Walk on the deep side
Without even the need to be able to swim, it is now possible to peruse the sea bed
To be frank, I hold fast to the theory that any leisure activity requiring one’s head to be immersed in water is basically a form of organised drowning. So, when asked if I would care to go ‘walking’ on the seabed wearing a breathing helmet my reticence was palpable.
Curiosity, however, got the better of me. I accepted the invitation but asked if I could bring along a more than willing substitute in the form of 14-year-old George Hadjialexandrou. Naturally, before I asked George’s parents for a loan of their son for the morning, I first did my homework, researching the safety and suitability of this tourist activity.
Key was how one could walk underwater without heavy boots and proper aqualung equipment. Also, the boast in the company’s brochure states guests can wear their spectacles or contacts – you don’t even have to be able to swim. All one really needs for this activity is a towel, swimsuit and a spirit of adventure.
This walk on ‘the wild side’ is accomplished by a modern twist on the old fashioned deep sea diver’s apparatus although our modern-day sea walkers only go down to a depth of 5m.
The helmet used resembles something ghostly conquistadors or medieval jousters might have worn, it’s a whopping 30kg in weight and made of copper and fiberglass. A tube attached to the helmet brings in compressed air (at 82psi), creating sufficient pressure to push the water down to about shoulder level, allowing you to breathe normally, with the head staying dry. No water seeps in because escaping air keeps it out, and if you need to rub your eyes or scratch your head in wonderment you can still do that, as there’s ample room for your hand to slip inside the helmet.
It’s important though, to keep your body and head up straight when under the water; if you tilt and let air escape you could end up with your head inside the equivalent of an upside-down fish bowl. That however is not something the dive master who accompanies you will ever allow to happen as he only takes a maximum of three to four people each time, so he is able to keep a hawk-like eye on everyone. In clear, shallow waters, it is easy for him to check every few seconds what people are doing.
Before donning the helmet, a rigorous safety talk is delivered and questions are asked about health issues – it’s not considered advisable to partake if you have diabetes, heart problems, suffer from claustrophobia, serious ear problems or are pregnant.
Slightly nervous, it was time for George to don rubber diving booties and traipse on down to the pontoon to make ready for the helmet to be placed over his head. A weight of 30kg makes this headgear impossible to wear on land, but once in the water it’s almost featherweight – shoulder pads of thick foam are in place which makes the helmet sits easily on the shoulders and helps to balance pressure.
Once down, the dive master directs proceedings using the simple hand signals taught in the preparatory talk and then it’s slow walkies out to meet the fish. Breadcrumbs are tossed to encourage the arrival of fish; needle fish come up close and personal and curious sea bass dart around. One small point is the sudden and perhaps alarmingly enlarged size of the marine life, this distortion of vision is caused by the tempered glass so everything looks larger with sea bass “looking like whales,” according to George.
Twenty minutes later, George emerged, his helmet bobbed up and the strong chap stationed on the pontoon used the handle on top of it to immediately lift the weight. I didn’t need to ask George how he enjoyed it, the expression on his face was answer enough, he beamed from ear to ear as he ran down the pontoon, his first words were, “that was amazing, can I go and I do it again, pleease”.
Undersea Walkers
The Ascos Hotel at Coral Bay is the Paphos base for the company which brought to Cyprus this innovative concept, they also have a main office in Protaras where the operation is slightly different, they use a platform off the side of a sleek Catamaran from which to launch guests into the deep.
Tel: Paphos 96 537613 (Scott) or in Protaras, 99 563506 (Christine or Rob). Price: £28 (children, £23). Group and family packages available. Age limit 7-80 years (youngsters need a shoulder width of at least 30 cm to support the helmet).
