Learn to Dive in Italy
Italy’s Highlights
Italy’s famous for its culture, food and art. With thousands of miles of coastline to explore, it also has some amazing scuba diving. There are wrecks, reefs, caves and caverns to explore. It is known for its technical diving, with some of the most complex cave and tunnel systems in the world. The bottom structure is a mix between sandy, rocky and stony. With clear water and a variety of marine life, both freshwater and saltwater dives are possible. One of the most unique dives is around the Ferdinandea Volcano crater in Sicily, how often do you get to dive to see a volcano?
Some of the best diving in Italy is done around Sardinia, Elba, Sicily, the Pontine archipelago and Liguria located on the Italian Riviera. Interesting marine life to spot include octopus, seahorses, groupers, barracudas and more. There is also diving in lakes, including Lake Garda, and freshwater reservoirs. Some nice spots to snorkel and free dive are resorts located along Elbe and the Ligurian coast.
When is the best time to go diving in Italy?
Spring and Summer offer the best diving conditions. Between April to October, July and August is when the water is warmest at around 25°C.
Water Temperature: The water temperature is between 9°C and 15°C in winter and from 22°C to 28°C in summer depending on the area.
Currents: Currents range from weak to strong. At most sites, there is no current or a weak current.
Visibility: Like in Greece, Italy is known for having good visibility. A bad day would see visibility at about 15 meters with a good day on the Mediteranean Coast visibility is about 40 meters.
Italy’s best dive sites
Elba
Elba is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea’s Tuscan Archipelago National Park. It is said to be the best diving in the Mediterranean, with its protected environment the chance of spotting interesting marine life is common. Elba is a perfect holiday destination featuring white sandy beaches and crystal blue water. The island is located next to a shallow and brightly coloured reef, perfect for divers and freediving. There are beautiful sea beds and deep walls, featuring red and green gorgonians, black coral and red coral. There is a chance to spot groupers, barracuda, shrimp, lobster, eels. Sunfish, dolphins, turtles and sharks have also been spotted.
Top dives site: Elviscot, Formiche della Zance and Punta Nera
La Maddalena
La Maddalena is located in northern Sardinia and is a geo-marine National Park encompassing 180 km². The archipelago features over 30 dive sites suitable for different levels of scuba divers. Most sites have rocky bottoms and great visibility. As you dive, you will see granite rocks, drop offs, pinnacles, overhangs, swim-throughs, caves, all teeming with marine life and corals. There is the chance to spot octopus, crabs, lobsters, nudibranchs’, breams, stone fish, eels and so much more! La Maddalena is by far one of the best places in Italy to spot marine life.
Top dive sites: Washington Rock, Angelika Wreck and Grouper city
Tremiti Islands
The Tremiti Islands or Isole Tremiti are a small archipelago in Italy’s Adriatic Sea. They are part of Gargano National Park and offer some beautiful spots, rich with marine life. The island archipelago consists of 5 islands named San Nicola, San Domino, Caprara, the Scoglio del Cretaccio and Pianosa. Each island has its own unique morphology, underwater landscape and marine life leading to a huge variety in the dive sites on offer. There are numerous areas to be explored while there are some spots for all levels of divers, many spots lend themselves to more experienced or technical divers only. Due to sometimes harsher conditions and more difficult dives, it is less crowded than other archipelago’s in the region.
Top dive sites: Scoglio del Sale, the cave of Sale, Punta Elefante and the creek of the Murene.
About the country
Italy has a unique history, delicious food, rich culture, beautiful landscapes, and some of the best diving spots in the world. Getting around Italy is extremely easy with a connection of buses and trains. Learn authentic Italian cooking, camp under the stars, go kayaking, visit the colosseum, shop in Milan, there are countless places to explore in Italy.
Recreational Courses in Italy
Dive Centers in Italy
Getting to Italy
Italy can be accessed by plane, boat, train, bus and car. It is easily accessible from most major European cities. Fly to Rome or one of Milan’s three airports, you can also fly to Sicily, Sardinia or Genoa. Depending on where you are in Europe, potentially a train or ferry could be the easiest option.
Other important information
- Capital: Rome
- Official Language: Italian
- Demonym: Italian
- Currency: Euro
- Calling code: +39
- Driving Side: Right
- Population: Above 60 million
- Pressure: Bar
- First Stage: DIN
