Day 14 Ecological Survey Time

Komuna Ksamil, our dive site for the day.

After a breakfast of a fried egg, fried toast, a piece of a kielbasa, juice, tea, hot milk and coffee we had a simple knot tying a line to a post or other solid object.  We then grabbed our gear and tanks and were rejoined by the van driver from yesterday. 

Our dubious driver.

Effie looking over the wreck.

Today we headed to Komuna, Ksamil to do two dives on a purpose sunk torpedo ship with a funny history.  When Albania was still a communist nation in the 1960’s China gave them several ships including a few torpedo boats.  In the 1997 during a civilian uprising the Navy base we operate out of was stormed and the boats at the dock, including two torpedo boats and several others, were sunk.  Of course they were at the dock so they sank a meter or two and rested on the bottom mostly out of the water.  Albania realizes that diving is coming one day and that tourists and their money are a part of that. So in October 2010 five boats were purpose sunk in a harbor near Saranda.  Of course when the Albanian Center for Marine Research inquired as to the specific whereabouts no one was sure, not the Navy guys on the base, not the military police at the ferry terminal, no one.   

Flying over top.

Life growing on an old warship.

So they searched using sonar and various tools.  Eventually on of the guys on the navy base who had been there that day offered to take them where the boats were purpose sunk.  They tooled around until he said here, Derek and Howard dropped down and searched fruitlessly, upon returning to the boat Derek decided to proceed under the boat to the swim step and realized they were anchored nearly directly on top of one of the wrecks.  They have since found the other four and today we headed out to dive the torpedo boat.  We arrived at a gorgeous beach resort, rented a few lounge chairs in exchange for using the beach, and hit the water.  Effie and I paired up and worked together well. 

Leslie descending on the radio tower

As the surface swim out to the boat was about 300 yards we bottom swam back to shore.  We lunched and got back in for an ecological survey of the boat.  The algae have surely taken over the outer hull and there were fish aplenty but not many inverts.  I am however very jealous the Leslie saw an awesome nudibranch that I did not.  After the dive we headed home and found out that there had been no water on the base in the morning so our gear would go unrinsed for the day.  As we arrived back and started unloading the stuffed to the brim van is started raining and by the time we were done there was a full on thunder and lightening storm in effect and it was pouring.  As we initially hung out our gear to dry when it was sprinkling it ended up getting a good fresh water rinse even though we lacked water.   

The storm drove us indoors, it even hailed at one point.  It seemed the perfect time to work on our Enriched Air Nitrox exams and we plugged away until Lee came and told us it was almost dinnertime.  We had planned on going to our fancy dinner for the trip, up at the castle on top of a hill overlooking the whole town, but due to weather we headed to a seafood place right down the road we had yet to visit. 

The food was amazing, I ate 4-5  Lizardfish that were gutted and fried, head and all.  The bones pretty much fell out and there were very easy to eat for whole fish.  There were also salads, fried cheese, peppers and baked cheese, mussels, and calamari, all of which were delicious.  That pretty much did people in and everyone headed home for bed.

Serious rain!

Delicious lizardfish!