Sardinia Again

Some others Pics from Sardinia.

Porto Pino Dive Center - Sardinia Is.

Porto Pino- S.Anna Arresi (Carbonia Iglesias) SW Sardinia

Roberto Diving the "Secca di Cala Piombo"
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/716797
Link from Paolo & Mauro: customers and friends

12th May 2008 I was in Sardinia to manage a dive school nearby the Resort Columbus from the Tour Operator Viaggi del Ventaglio. In this area there is a big NATO military base and to dive in the water in front of the base is forbidden till middle of June.

Up: "Secca di Cala Piombo" and "Punta di Levante "(Cala Galera) are characterized from the presence of big Barracuda's Schools.

The beautifull "Cala Zafferano" in the middle of the military base near Capo Teulada (Sardinia Southest Point) where is possible to dive on Dino's wreck ( Pics Under).

Farewell lovely Ireland. Favorites!!!!

For more and better pics check out my new site:

http://photo.net/photos/roberto_miotto

1Year is gone, back Italy now to manage a Diving School in SW Sardinia

This are some of our Favorites location in the Emerald Island

View of little Skellig from Skellig Michael

From Wikipedia:

Skellig Michael (from Sceilig Mhichíl in the Irish language, meaning Michael's rock), also known as Great Skellig, is a steep rocky island about 15 kilometres west of the coast of County Kerry, Ireland. It is the larger of the two Skellig Islands. For 600 years the island was an important centre of monastic life for Irish Christian monks. An Irish Celtic monastery, which is situated almost at the summit of the 230-metre-high rock, was built in 588, and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996. It is one of Europe's better known but least accessible monasteries.
Since the extreme remoteness of Skellig Michael has until recently discouraged visitors, the site is exceptionally well preserved. The very spartan conditions inside the monastery illustrate the ascetic lifestyle practiced by early Irish Christians. The monks lived in stone 'beehive' huts (clochans), perched above nearly vertical cliff walls.

Valentia Island Co. Kerry

Visited Countries: Updated 09 October 2007

Still enjoying Ireland...

Roberto

Nicola

31 Diving in Ireland

29th July 2007 Loop head Co Clare

Who said that in Ireland diving was not possible?

Roberto with Diarmaid at the end of a fantastic dive at the "bridges of Ross"

30 Irish Republic Co. Clare DOONBEG

.. after 5 week in Ulster, Norther Ireland living in a small village (Moira) 30 minutes drive from Belfast, we found a job in Irish Republic, Co Clare on the west coast.
The County is one of the wildest and most beautifull of the emerald island. We are located few miles from the Cliff of Moher and we started to work at the beginning of June in one of the most prestigious european golf Resort: Doonbeg. The link was designed by Greg Norman (the white shark) the famous Australian champion.

Le vertiginose pareti delle Cliff: davanti a noi la sconfinata massa d'acqua dell'Atlantico fino alle americhe. E' il finis terrae, l'ultimo baluardo d'Europa.

www.doonbeggolfclub.com

On of the 5 Pubs of the small village of Doonbeg

29 THIS IS THE END my friend...

FAREWELL SOUTH AMERICA Yesterday we bought our ticket back to Milan with TAP.

We flew back to Europe arriving on the 13th of March.

28 PARATY & IHLA GRANDE

Paraty - a quaint colonial town on the Costa Verde located about 4 hours South of Rio. Cobble stone streets, smart bars and restaurants make for a charming and atmospheric place to relax and spend a few days.

Talented street performers of the Capoeira in Paraty. The origin of this dance-martial art combo is in the state of Bahia.

The most important boat in Ilha Grande, the one delivering the ITAIPAVA beer

27 RIO HIGHLIGHTS

Ipanema Beach - one of the middle class suburbs of Rio has a thriving beach culture, trendy shops and restaurants

Corcovado hill on which stands Christ the Redeemer - the most prominent landmark which is visible from every quarter of Rio

It is especially nice on the top at sunset. Panoramas of the whole city including Copacabana beach, Botafogo Bay, Corcovado and the Christ can be seen

Above: Sugar Loaf Mountain and the cable car which takes the tourists there.

Lapa Quarter, one of the most popular night spots. In the picture above is another of the symbols of Rio: an old aqueduct on the top of which rides a tram (ferrrocaril) which takes you to the neighbourhood of Santa Teresa, in the hills above

Maracana Football Stadium. Another highlight not to be missed. Flamengo Vs Maracaibo 3: 1. Flamengo is one of the most loved teams by Cariocas

26 RIO CARNIVAL 2007

Rio Carnival 2007 - 17th to 20th February

Roberto in Carnival costume.

Above: Nicola and Sergio (apartment mate) playing bulls before going to one of the Street blocos in Ipanema

Above: 17th February - first night in the Sambodromo.

In the complex Carnival rules the first night is reserved for Group A participants. From this night, one group is selected to go forward into the competition of the following year’s Carnival

24th February - Winners Night.
After the four days of Carnival the best schools perform altogether with the Winner of Group A (Winner 2007 BEJA FLOR)

25 ARGENTINA & BRAZIL: IguazuFalls

Where the Parana and Iguazu rivers meet, so do the borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Each country has created a landmark in their national colours, which you can see in each country.

Above is the monument in Argentina.

Taller than Niagara Falls, twice as wide with 275 cascades, spread in a horseshoe shape, over nearly two miles of the Iguazu River, Iguazu Falls are the result of a volcanic eruption which left a large crack in the earth. These matter of fact details do nothing to describe the grandeur of the falls, the tremendous amount of water (an average of 553 cubic feet per second) thundering down 269 feet, the tropical location and the sheer beauty that led Eleanor Roosevelt to exclaim “Poor Niagara!”.

Iguazu is four times the width of Niagara Falls.

The Falls are divided by various islands into separate waterfalls. One of the best known is Devil’s Throat, or Garganta del Diablo with its perpetual spray high over the falls.

Enjoying the panorama of Garganta Del Diablo from the Brazilian side

Other notable falls are the San Martin, Bossetti, and Bernabe Mendez.

Iguazu Falls, called Foz do Iguazu in Brazilian, and Cataratas del Iguazu in Spanish, lie on the Argentina - Brazil border and are a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site.

Full rainbow over the Brazilian falls

The falls are part of a singular practically virgin jungle ecosystem protected by Argentine and Brazilian national parks on either side of the cascades. Two thirds of the falls are on the Argentinean side of the river, where you can also tour Iguazu National Park, where there are jungle trails and bird hikes.

Left: on a summer’s day in the sun the splendour of many species of butterflies are displayed to full effect.

Above: the Coatis on the Brazilian side enjoying an afternoon snack due to the generosity of one visitor - Roberto!

The name of the falls comes from the Guarani’ word for great water The first Spanish explorer to see the falls (did you see the film The Mission?) was Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541 but the vast power of the falls was not fully utilized until the construction of the huge Itaipu hydroelectric power plant built jointly by Paraguay and Brazil. Completed in 1991 the dam is open to tours and provides 12,600,000 KW of power satisfying almost 40% of Brazil and Argentine power needs. The dam one of the largest in the world is touted by both countries as a masterpiece of technology.

24 ARGENTINA Bariloche-Mendoza

Bathed by the clear waters of Lake Nahuel Huapi, Bariloche is located on the West of the Province of Rio Negro, 1,640 km from Buenos Aires City.

One of the seven shimmering blue lakes near Bariloche

Mount Catedral, one of the most important ski resorts in Argentina, is visited by more and more enthusiasts of snow sports every winter season. The summers are synonymous with adventure in Bariloche. The rough water courses are ideal for the practice of white water rafting.

Nicola chilling out with the traditional argentinian mate ceremony after a day of white water rafting.

The mountain paths are open for hiking, riding mountain bikes and horses cross the thick forests. The high peaks are a challenge for climbers. For those in need of an extra dose of amusement, Bariloche has an inviting night life. Its discos are famous among students during their graduation trip, as well as among the great deal of tourists and backpackers that visit the city.

Situated at the foot of The Andes, Mendoza is the most important city in the West of Argentina.

The very well known Ruta de los Vinos (Route of the Wines) deserves a special mention. We visited one of the most famous argentinian wineries (Rutini) and we tasted their excellent wines. Rutini offers excellent yields which are the product of carefully chosen grapes.

Roberto landing (after Nicola). We enjoyed the spectacular Andean views on a 40 minute paragliding flight, from one of the most famous areas for paragliding, in Argentina, Cerro Arco.

23 ARGENTINA Moreno Glacier

The Perito Moreno Glacier is located in the Los Glaciares National Park in the south west of Santa Cruz province, Argentina. It is one of the most important tourist attractions in Argentine Patagonia.

It is located 78 km from El Calafate, was named after the explorer Francisco Moreno, a pioneer who studied the region in the 19th century and played a major role in defending the territory of Argentina in the conflict surrounding the international border dispute with Chile.

The Glacier is one of only three Patagonian glaciers that are not retreating. It’s size is certainly impressive. It is 5 km wide and 30 km in length, giving a surface of 250 square km.

It is one of 48 glaciers fed by the Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in the Andes system shared with Chile. This ice field is the world’s third largest reserve of fresh water. Ice presents an average height of 60 meters above the surface of the water, with a total ice depth of 170 meters. It advances at a speed of up to 2 m per day (around 700 m per year), although it loses mass at approximately the same rate, meaning that aside from small variations, its terminus has not advanced or receded in the past 90 years. At its deepest part, the glacier has a depth of approximately 700 m.

Awesome sound effects can be witnessed as huge mounds of ice cleave off the Moreno ice field into lago Argentino.

Roberto with Moreno Glacier in the background.

Periodically the glacier advances over the L-shaped Lago Argentino forming a natural dam which separates the two halves of the lake when it reaches the opposite shore. With no escape route, the water-level on the Brazo Rico side of the lake can rise by up to 30 meters above the level of the main lake. The enormous pressure produced by this mass of waters finally breaks the ice barrier holding it back, in a spectacular rupture event. This dam/rupture cycle is not regular and it naturally recurs at any frequency between once a year to less than once a decade.