2. Sensible walking flip flops!

Following several hours of relaxing after a massive breakfast and lounging by the pool, I hauled all my dive gear down the road, round the harbour and checked in to the dive shop for my ‘check dive’. This is essentially some local diving that they make you do (and pay for the privilege) prior to being allowed to do any of the big trips. I’d moan more about this expensive privilege except that I have encountered many a crap yet ‘experienced and certified’ diver who should not have been doing the diving they chose to so perhaps it’s just as well. I also, of course, very much enjoyed some time under the water anyway.

The sea temperature here is the minimum I can cope with (20-22°c) and it requires significant protection. The first job to prep for diving is setting up the gear and then carrying it to the boat, by wearing it on your back and tramping out the shop, over the road, to the harbour and down the steps onto the boat. Once back in the shop, you then have to heave and tug yourself into a 7ml thick wetsuit. Once that’s complete, you head back to the boat and off you go. It’s worth mentioning that by the time I’d got to the ‘off we go’ bit, I was almost actually boiling alive and at risk of heat stroke. It’s makes the giant stride into the sea a welcome relief and even more of a sharp contrast in temperatures!

On our first dive, we went out to the little islands just off the harbour, which are the remains of a caldera (the caldron like hollow that forms at the tip of a volcano following eruption), which has mostly collapsed and is now under water. We dropped in just near to the foot of the rocks where there is a big hole between the rocks and explored around the rocks and world underneath. There were little silver fish swimming about quite prettily, many damsel fish (the black ones with flashes of electric blue which I know as Canarian damsel fish, but here they just call them black damsels!), moray eels and some inquisitive but thankfully mostly non-aggressive silver trigger fish. My favourites for this dive were a pair of little sting rays who swam about and danced around us for quite a while!

On our second dive, there was a pair of snorkelers who were joining us on the boat. They had paid for a little island tour and snorkel … so we got to enjoy the tour too. Excellent job! We went out to the islands of Magdelena again (their names translate to the standing up and the lying down islands) and did a spin round them, learning about the rocks and the birds there and  that the big split hole in the rocks is in the shape of Mary Magdalene (according to the catholics that live here - I couldn’t see it myself). We also learned about the birds that nest here and around the islands …. Cory’s Shearwaters, which following an excellent impression from the tour lady, I realised are what I know as the ‘talking birds’ we sometimes hear in spring / summer in Tenerife.

Dad, this is mostly for you, here is what I learnt about them: they are sea birds who spend almost all of their life at sea and only come to land to nest (they are also quite clumsy on land and not good movers when they’re not in flight!). 75% of the world’s population of them are thought to nest in the Azores (the rest are around other Atlantic islands, including the Canaries). Although they don’t spend the time at sea together, they are totally monogamous and find their mate and pair back up for breeding, usually in the same spot each year. During the days and when they are not guarding the nest, incubating the eggs or with the chicks (they take it in turns), the other goes out to sea for food. They return in the evenings, after dark and call to each other to find each other and the nest. That is the talking call we hear. The higher pitch ‘talking’ is the males and the females answer with a lower pitched repetitive hoot. They each have a unique call and can recognise their mates. They never respond to any other birds’ calls aside from their mates! (Unpartnered males do a different call and a single female may reply to it if she’s interested and that’s how they find a mate, then remain together!). They nest once a year and lay one egg only each year.

The next part of our tour, which the divers hadn’t paid for but I asked all of the questions to find out about the rocks, the islands and the shearwaters!, was to head to the foot of the island opposite (Faial Island) wherer we had a tour there to see the cliffs, the harbour, another couple of more intact underwater calderas, a bay of black sand and where they used to do the whaling. Because of their position in the mid-Atlantic, the islands are in the path of migration routes for many species of whale.

Whaling used to be the main ‘industry’ of the Azores - we saw where they used to drag the sperm whales they’d caught into a sea gateway off the harbour and into the factory where they would process their meat etc to make whale flour and oil - prior to the discovery of crude oil, whale oil was used for lighting and heating and various purposes. This begun centuries ago when American whalers comes to the islands to recruit workers, many of whom then continued the industry in the Azores. The Azorian whalers only ever used small, handmade boats and caught only a relatively small number of whales. However, as demand reduced, the practice became increasingly controversial and whale populations were under threat, the international whaling commission banned whaling in 1982 and since this was supported by a Portugal, the Azorians had to stop. However, the final whale was actually killed here (they think!) in 1987. These days, rather than catching them a major part of their tourism industry is now in whale watching boat tours. The whale watching industry is strictly regulated with tight laws and limited licences per island for boats. There is also a considerable amount of funding and education going into research and conservation work. Now the Azorians can live off the whales without killing them!

After our tour, we did our second dive in a part of the natural harbour of Faial island that is protected from the wind and swell (so the snorkelers could manage too). I was a little colder on that dive and did think I should have packed up a flask of tea to take with me for after. My favourite things of this dive were a massive stingray (no photos as he wasn’t that close and the others were in the way a bit), a pair of moray eels, who I think we might have interrupted while they having a ‘good time’ and some little scorpion fish (camouflaged fish who’s protection is their camouflage and poisonous spines should they be touched).

On my way home, I had some yummy Mexican food by the harbour and watched the sunset - and then the moon rise behind, over the top of the volcano. I also walked by a little nail bar and beauty shop that I think my niece would like:

Checked dive ‘passed’ - so I’m allowed to go the seamount dive I came here to do (booked in for a couple of days’ time), I have then had a day exploring on land. That sounds a lot grander than it is - I took the opportunity of a bit of cloud so slightly cooler temperatures and had a walk along the coastline, the opposite way from the town. The coast line is all rocks, and rocky beaches and very pretty. I clambered over some rocks to go and look at the flat rock I could see, only to discover that it was formed, I assume, from a previous eruption of Mount Pico that brought the lava all the way to the sea, where it obviously cooled and solidified. You can even see where the top of the lava has started solidifying as the liquid lava underneath has kept flowing, causing the top to crease up. It’s really quite excellent. There looked like some other layers and possibly basalt columns too that had formed. I crawled about on the rocks to take some pictures for my friend Helen because she likes rocks and I think she’d have liked to see these ones!

I also ventured a little in land to go to view point and see some of the vineyards. They make a lot of wine here, it seems. The grape vines are grown in areas were basalt rock has been used to form walls, support and growing areas. It makes for some stunning landscapes. The area has been recognised by UNESCO as a world heritage site since 2004. Although Pico is the second largest of the Azores, it is only home to around 6% of the population and was the last to be populated (originally in 1420 and only significantly in around 1480s) because it was seen as a black stone island that was considered to be ‘cursed’ due to its appearance and the expectation that nothing would grow. The first vineyard was planted in 1450, using the black stone walling to build ‘currais’ - which are the little enclosures the vines are planted in. Soil was originally brought over from Faial island and poured into each currais, were vines were then planted. The stone protected the vines from weather and the elements, the black stone provided additional warmth overnight as it heated in the sun and the vines flourished. There are so many walls constructing these vineyards that if they were laid out end to end, they would go round the world twice! All of the caring for the vines and harvesting is still done by hand. Pico’s vineyards (mostly situated around the village I am staying in) are now recognised as the best in the Azores and the wines are exported around Europe and beyond. I feel I ought to have a glass of the wine at some point to try it too although they only make white or red, I’m told. No lady petrol (rosé)!

I very much enjoyed my little walk - I met many people along the way, who were obviously out walking the trail along the coast. They were mostly in their ‘serious walkers’ gear’ with trainers or walking boots and rucksacks that fasten round their waists. A few of them cast what I felt was a derogatory glance at my flip flops, which is rude and misplaced because I had my best walking flip flops on! I don’t want to be a walking advertisement for Archie’s but honestly, I think I am - I successfully completed my entire walk in my flips flops, which are made from one piece of moulded plastic so no coming apart issues, well supported and fit well to my feet. There was no slipping, any issues, even when clambering about on rocks, and I did it all without getting uncomfortably hot and sweaty feet. They are the fools here! My sister would have taken a drink with her, I did think of that once I’d left but it would have fit in my bumbag - I was ok, I had some lovely squash and a delicious cup of tea once I got back.

Anyway, I very much enjoyed my walk, returned to my hotel for a refreshing dip in the pool and have then rewarded myself with an afternoon spent reading my book!