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Corsica Diving Guide by Kurt Amsler
Corsica Diving Guide by Kurt Amsler
The French Mediterranean was the place of birth for scuba-diving, but is often overlooked by British divers. Is that because they need the gaudy colour of tropical reefs, or is it a problem of language? Wherever Americans go, English is the number one language. The French? They can sometimes seem very foreign!
But for those willing to exchange diving for la plongĂ?, France offers some spectacular sport and Corsica, the fourth-largest island in the Med and close to the French coast, some of the best.
Kurt Amsler, a Swiss national who has dived all over the world, strides easily between the Gallic and Anglo-Saxon worlds. His dive guide to Corsica is easily digested by both cultures.
As part of the Swan Hill series, it follows a template with its illustrations of dive sites. These I have always found a little superficial, as if the artist has never seen the place. They remind me of those artists' impressions of buildings made from architects' plans. Don't expect to see the fish where they've been sprinkled!
That said, it's a lot of fun and the drawings punctuate much hard information. Amsler's photographs are as workmanlike as ever and give a fair impression of the animals you are likely to see. There is still some red coral to be found, and plenty of false corals, all of which add colour to his work.
Grouper City at Lavezzi, the wreck of the Vickers Viking aircraft at Cap Mortoli, the Tunnel near Galeria, the war-time wreck of the B17 bomber near Calvi, and the small wreck of the Alcione C near Campoloro are highlights, but most of the dives are scenic, as in Fish 'n' Rocks.
If you are going to Corsica, this guide book will prove invaluable. If you are collecting the Swan Hill series, missing this one would be an oversight.
John Bantin
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Corsica Diving Guide by Kurt Amsler, Swan Hill (01743 235651). Paperback, 168pp, £16.95
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