Rising early to walk Porto Santo’s 5.5-mile (9km) golden sand beach, the air was cool and crisp. It was light outside, but the sun had not yet risen over the top of the island, so the beach was still draped in shadow and not too hot. The temperature was perfect for a stroll, and as I looked out over the still waters, the whole island seemed to be at peace.

The water is warm and clear. The landscape is barren. The sun is high above the horizon. The blue waters of the Strait of Messina await technical divers eager to discover new sites. Stories of the Strait’s endless stretches of sand, rocks, legendary shoals of fish and many shipwrecks are waiting to be told. It is a sea of discovery.

The mission to Liguria included several dives in various areas along the coast. We did not have many days, so we needed to stay focused, as there were many things to do, people to meet and interviews to conduct. In Savona, I met up with Lorenzo Moscia, the photographer for the mission. He had been there for a few days documenting the biodiversity of Bergeggi Island, an MPA established in 2007.

Home to over 1,400 species of marine life, the Professor Luiz Saldanha Marine Park was included in the Arrábida National Park in 1998 and is completely protected from all human activities, allowing it to recover from previous degradation. No fishing, boating or even diving is allowed in this area.

Just next to this protected area is the village of Sesimbra. While fishing, boating and diving are allowed here, it reaps the benefits of being adjacent to such a successful marine reserve and where the diving is known to be excellent.

After getting some interesting offers in March 2014, I met a rebreather diver from Gran Canaria at the Dive and Travel Show in Madrid. He suggested that I come to Gran Canaria for wreck diving. At first, I was not particularly interested, because I really wanted to do some nice wreck dives, and the Canary Islands were not necessarily known for their wealth of wrecks. I had been to Lanzarote a few times, but I had never seen any interesting wrecks there. On the contrary, I was told again and again that there were no wrecks anywhere on the Canary Islands.

Lelle and I surely got our fair share of all the above in an action-filled week in the sunny island country of Cyprus, which saw us dive and explore different ends of the South Coast. Aside from some good dives, we also had some lovely land excursions, including a day spent up in the hilly, green wine country, wandering ancient streets while sampling the local cuisine in style.