A fabulous End to 2013 and a promising start to 2014

What a fantastic end to the year, and bringing of the new year all in one week.

Its great to have Ann, Richard and David back with us for some more dives, off we headed to Tabaiba, a glorious sunny day, with Daisy, Minnie, Melissa, an Phil.

Phil was there to complete his final dive of his Advanced Open Water course, while Divemaster Interns Daisy and Minnie were there to observe

An amazing morning , great visibility, and a huge shoal of baracuda as well as lots of friendly octopus, and still back in time for a spot of lunch, before heading down to the pool with Daisy to complete her Divemaster skills.


Next up was Las Eras and despite only being able to complete 1 dive it was an amazing dive that we all enjoyed, we were jouined by Phil, Roy, Richard and David.  On the dive we were all lucky to see an Angel Shark, which daisy had spookily predicted that morning.

It was the first angle shark that we had seen here at Mermaid Diving for the current season so everyone came away with huge smiles.

A very welcome day off following New Years eve celebrations, and then back off to EL Puertito to go and see the turtles, on the dive we were joined by Tony, David, Richard, Ann and Lloyd.

Happily we all managed to see the turtles, as well as cuttlefish and octopus, there is always a great amount of life at El Puertito and looking amonst the rocky areas you will find, large starfish, hermit crabs, Annulated brittle stars and arrow crabs.

Daisy was really happy to get her Stamina assessments for her Divemaster course out of the way, she did really well depsite her poor ribs and was happy with all of her scores.  Well done Daisy only a few more items and you will soon be a Divemaster!!!

Another trip to tabaiba this week, with Lloyd, Tony, David and Richard, we had two amazing dives, calm waters and good visability were a bonus.  On the dives the Wreck was encircled by a large shoal of bream with a few baracuda looking for breakfast no doubt!

In the afternoon it was time for Ann and Marta to complete their Emergency Provider course.  They had a fun afternoon, getting used to the various options available for providing oxygen.

A bright and early start the next day as we headed off to Abades with Marta, Ann, Lloyd, Tony and Richard to Abades.  On the dives they saw two common rays sat happily eating while they hovered watching, as well as Moray Eels, and cuttlefish, a lovely bright morning.

Marta and Phil then joined us to complete their Rescue exercises, with Ann as the stooge it was great fun and they had a fun afternoon going through each of the scenarios, the best part as always is watching them bring the unresponsive victim back onto the boat :-)

A great busy week, with lots of fun clients we are looking forward to next week completing the Rescue Course for Phil and Marta and of course welcoming Tinman, new Instructor back into the dive centre, and New Intern Jack aka Jack to the Internship program.

Project AWARE dives and the arrival of new interns!!

Another busy week here and the arrival of new Interns Hannah and Eric.  Hannah is from the UK, and has joined us for her eight week PADI Divemaster internship as a PADI Open Water diver and is on break from her university studies.  Eric is from the USA and also joined us as an Open Water Diver, and will be returning to college at the end of his internship.

We started off the week at El Puertito with Neda and Sean they had a great time and were so thrilled that they had seen the turtles.   Neda has a massive smile on her face the whole way home.  As usual it was a fantastic dive, and we had the turtles following along as we swam along around the dive site.

Next, a fun night dive for Gary, Patrick and Stiven led by Pete at Poco Naufragio.  All of the Interns came out of the water with huge grins on their faces as they had an amazing dive.  Melissa always says night are like Marmite you either love em or hate em!!  These three new divers are all of the LOVE IT variety, so despite the early hour they all had a great day, completing skills in the pool and general study.

Neda and Sean were back again and off to Abades with Melissa where they had two amazing dives they were really happy to see Cuttlefish, Octopus and lost of Wrasse, Bream, Damsels and Parrot fish.  Unfortunatley this was there last dive with us, and off they went to relax for the remainder of their holiday.

Patrick and Stiven were off to Yellow Mountain with Dan for more mapping skills for Stiven, Luckily they found their way to the swim through and back again in a timely manner lol!

Alice headed out with Patrick Gary and Stiven to Abades for three fun dives.  They were really happy to see Rays, and Octopus they had a really good fun morning and arrived back at the centre full of beans.

Then the arrival of the New Interns Hannah and Eric, its always so nice to have new interns arriving and joining the team, as tradition dictates they soon had new names Montana and Bananaman!!!  Even more suitable when we first saw Erics wetsuit with Yellow Arms!!

The first day started with their induction and scuba review, they had a great day and we all ended up in the bar after a long days work.

A great finish to our week.

Discover Scuba Diving fun with the Divemasters

The week started with two excellent dives at Las Eras.  Melissa headed off with Stiven and Patrick.  This was the first time that Stiven had been to Las Eras and he loved the site.  On the first dive they were lucky to see two trigger fish they followed the group around for almost the whole dive and they also found a new nativity scene placed there by some locals, they also saw a glass eye and a grouper.
On the second dive to the pipeline they saw a whole group of trigger fish we assume they are breeding as they were at least 8, unusual for this site, also they saw a friendly black Moray watching us from the pipeline.

The group headed off to yellow Mountain to complete Patricks Navigation dives, and for Stiven to focus on nagivation and help Melissa learn her way around Yellow Mountain.  Things did not go to Plan, on the first dive Melissa and Stiven got slightly lost on their way way to the boat..... and alittle more than slightly lost on the second dive.  All great experience and lots of fun!!!

Another pool session, where they have all done extremely well, then off for Patrick to complete the last of his  deep speciality dives, and then for all the interns to complete their PADI Rescue diver course.  They had a great afternoon completing the rescue scenarios.

The following morning we were all up early for our Project AWARE urchin Culling session.  We had two fantastic dives clearing a large area at Yellow Mountain.  Stiven, Patrick and Gary had a competition to see who could clear the most space.  Stiven won easily!  A very therapeutic morning for us all!

Alice, Patrick, and Gary headed off to El Puertito to meet newly weds Randi and Aleks for their Discover Scuba Diving Experience.  They both did really well and enjoyed themselves before heading off to enjoy the rest of their honeymoon.

It was great to meet Sean and Neda who are here for a few days diving starting off for Sean with a scuba Tune up with Melissa and Stiven.  Sean did really well and enjoyed his pool session before heading out on the boat with Neda for two fun dives at Yellow Mountain.  On the dives they saw Ocotpus, Moray Eels and several very large trumpet Fish.

Patrick was also in the pool with his brother John completing a Discover Scuba Diving experience before heading out on the boat to Yellow Mountain.  John loved his dives and wants to continue, shame he is only here for a few days so doesn't have time to complete his PADI Open Water course.  Next time!!!

Another fun filled week here with Mermaid Diving

A chance encounter with 6 sleeping rays at Poco Naufragio......and the friendly Fangtooth

Another fun packed week for the team at Dive and Sea Tenerife, lots of Stamina assessments for the interns as well as lots of encounters with Rays.

Aidan and Fergus were back again bright and early on Monday with Dan and the Team at Poco Naufragio, they could not believe their luck when they stumbles across 6 sleeping rays in the valley between the shelves at Poco Naufragio.  It was all they could talk about.  They were all really happy to see that the Fangtooth Moray eel was his usual friendly self, and came out to say hello to all the divers.  A truly amazing sight.

Then off to Gijarro Arecife, where they all had another great dive and were able to see a lovely array of fish, Parrot Fish, White Bream, Zebra Bream, Ornate Wrasse to name a few.

Off to El Puertito again but you can never tire of the Turtles!  Melissa headed out with Stiven, Steve, Nikki, and Darren for two great dives.  There was plenty of opportunity to take lots of photos, and we were all happy to see a turtles almost as soon as we descended.

Patrick and Alice went off to the hotel pool, but with the clouds only a few people were near the pool.. better luck next time.

Melissa, Patrick and Gary headed off to Las Eras with Dan for a dive.  They had an amazing dive at this fantastic dive site.  The sea was so calm but with a little current underneath.  Dan thought the site was great, and really enjoyed seeing the large shoals of fish, and large trumpet fish.  It was a great dive looking under the rocky ledges for the life that was hidden away we saw several anemones, nudi branc and a Large octopus sitting proudly out on the rocks

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A very busy long day for the Interns, they started the day bright and early in the pool, for their mock Divemaster skill circuit.  It was really good and then we went through all the feedback so that now they have the opportunity to practice and improve before the final skill circuit!.  This was followed by their 800 Meter snorkel, they all scored really well and have improved on their last times.  Then off they headed out to Yellow Mountain for two dives.  Patrick was completing his Surface Marker Buoy Speciality with Alice, while Stiven and Gary were starting their mapping dives.  they all did really well Stiven and Gary did a great Map of the Swim Through and Patrick did well on all the skills for the Speciality, just more practice.

When they returned to the marina they completed the 100 Meter tow, again they all did really well and are all happy with the times they got. After a quick lunch break they started the Rescue Confines for Stiven, Gary and Patrick acting as the victims, they had a great busy afternoon and really enjoyed the session.  It was great for Gary and Patrick to see the confines for a second time before they all move onto the practical session.  After a long hard day they all headed off to the bar for a quick drink, and then pizza.

Another bright morning and off to yellow Mountain for two recreational dives with Aidan, Fergus, Dan and Steve.  The first dive was to Alien Rock, where they saw a Brown Moray Eel, Red Reef Lobster and Red-backed Cleaner Shrimp. During the second dive, Stiven got the chance to lead the dive under the watchful eye of Pete. He did really well and they spotted a Common Ray and Stingray!

A fabulous Sunny day for the interns to go and explore the north of the island with Melissa.  They all had a great day long but fun!

The interns were back in the pool practising their skills with Melissa, unfortunately due to Stiven performing the lambada underwater Melissa could not stop laughing and it was alittle infectious.  Stiven was able to do regulator recovery while laughing so well done him.  On the whole they have really improved all of their skills and with a little more work will achieve high scores.

After the fun in the pool they headed off to Abades for a dive with Dan.  They had a great dive and saw lots of Scorpion fish, Wrasse bream and a small dusky grouper as well as a nice surprise of a sleeping ray that we watched for a while before it awoke and flew off into the distance.

Gorgeous Diving, Interns Stamina Practice and sunshine!!

What gorgeous weather we have had for the majority of the week rather let down by alittle on Sunday!!

Monday was a great day for Melissa and the Interns Stiven and Patrick because they had the day off, so off they went to El Medano for a lazy day in the sunshine on the beach after a lazy morning sunbathing and swimming they managed to get some tapas lunch followed by the most delicious homemade ice cream

After a full lunch they decided it was a great idea to practice timed swims on the pool ha ha !! And since then each day they have been practising and each day making good improvements, only a another few weeks practice and maybe they will achieve the highest scores!!

We were joined by customers Lynn and Paul for two dives at Yellow Mountain accompanied by Stiven and Patrick.  Stiven completed his Fish Identification Adventure Dive as well as his Boat Adventure dive which is great he is now well on his way to completing the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course.

On the dive they saw Large trumpet fish, Anemones, a Black Moray eel as well as lots of Wrasse Bream and a couple of Octopus.  Two great dives a very nice way to spend a morning relaxing dives in the sunshine

Patrick and Alice headed off to the hotel pool in the afternoon for the free try dive sessions and had a wonderful busy afternoon meeting lots of people interested in trying scuba diving.

Discover Scuba Diving always great fun, we were joined by Hollie, Emily and Naomi for a mornings DSD experience  they all did really well Emily decided to stick with her pool experience but Naomi and Hollie were eager to get out to the ocean and meet the fish.

On their Dives at Yellow Mountain they had a great time and saw an octopus, Trumpet Fish and Bluefin damsels to name a few.  Hollie is addicted and cannot wait to get back in the water.

Melissa, Gary, Stiven and Patrick and Lynn and Paul went to have a morning with the Turtles at  Puertito, Interns Stiven and Patrick quite simply can not get enough of the Turtles and every day we hear the same Turtles today?!?

It was a fantastic morning and on the first dive we were spoilt by almost immediately seeing a turtles and several times during the dive seeing the adult turtles swimming around and coming over to inspect us, then as we were heading back to shore there were two adult turtles as well as a baby turtles just in front of us and we all sat awestruck seeing them  right in front of us, almost as if they are putting on a  show for us to see.  Whilst the group was distracted by the ever friendly Turtles Melissa and Patrick were sat watching a gorgeous Cuttlefish just at the side of us, changing colours and patterns so quickly its simply fantastic.

The next day celebrations for Stiven who completed his Advanced Open Water course with the Deep and Navigation dives.  Stiven was very excited to see his first ever Fangtooth Moray eel, and is keen to see the photos of his dives.

Following this Alice started her first rescue Diver training session with Gary and Patrick they had a great time, apart from all appearing very red faced  ...note to self must remember suncream!



Geert, Daphne, Lynn  and Paul joined the team at Poco Naufragio and the moon Pools, Melissa, Paul    and Patrick stayed on the shelf and were really lucky to see two rays a stingray hiding in the rocks we believe to be pregnant as well as a common ray gliding past us.  Moving on we were by us looking at some gorgeous anemones and nearly missed a cuttlefish asleep in the sand, when it awoke it stayed hovering close as if watching us.  Paul was most impressed by the Fangtooth Moray eels who came out to say hello as he was busy taking photos.  Along with a grouper, barracuda and shoals of break and roncadors made this dive amazing.

Alice was with Geert, Daphne, Stiven, Gary and Lynn for the deeper dive, where they saw two small common rays and on their safety stop had one of the large Stingrays come over for a look.  The group were raving about the dive as they came back to the boat, another wonderful start on a very sunny day.

Then the group headed off to the Moon pools, always an amazing site and always great to take the interns to another site, the light shining through the moon pools was amazing, and with trumpet Fish and cuttlefish it just makes for a great dive.

The end of yet another week, and another busy day for the team here at Dive and Sea, first thing they had the Discover Scuba Diving experiences with Jessica, Glen  and Trish, they all had an amazing experience and were really happy that they had managed to see the aquatic life on their dive at Abades.  When Jessica growns a little she will be back to try more diving!!

In the afternoon Alice, Patrick and Stiven headed back off to Abades with Chris and Samantha,
for recreational dives.  they had a great afternoon and are looking forward to the rest of their week diving with us.

Another fun filled week for us all here at Dive and Sea Tenerife.

El Puertito and the Turtles... do we have to get out of the water????

This week has been great here at Dive and Sea Tenerife we have been having fantastic dives with a great group of customers and as usual the sun has been shining.

Lynn and Paul joined us this week for a week of diving Lynn is a divemaster and Paul an Open Water diver.  So the team headed off them Chris and Sam for two dives at Yellow Mountain.  They had two great dives and they came across a Dusky Grouper, Common Ray, Cuttlefish, Red Reef Lobster, Octopus and two Brown Moray Eels.

Stiven was studying hard back at the dive centre in the afternoon he has completed his Emergency first response manual and started watching the Rescue DVD.  Lots of studying for everyone.

Susie and her son Finley joined us for their Discover Scuba Diving Experience at Abades, This was a great experience for Stiven to watch and assist Alice.  They had a great dive and there was lots to see including Red Back cleaner shrimp and Moray Eels.

In the afternoon Stiven was back at Abades this time with Melissa for one dive with Fiona and Scott.  Fiona completed her scuba tune up at the weekend and so was eager to get into the ocean to try out her skills again.  Fiona did really well and was very happy back under the water.  On the dive they were happy to see Anemones, redbacked Cleaner shrimp and octopus

While Melissa and Stiven were having fun at Abades, Patrick and Alice were at the hotel pool offering free try dives to the hotel residents, they had a great busy afternoon and can't wait to head back next week.

Scott was looking forward to starting his Adventures in Diving course, and completed his Deep, Digital Underwater Photography and Boat dives the next morning with Alice, Stiven, Patrick Sam and Chris.  Fiona joined for the two dives at Yellow Mountain   They all had a great mornings diving and retuned back tired but happy with all of the aquatic life they had seen. Congratulations to Scott for completing his PADI Adventures in Diving Course.

The next day we headed off to El Puertito for two great dives with Sam, Chris, Fiona, Alexey, Patrick, Melissa, Stiven and Gary.  They had a great mornings dives, and were really happy to see the turtles.   On the second dive they saw cuttlefish Annulated brittle stars as well as a gorgeous Anemone with sexy shrimp!  It was such a lovely sunny day out a perfect way to spend the morning.

On Friday everyone had a well deserved break, giving Pete a chance to catch up on all his paperwork etc.

The interns had a fun pool session with Alice, and are really starting to improve on the skills, its amazing how quickly they have improved and now are just starting to work on demonstrating the skills.  After a hard session in the pool, Gary and Stiven were studying hard to sit their exams in the afternoon.  Gary completed his Rescue Exam and Stiven the Emergency first response.  Well done to them both.

Melissa, headed off to El Puertito with Stiven, Patrick Aidan, Fergus, and Dan.  They had the best visibility that we have seen all year and they got some great video.  We could all have stayed under water all afternoon just watching the baby turtle swimming around.  It was so nice to have such good visibility you could sea halfway across the bay, and with the sun shining we could not have asked for a better experience   Everyone had a great afternoon, and the team didn't even object to their late finish!

The perfect end to a great week

Celebrations !!! Gary Pineapples Birthday and yet another new name..... Lambada

A bright and hot start to the week..... the calima is coming!

We were joined by Florian, Alexsander, and Pete for two fun dives at Yellow Mountain while wifes Olga and Ulrika headed off the boat for snorkelling.  On the boat were interns Gary, Patrick and Stiven as well as Pete and Alice.

They had two fun dives where they saw Octopus, Anemones, Redback Cleaner shrimp and a small common Ray.

Melissa joined the Divemaster interns for a pool session a great refresher for Melissa and also really great to be able to see the interns progressing with their skills, its amazing how far they have come from being able to accomplish each skills to starting to demonstrate each skill.  It is wonderful to see that they are all trying hard and putting effort in... it has to be said its a little sickening to those of us who do not like the mask skills to see Stiven sitting there for 5 minutes quite happy with out his mask on!!!

Then an afternoon full of reading ..... all the interns are getting on with their respective manuals in preparation for exams and practical sessions, they all did really well it makes for a long afternoon only studying so off they went to the pool for a swimming session.

Then off we went out for our birthday celebrations, we all headed down to the Aberdeen Steak house for a nice meal, everyone was rather amused at the lack of Spanish Menu for Stiven! but all was well despite the wrong pictures for food!  After a nice civilised Meal Pete headed off home but not Melissa and the interns no they decided it was a great idea to go and Play pool at the bar... till 1 am then go for a dance at Taboos... all of a sudden it was 4am ergh!!!  Melissa dalmatian dog woke her at 7am... the whole day was painful and everyone was tired....... very tired

Garys Birthday... his 50th!! ha ha and so we decided to have a nice busy bee day

So after a day of quiet they started bright and early in the swimming pool, for another skill session even   just after the previous practice you can see the skills are improving and today they worked on the pre dive safety check as well as surface skills

After such a great pool session they all headed down to the marina to try the 100 meter tow and the 800 meter snorkel.  They all did brilliantly on the Tow with good scores for their first attempt.  Between the interns Patrick Stiven and Gary they decided that the fin push was the way to get the fastest time.  Poor Gary must have covered at least twice the distance required for the 800 Meter snorkel as he kept snorkelling from one side to the other... oh well its all good practice!

So following all this amazing Stamina they went down to the Aberdeen for an English breakfast, we think Stiven enjoyed it!  So maybe we can head off there again soon.

The final day off the week and the interns headed up to Abades for 3 fun dives where they all took a turn briefing and leading the dives, all of this practice is great as it does make you realise that its not easy remembering everything that is in the brief, and to remember your slate!!

They were all impressed with their navigation abiltities, and happy they were able to get back to the exit point.  they all really enjoyed searching through the rocky reef looking for the hidden aquatic life.