Diving in Italy
Everything you have to know and the best Dive Sites
Italy is one of the most popular holiday countries in Europe. What only few people know though: You can also dive very well here. Especially for beginners, Italy offers diving sites and relics of antique cultures that are worth seeing underwater, especially on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.
In this respect, a short trip to the Mediterranean coast is worthwhile to go diving and relax at the same time. Easy accessibility, good touristic infrastructure and, of course, the excellent cuisine after a dive, all speak in favour of Italy. At the same time, Italy offers a lot of rather unknown and still beautiful diving sites.
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Hot Spots for diving on mainland Italy
From the Italian mainland, primarily wrecks and caves can be reached along the more than 7,500 km coast length. Among others, we can recommend these diving sites:
- Wreck of the Haven (Genoa): The super tanker, sunken in 1991, provoked a natural catastrophe at the time – with 334 metres, it is now the largest wreck in the Mediterranean Sea and within reach of both hobby as well as technical divers. Just its sheer size makes it absolutely worth seeing!
- Punta di Fetovaia (Elba): The diving site is more appropriate for advanced divers – however, they are rewarded by a large selection of flabellum corals and a multitude of fish species. In addition, there is a little grotto that you can dive to at a depth of 40 metres.
- Underwater Park of Baiae (Naples): The sunken, antique city is a unique diving experience. Antique villas, thermal baths, sumptuous mosaics and much more can be visited at a shallow depth here.
The best sites for diving on the Italian islands
Both of the largest Italian islands, Sardinia and Sicily, offer a large number of diving sites that are worth seeing. Especially Sardinia is considered to be one of the Hot Spots for diving in the Mediterranean Sea!
Among others, we can recommend the following sites:
- Secca del Papa (Sardinia): The “Shallow of the Pope” is reckoned to be one of the most beautiful diving sites in the Mediterranean Sea. The steeply towering stone column is a meeting point for a lot of fish and smaller marine species.
- Capo Cacchia (Sardinia): An almost endless system of underwater caves waiting to be discovered and which fascinate not only fans of marine creatures but also cave divers.
- Villasimius (Sardinia): More than 100 ships were sunk here and consequently there is plenty to be discovered: Modern wrecks of World War II lie directly next to antique ceramics and relics. A “must-see” for all wreck lovers!
- Capo Kalura (Sicily): Here you can dive to the remains of a Roman port facility directly off the coast. Impressive for friends of archaeology!
- Campanari Reef (Sicily): The stack which is about 20 metres high offers a home to a colourful underwater world.
Diving in Italy at a glance
- Peak tourist season: April to November, August is not recommendable though as it is the peak travel season
- Appropriate for: All diving levels, especially beginners
- Water temperature: Can vary tremendously from 15 – 26 degrees
- Entry requirement: For Europeans, only the national ID card is required
- Particular diving experiences: Macro photography, caves, wrecks
- Duration of trip: A few days or 1 – 2 weeks, can readily be linked to a beach holiday
- Diving equipment: Can be rented on site in most cases or simply brought along when travelling by car
- Travelling: By car or plane
Fancy diving in Italy?
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