July 11, 2012*

On the way to our third dive site, we were able to stop by the number one tourist attraction in Albania – The Ruins Of Butrint.

Admission was 700 LEK for foreigners, 500 LEK for Albanian nationals.

“Hey Idit, how did the guy know I wasn’t Albanian?” I asked.

“He knows, you don’t look Albanian,” Idit replied.

The ancient city of Butrint has ruins as old as the 4th century B.C.

Legend has it, that the city was formed by people fleeing the fall of the city of Troy.

As the brochure states, “On arrival, Priam’s son Helenus sacrificed an ox, which struggled ashore wounded and died on the beach. Taking this as an omen, the place was named Buthrotum meaning “wounded ox.”

For more details on these ruins, please see The Butrint National Park Page.

The entrance to Butrint.

Some old dwellings:

The coliseum:

The bath house:

Remains of what was once a church:

Hand carved stones fit together with precision to form the wall:

An entrance to the city:

The immediate wall and stair cases made rushing the city by invading forces, very difficult; there were also holes in the wall where defending forces could shoot at the enemy.

One of the towers:

Cannons guard against invaders:

It was getting really hot; we stopped by the restaurant and drank water for lunch.

*Due to time constraints, lack of reliable internet access outside of Tirana, power outages in Tirana and the strength of Albanian beer, posting of this article has been delayed.

July 11, 2012*

After an hour drive, we arrived at our next dive destination – Sirens Bay.

It’s a shallow area that is suppose to have a cavern and an arch.

We had two small tanks that were filled with air from the super compressor we brought from Tirana.

We did just like we did with the last batch – breathe, taste and smell the air.

I didn’t get a headache or dizzy, but the air tasted like machine oil.

Idit tasted his tank.

“Yeah, it does taste oily, what do you want to do?” he asked.

“What was powering the compressor?” I asked.

“It was an electric compressor,” he said.

“Well, it tastes like shit, but it should be good.”

Again, we got the usual stares of amazement on this crowded beach.

Logged SCUBA Dive #415

Dove with Idit

Sirens Bay
Saranda, Albania

Air Source: Mini Super Compressor Brought From Tirana
In With: 2500 psi
Out With: 900 psi
Max depth: 35 feet
Waves: Flat
Visibility: Up to 40 feet
Water Temperature: 74 degrees
Air Temperature: 92 degrees
Total Bottom Time: 45 minutes or so

We entered the water and swam to the right, before submerging.

Albanian Starfish.

Rock Garden.

An Albanian scallop – I think.

Not sure what this is.

This was a shallow dive, and I wasn’t weighted properly.

Albania uses a weird system of measurement called the “Metric” system.

Before our first dive, Idit asked me how much weight I needed.

“Twenty-two pounds.”

“I need to know in kilos,” Idit replied.

I assembled my weight belt by feel – it felt like 22 pounds.

So, I’m having a hard time staying down and trying to keep up with Idit.

I grabbed a rock to hold for weight, and I was lucky enough to also grab onto the sea urchin that was behind it.

Ouch!

I signaled Idit to go up – we were only 20 feet deep.

I took my glove off and Idit was nice enough to dig the spikes out of my fingers.

We continued the dive.

We never did find the cavern, but we did swim through the arch.

My pictures of the arch didn’t really turn out – the arch was too big.

We made an uneventful exit and washed the petroleum after taste from the air away…

…with a beer and spaghetti.

A complete debriefing meal for only 450 LEK ($4.50), at a nice beach side resort.

*Due to time constraints, lack of reliable internet access outside of Tirana, power outages in Tirana and the strength of Albanian beer, posting of this article has been delayed.