Reef diving in july

[SafetyStopBait]

Hey,

Still looking for recommendations for diving in Europe. I'll be travelling with a new diver so I'm looking for:

- reef diving over wreck diving
- shallower diving for an open water certified diver (under 60 feet/18 meters)
- not cold water (3mm wetsuit or less)
- surface activities as well as diving
- a nice beach
- easy to get to from Northeast U.S.

Any thoughts are much appreciated!

Mike

 

[johnatabc]

You need to head as far south as possible.
Diving near Bodrum, Turkey October last year the hire wet suits were full 5mm suits and the water at 23/24C
Diving in Rhodes, Greece in June this year the hire wet suits were agiain full 5mm suits and the water at 21C
Also not much in the way of tropical reefs in the Mediterranean Sea
For something warmer you probably need to look at the Red Sea - probably not Egypt at the moment, but possibly Jordan at the top of the Gulf of Aquaba (outings to Petra) or round to the Persian Gulf.
Most access will be through smallish regional airports, so limited trans-atlantic flights. Best decide where you want to go, then check which hub you can get a flight to.
Not an answer, but hopefully will begin to give you some context.

 

[SafetyStopBait]

Thanks. Definitely helpful context.

 

[diversnutrition]

Hi Mike,

you should try the Portuguese Azores Islands, right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
It's a hidden gem for scuba divers (great visibilities, good water temperature, volcanic scenarios, big pelagic, wreck diving),
with direct flights from Northeast USA (direct from Boston, and connecting flights from other east cities) with SATA Airlines, to Sao Miguel island, Ponta Delgada city.

Check the tourism board website here Visit Azores | Scuba Diving | Visit Azores for some additional info.
All the islands have good diving facilities, but I personally like Sao Miguel island and Terceira Island.

If you need more details feel free to ask me.

Cheers,