Automjeti im është plot me ngjala

June 25, 2012

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Automjeti im është plot me ngjala

Derek

Hanging out in Saranda, Albania is a pretty cool thing. The place is full of interesting and unique places and while the students in the class spent the days diving and in lessons, I was free to explore and check out the city on my own, which is always a fun adventure. The Field School would be busy most of the day, with the students diving in the morning and then having classes in the afternoon to review and go over additional lessons.

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Each day would add a new or exciting wrinkle, from the basics like underwater navigation, to search and recovery, to learning how to use lift bags and recover small objects, the class built step by step a set of skills that they would be putting to use later in the class as they advanced to things like conducting surveys, plotting grids, and finally on to more advanced scientific observation and research. 

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Avery*

The dive conditions are pretty great, the visibility has been good and the water, while cool is comfortable and clean. Jeffrey Bozanic who is assisting Derek during the scientific diving portion of the class is an excellent underwater photography and the scuba diving shots featured here are all examples of his excellent work. 

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Each day the class would build upon what they had learned previously and get to experience more and more challenging and exciting dive opportunities that ultimately will concentrate on marine ecology and archeology. They will get to dive many of the pristine archaeological sites that RPM has discovered over the past six years including both modern and ancient shipwrecks.

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When not in class, the students also get the chance to explore Saranda and enjoy being immersed in a totally foreign and different culture. From the prayer chants from the mountain top mosques that can be heard daily, to the random animals that roam the streets including cows, sheep, goats, chickens as well as many cats and dogs. A litter of kittens had been born at the hotel where the students are staying and they were the subject of a lot of attention, both from the innkeeper’s young daughters, but also from the field school students.

Chiara

Lee

Just down from our hotel, past the military base there is a large Albanian cemetery, the respect that their culture pays to the dead is something to behold as many Albanians visit the cemetery daily and flower vendors do a brisk business from their stalls set up along the perimeter. The graves are mostly above ground, similar to Key West and all are well maintained and the place has a beautiful serenity that you would expect. It also has a beautiful location looking down over the sea.