(04-05-10) Some describe them as the eight wonder in the world, others like a heavenly place. Ptolemy called them “The Islands of the Gods” in the second century, when Phoenicians and Carthaginians provided themselves with tin. Some, nowadays, called them ·The Galician Caribbean”. In 2007 the British newspaper “The Guardian” catalogued the Rodas Beach, in Monteagudo Island, like ·the most beautiful in the world”, and I do agree.

    The Cies Islands, 433 ha of land, are the most famous within the National Park of the Atlantic Islands. The archipelago consists of three islands located at the entrance of the Ría de Vigo: Monteagudo, Montefaro and San Martiño, from North to South. They three are a great natural barrier at the beginning of the estuary, which gives much safety to the Ría.

    You must know that in the archipelago fishing and hunting, and even pets are banned. It is basic for the correct development of Nature not to disturb anyhow the habitat of the animals living here. There is no need to talk about dumping rubbish…

The fauna of the Islands

    Although what interests us today is underwater life, I would be imprudent if I didn’t write something about the SPAs (Special Protection Area for Birds) in the Cíes, where we can see any kind of woodpeckers, pigeons, pelicans, birds of prey…

    Besides this, the biggest colony in the world of yellow-legged gulls lives here, about 22,000 specimens, and also 2,500 pairs of shags, 20 of dark seagull and 400 of the almost extinguished common murre.

    The underwater environment in the Cíes Islands is very varied. They are visited quite often, mainly in summer, by dolphins, humpback whales and even sometimes marine turtles. In one of the areas, exposed to open sea, there is a small cleaning station of sunfishes (mola mola).

    There are also places where, if we are lucky, we can see the mating rituals of the tope shark (Galeorhinus galeus).

    But the most common is to enjoy the company of the species we see in any dive in the Galician coast, with the difference that fishes are curious here. In the little times a diver approaches a fish to observe it or to take a picture; he or she does it very carefully. Here I think that approaching was much easier.

How to dive in the Cies Island

    I am sure that many of you, like me, are looking forward to it. The first thing you have to do when coming here is to check the weather one or two weeks earlier. I recommend you coming in spring or summer because we will be in open sea and here the sea is not warning anyone.

    Once checked the weather and decided the dates, one must get contact with a dive centre, which will apply the Xunta the diving permit for those days, but you have to send the center all the documents, certification diving, insurance and ID.

    Water temperature is between 11ºC and 17ºC in the surface in sunny season. In the bottom, I would say that you will be between 13 and 15ºC. So, I wouldn’t recommend you using a suit under 7 mm.  Better if you have a dry suit. The hood is essential.

In the water

    We, eight friends, have chosen the experienced dive centre Buceo Atlantis, from Vigo, to guide us. We met at the Club Náutico de Punta Lagoa at 8.45 am to leave at 9.30 am and dive twice in the morning. We cannot arrive to the Island and dive, first we have to let the security guards of the Island verify the documentations. Then, if everything is correct, we go to the sea.

    The seabed here is full of life. The most exposed place is a great area to see and take pictures of fishes, while the inner area has more gorgonians.

    There are dives for everyone. From the swallow ones with 10 m in depth and little currents, to dives for the most experienced, with currents and bottoms at 45 m deep.

We are in spring, and, as you know, is time to breed. Algae, nudibranchs and fishes are in breeding season. Fishes change their colours. For example male cuckoo wrasse (Labrus bimaculatus) covers themselves in bright colours to attract females, smaller.

    Rocks, on the surface, are completely covered by mussels, barnacles and all kinds of sponges. Among them we can find diverse nudibranches, such as the chromodoris purpurea.

    The seabed is full of all shorts of rocks, from plain ones with no holes, to big caves where all fishes shelter, the biggest and more trusting ones I’ve ever seen in my life.

    Not only fishes will attract us. Dives in Galicia, especially in the Cíes Islands, are full of life. Gorgonians here are biggest to the ones in the estuary; I guess it is because there are no nets or anchors pulling them up from the bottom.

    The size of the gorgonians is also much bigger here. Although, as you know, not always the biggest things are the most beautiful, also the smallest are, if we search a superficial rock on which do the safety stop.

    Once up, in the zodiac, a strange feeling overcomes all of us. On one side, the joy for having dived in one of the most beautiful places in Spain, and, on the other hand, the melancholy of having left that wonderful place without knowing when we will come back.

    Thanks to Angel for this unforgettable day. If you want to comment something about these articles, you can write to: jacoboalonso@horminor.com