angel Sharks and Rays on a daily basis is just a privilege.

Apart from Lanzarote, what is your favourite scuba diving destination?

That is such a difficult question, it really is, I have dived in some excellent locations all around the world. It’s not just about the diving , it’s also about the other divers you meet,  the friends you make and the memories.We have made so many great friends here in Lanzarote.

For the total experience I would say Barbados while diving with Ram on The Scotch and Soda in Carlisle Bay. Ram was the Instructor who got Marie to dive, now that guy had patience. We met some lovely people there and the horse racing at Bridgetown was a real bonus, I remember we won 1500 dollars on one trip.

 

 What is the Best thing about being an Instructor?

Whether it is a non diver discovering scuba for the first time, or a certified diver learning new skills, it is just a great job. I get as much enjoyment out of our students success as they do.

  

Why did you decide to move to Lanzarote?

We felt at home straight away, we visited with our dive club from the UK in February 2014 and by November 2014 we had moved here. That pretty much sums it up. Lanzarote is unlike any other Canary Island thanks to the influences of Cesar Manrique. Friendly people, relaxed safe environment and obviously fantastic diving for all levels.

Any Regrets?

Probably the obvious answer here is that I didn’t do it earlier.

 

Museo Atlantico

  

 

ISLAND WATERSPORTS ARE DELIGHTED TO  BE AWARDED  BEST DIVE CENTRE AND BEST ECO GUIDE FOR THE MUSEO ATLÁNTICO FOR THE SECOND TIME RUNNING.

 

 

 

Located in Playa Blanca in the south of the Island, just 30 minutes from our dive centre is Museo Atlantico,  Europe’s only underwater museum.

We organise a variety of trips to the museum daily.

Morning or afternoon dives available. We provide return transport from our dive centre. Our instructors are with you for the whole excursion.

Our popular  2 dive trips offer  either  Las Coloradas + Museo Atlantico or Playa Flamingo + Museo Atlantico.

 

All our instructors will talk you through the story of artist  Jason deCaires  Taylors creation before hand.

This is a fantastic dive with an abundance of marine life suitable for all level of certified divers.  A true photographers paradise.

We recommend you book with us in advance as this is proving to be a  very popular trip with our divers.

 

 

 

Non-diving partners are welcome to join us on the trip to Playa Blanca as the boat trip leaves from the harbour where there is a selection of shops, bars and cafes to enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

Never to Old!

The guest blogger this month is our very own Ailsa ‘Granny’ Pearce. Ailsa has worked in the diving business in Lanzarote for many years and made lots of friends along the way.

It is easy to see how passionate Ailsa is about Lanzarote both on land and under the sea.She always joins us on  PADI Womens Dive Day and  Ocean Clean Up Dives to keep our beautiful play ground a clean and healthy enviroment.

Ailsa now dives for fun and is such an ambassador for the sport. All our divers love chatting with  her, Granny’s stories are always the best!

Photo’s courtesy of Ailsa’s dive buddies , Marie Hanson and John Rayner.

NEVER TOO OLD!

Yesterday, I was driving towards the beautiful Ajache Mountains in Lanzarote on my way to Puerto Calero marina.I was struck by the breath taking views, Los Lobos Island, Fuerteventura beaches, glistening and seductive, and the mountains themselves basking in the midday sun.For the last 15 years I have revelled in the joys of life in Lanzarote, and with the stunning vista facing me on my drive I reflected on how fortunate I was to end up here.

 

My life has led me down many paths, and a lot of them via my sport, but the one thing I’d always wanted to do but never had, was to scuba dive! Like many, the quotes and magical films of Jacques Cousteau, Lloyd Bridges, Hans and Lottie Hass, had fired my imagination. A sequence of circumstances led me to begin my dream at the ripe old age of 59. Ridiculous, said some, a new hobby at your age should be knitting or painting! But undaunted I wanted to have a go!

That was the beginning of a new life for me! A new world of wonder, a new outlook on our messed up world and a new meaning to my whole being began!

So, and as not to bore you, I set off to learn to dive. I was anxious to become competent and self sufficient as am very competitive (sporty background) and need to be totally comfortable in what is an alien environment to air breathing man! I just loved it, actually feeling more at home under the waves than above and still do! It was the start of an incredible journey, one I am still enjoying!

 

I had a couple of blips when I had to remain above water for a few weeks, which delayed my goal of 2000 dives in 10 years but I achieved it in the end, albeit with a few extra weeks needed to complete!

So, the purpose of this ditty, for those intrigued, is to say that whatever your dreams may be, they are possible, just hold on to them and go for it! Age is NO barrier! Live the dream, dive the dream, I did and still do!

If your dream is to see the hidden underwater world, Island Water Sports is a good place to begin! You will receive informed and inspiring instruction measured to your individual progress and understanding, because, this is a sport where insufficient training and knowledge can be life threatening, so tailored teaching is essential.

All Island Watersports dives are carried out in small groups, whether it’s your first dive or your 1000th.

 

Right!!! Off you go!!!! I’m driving past my beautiful mountains again, on my way to…..?  Yes!!! Of course!!! To get my gills wet!! You are never too old to try something new!

 

Museo Atlantico Awards

 

Island Watersports are delighted to be awarded Best Operating Company and Best Eco Dive Guide in the Museo Atlantico Winter 2017-2018 awards.

Grateful thanks to all our divers for completing the survey and providing feedback.

The Museo Atlantico dive is becoming one of our most popular dives and it is not difficult to see why.

Since the first installation in 2016 the sealife around the statues has grown to provide an  amazing display of marine life.

We dive the museum every week of the year so if you haven’t visited yet give us a call. Set in an area of 50 x 50meters at around 12 meters depth this is an ideal dive site suitable for all level of divers.

Did you know that you can also dive the Museo Atlantico even if you have never dived before?

Ask us about our Museo Atlantico Experience for non divers, after two training dives you can enjoy a guided dive to the Museo Atlantico, Europes first underwater museum.

Now that is what makes a holiday special!

World Oceans Day June 8th

To celebrate World Oceans Day we have an amazing video to share,  Angels in the Water.

All the team at Island Watersports  just love this video starring our endangered Angel Sharks with some of the footage filmed in Lanzarote.

Thanks again to Michael Dann for this beautiful ‘Love Story’

Angels in the Water

Angel Sharks Mystery Blog

 This is a Guest Blog, our very first, written with Mystery and Intrigue in mind by Michael Dann who has been scuba diving in Lanzarote for 30 years and has a keen interest in Angel Sharks.

There was a time when underwater photography was an expensive novelty for writers,
film makers, and scientists.  Nowadays it seems every diver has a waterproof camera resulting in lots of photos being taken every day. Yet that does not mean necessarily that the photographers ‘know’ when they have taken something really good. For such is our limited knowledge of what happens under the sea that the story of any photo taken could be ‘really good’

Which is what we have here, the most interesting photo of an Angel Shark taken in Puerto Del Carmen this Season, it is, on the surface a simple photo. But, like the tennis match in Antonioni’s film Blow-up, closer examination, ‘blows away’ the simplicity.

To leave us in mystery writer territory – who done it and why.

Let us examine the evidence (get those little grey cells working). There are two Angels in the photo. On the right is a girl, she is very pregnant having no energy to pit (throw sand over her to hide) instead she has nested, wriggled into a shallow depression in the sand. She is one of the twenty plus girls who have come this year and she has what she came for.
But on the left is actually a boy – girls do go about together.  So what is he doing there?  His whole life experience – he was born just near where he was photographed, grew up here and  has been coming here  all his grown up life, tells him in which ‘condition’ he has found the girl. He knows. He knows. He knows.
Then why isn’t he off down The Harbour chasing the girls I saw this morning? Maybe he has chased them! Or maybe one of the other two boys has! Or they are up to this time un-chasable! And for the moment he is hanging around this one.

Why? The question cuts to the centre of the case. Why is the boy where he is? Why is he taking any interest in that which cannot interest him?
But she does, why?   Is she ‘his’ girl and he is just checking she is OK? Or because she is any girl in that condition and he is ‘obliged’ to check up and maybe ‘look out’ for them? Because this is somehow ‘built in’ to what he is doing? ‘Supposed’ to be doing to comply with the breeding Model the Angels have developed.
Is this what is happening? Or is it just a fluke? Does the photo make it seem more than it is? Or is it much more than it seems?
There was one other occasion when two boys were seen lying either side of a very pregnant girl, this sighting gave rise to the almost blasphemy of the idea that sharks can look after each other. For as everyone knows sharks are ‘axe murders’
How sharks behave is a trial by a largely uninformed public opinion
But Agatha’s Belgian super sleuth is on the case and a book has been written
Watch this space.

Thank you Michael, we are looking forward to reading your book.

Europes First Underwater Museum

Museo Atlantico – Europes first underwater museum, created by artist Jason deCaires Taylor.

 

Since the first installations back in 2016, the Museo Atlantico has proved to be a very popular dive site and a ‘must do’  for many of our scuba diving visitors. At a depth of 14 meters this dive is suitable for all certified divers and now non divers have the opportunity to dive here too.

These latest pictures from our trip this week show how the flora and fauna are making the museum home.

 

Our guide Iain Irving was delighted to see a spiny sea star making it’s home on the girls head at the hybrid section, wrapping itself around the bun on the back of her head.

There is always plenty to see on this dive , Barracuda, Angel Sharks, Trigger Fish, Bastard Grunt and the Spiny Sea Star were the entertainers  yesterday.

 

Now you can dive the Museo Atlantico even if you are not a certified diver, just complete 2 training dives with us and then you will be able to dive the museum.

Interested ? contact us for more details.