diving in Adriatic Aegean, Ionian in May

[DaveC426913]

Going on a cruise in April/May. Itinerary covers Venice, Bari, Katakolon, Santorini, Mykonos, Piraeus, Corfù and Dubrovnik.

Looking for suggestions for dive sites and the dive shops they run out of.

Cruise seems to have no dive excursions at all.

 

[ElChe]

The water will be quite chilly in April/May. Many of the dive centers aren't operating in that season because not too much tourists want to dive when the water is 16-17 Celsius degrees cold in Corfu or Dubrovnik- and this is the surface temperature, deeper it can be as low as 11-12. Maybe around Santorini it can be a bit warmer. I'd recommend you to contact some local dive centers in Santoroni and Mykonos and ask who will be operating in the end of April. (I have more experience in Croatian Adriatic, it's quite typical to start the season in the beginning or middle of May. Whenever I go in the pre-season I ask before I'm visiting the dive center, and certainly I pack my drysuit.)

 

[DaveC426913]

The water will be quite chilly in April/May. Many of the dive centers aren't operating in that season because not too much tourists want to dive when the water is 16-17 Celsius degrees cold in Corfu or Dubrovnik- and this is the surface temperature, deeper it can be as low as 11-12. Maybe around Santorini it can be a bit warmer. I'd recommend you to contact some local dive centers in Santoroni and Mykonos and ask who will be operating in the end of April. (I have more experience in Croatian Adriatic, it's quite typical to start the season in the beginning or middle of May. Whenever I go in the pre-season I ask before I'm visiting the dive center, and certainly I pack my drysuit.)

Hrm. I hadn't thought about it being cold. Never been to Europe. My abroad dives are limited to Caribbean. Oops.

 

[ElChe]

I felt I needed to write more about the water temperature. It's not a typical warm water dive to submerge in April in Croatia. The best season is September, it's cheaper than the summer but the water is still warm. In Malta or Cyprus it's awesome but not that bad in the Adriatic too.

 

[frostfire]

I felt I needed to write more about the water temperature. It's not a typical warm water dive to submerge in April in Croatia. The best season is September, it's cheaper than the summer but the water is still warm. In Malta or Cyprus it's awesome but not that bad in the Adriatic too.

Is it still chilly by mid June? We're doing the cruise then. I know there are a lot of wreks off Croatia. Hows the sea life? Anyone know how the diving is off Italy too?

 

[ElChe]

Mid June is much better, 20-22 degrees in the shallow, and 14-16 degrees in the depth. The sealife is different from the tropical seas, less fish, so the divers need to look for critters in the bottom or in the holes usually. About the wrecks- the most famous ones are in the Northern Adriatic, near the Istrian Peninsula. The Baron Gautsch, the Coreolanus and the others attract many divers but most of them are starts at 30-35 meters depth. The Northern Adriatic in Italy usually isn't too popular, the visibility is worse. What is the exact route of the cruise? Do you know when will you stop with a chance of diving?