SCUBA DIVING IN ITALY: scuba dives in history and culture. Divers’ Reviews

You can find all the different Mediterranean environments in Italy: wreck dives from Roman times, dark volcanic rocks with huge sea fans. All of the dive areas in Italy are rich with history and culture, making the scuba diving trip even more interesting. Water temperature is 50 °F to 79 °F (15 °C to 26 °C), and the best time to dive is from April through November. If you are visiting Italy for diving in the summer, book at least one month in advance, July and August can be very crowded.

SICILY, LARGEST MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND

Sicily has a unique and rich culture and underwater Sicily is just as exciting. You can expect modern and ancient wrecks, corals and seals.

The island has five diving areas with over 40 different dive sites. The entire coastline has been given World Heritage Site status. The Grotta Azzurra cave (not to be confused with the Grotta Azzurra site in Capri) is a great dive site with a beautiful walls and cave. It is a shallow site and well sheltered from any current, one of the best in the area.

The Roman Columns site, on the south-eastern part of the bay, is an ancient Roman wreck believed to be over 2000 years old. The vessel transported columns of white marble to build a temple but sank along the way. Expect a lot of nudibranchs roaming on the floor here. Maximum depth is 80 ft., so it´s recommended for advanced divers.

Capo San Andrea Reef is a rocky slope often visited by pelagic fish; it makes a really good drift dive too. The Naxos and Taormina islands are where the first Greek settlers arrived 27 centuries ago. A visit to the archeological sites is highly recommended. The island of Linosa has Scoglio di Lampione dive site, a beautiful deep dive, good to spot sharks. Ferdinandea dive site is one of a kind, it´s an underwater volcano 1280 ft. (400 m.) high and its peak is only 25 ft. (8 m.) from the surface. Expect a lot of marine life.

Marettimo is the best dive spot to watch seals, amber jacks and sea breams. The Scoglio Quaglietto dive site has a statue of the Madonna inside the cave, and has fantastic underwater rock formations. The Valley of the Temples in Agrigento is probably Sicily’s main tourist attraction, and Mount Etna, the kingdom of Vulcan for the Greeks, in Catania, is the tallest active volcano in Europe and World Heritage Site too.

SARDINIA, SCUBA DIVES IN SECCA DEL PAPA

Sardinia, second-largest island in the Mediterranean, has the Magdalena Archipelago, a group of islands in the Strait of Bonifacio to the south of Corsica. The Magdalena National Park attracts a lot of tourists, especially boaters.

You can dive in ten different dive sites in the Magdalena Archipelago. On the east coast of Sardinia, Tavolara’s Secca del Papa is probably the most famous dive site in Italy. It´s a 960 ft. (300 m.) pinnacle where you see most of the Mediterranean marine life, specially groupers and barracuda.

The Strait of Bonifacio is a wide, shallow area that provides a lot of sheltered inlets for marine life. Much of the seabed is covered with Posidonia oceanica, a plant that nurtures fish, crustaceans and mollusks. Dorados and congers can be found here as well. The Punta Coda Cavallo Marine Reserve has caves, wrecks and coral with dramatic rock formations.

TUSCAN ARCHIPELAGO, DIVE IN MONTECRISTO

The Tuscan Archipelago is a chain of islands between the Ligurian Sea and the Tyrrhenian Sea. There´s over 40 different dive sites in this area.

Elba is the most popular area, with more than 500 marine species, it has magnificent drop offs and the popular site, Punta di Fetovaia known for its red sea fans. During hikes at the Casentinesi National Park you will most likely encounter bore, deer, golden eagles and red foxes.

The beach in Pomonte has very good snorkeling and diving. The scenery of Corsica, Pianosa and Montecristo are impressive. The different islands in the Tuscany Archipelago make it a perfect destination for diving, snorkeling and cultural/historical sightseeing.

PORTOFINO, CHRIST OF THE ABYSS

Portofino Marine Park is home of the Christ of the Abyss dive site, one of the most popular in Europe, it features the sunken statue of Jesus Christ made by Guido Galletti in 1954.

The Albenga dive site has the remains on an ancient Roman cargo ship. Grotta dei Gamberi (Shrimp Cave) is a picturesque site to find octopus and groupers.

DIVE OPERATORS IN ITALY

Area Mare Dive Center / Centro Immersioni Lazzurro / CNS Sezione Sub / Diving Porto Conte / Diving Team / DWS Diving / Fool Dive / Nautilus TDC / Odissea Sub / Oloturia Sub/ Sea Divers / Sub Piombino / Tortuga Diving Portofino / Centro Sub Campi Flegrei