Need advice on Mediterranean European Diving

[AUTiger]

Has anybody dove along the French Riviera or the Italian Riviera? Specifically, I'm talking about Nice, Portofino, Cinca Terra, or Naples?

Lucky me, I'm planning a four week long European vacation for my wife and I. My itinerary, so far, looks like London, Paris, Nice (and Monte Carlo), Cinca Terra (and Portofino), Rome, and Naples. I'll fly into London and back from Rome.

I'm happy to hear any advice recommendations on my planned itinerary. I'm excited because it combines some of my favorite things: Diving, history, art, and archeology.

David

 

[Doc]

Unfortunately, your route takes you nowhere near Italy's "better" diving.

Consider one thing- have you aver seen SCUBA diving advertised at an Italian destination? Do the math. What there is, aint all that great. We did a lot of poking around the internet looking for Italian and Greek SCUBA opportunities and came up with very little. Ustica looked to be the most promising. Scuba Channel, the scuba diving web tv - Documentario: USTICA SOPRA E SOTTO IL MARE

Here's a video of diving that they must have believed would draw clientelle sicilia: Italia.ch - Scuba Diving Sicily Maybe it was the calypso music.

here's a good starting point if you really want to try Scuba diving centers, resorts, and live-aboards in Italy or try In Italy Online - Great Snorkeling and Scuba Diving You'll see that the SCUBA is featured only as an adjunct to the vacation experience.

Try this: Scuba-sites in Italy And here's an Italian Dive Site map Scuba-sites in Italy

The true archeological site diving that we found was very tightly controlled and if accessible at all, required a hefty licensing fee and the hiring of special dive guides, also at an extreme fee. I forget exactly what was included, but a few years ago it was $300 per day per person. Get a load of these specific photography rules: GREECE TRAVEL TO GREECE

Drink the wine, enjoy the people.

 

[VooDooGasMan]

Portofino Has great diving, In Orbetello Get a hold of Piero he Has a huge Inflatable Never a canceled dive, Cave diving there is awesome also, Argentario isle , gigglio isle, and a few others, There are dive shops there also you can take a ferry to giggilio and there are dive shopes there. Piero has a retail nautical shop and is the lighthouse keeper, If you get Him he is the greatest guide around.

 

[chrisch]

The French part of the trip has some good wreck diving nearby with reasonable reef diving from the Nice area. The wreck stuff is deep (40m+) and you will need CMAS 3 star to dive it. Portofino is also home to some reasonable reef diving and there is a deep wreck nearby.

There is reasonable diving in all the places you are visiting. Don't expect too much from the Internet though its only just getting started in France and the Italians tend to ignore it.

Make sure you have a medical certificate of no more than one year old for France. Both countries like to see insurance but DAN is fine.

Have a good trip.

Chris

 

[Air One]

This could be interresting in Italia.
It's not far from Rome : a drownded village in a small very clear lake .

I have to say that I've never been, I just saw few pics. But I'll dive there one of these day.

I don't know Nice, If you got time try to dive West around Cannes, Toulon or Marseille : the best wreck dives in the south.

 

[ChuckWagon]

Unless Naples has changed from my Navy days I would not dive there. The water was really polluted and nasty. I really enjoyed all the dead fish floating in harbour.

 

[VooDooGasMan]

get a hold of BOA GIALLA, pm him he knows Italy and europe and is on this board

 

[Boa Gialla]

Has anybody dove along the French Riviera or the Italian Riviera? Specifically, I'm talking about Nice, Portofino, Cinca Terra, or Naples?

Lucky me, I'm planning a four week long European vacation for my wife and I. My itinerary, so far, looks like London, Paris, Nice (and Monte Carlo), Cinca Terra (and Portofino), Rome, and Naples. I'll fly into London and back from Rome.

I'm happy to hear any advice recommendations on my planned itinerary. I'm excited because it combines some of my favorite things: Diving, history, art, and archeology.

David

Hi David, some info about Italy and your travel plan.

Obviously, i don't know how long you are planning to stay in each place, but .... :

1) Liguria: Portofino. You can dive in Portofino sea, moving from Genova, and from a long list of small town (S.Margherita, Rapallo, Lavagna, ....). Portofino is a protected marine area, with fixed diving spot, and it's one of my favourite places for diving.
It is really great.

2) Liguria: 5 (Cinque) Terre. It's a very peculiar place. There are 5 little towns, very nice to visit. You can dive there, or either in places close to there. For example, Levanto or La Spezia. Not as great as Portofino, but nice places.

3) Rome: my suggestion is to spend time visiting the city, and forget the dives. Rome is one of the most interesting places in the world, IMHO.

4) Naples: as you are interested in archeology, it should be interesting to dive in Baia: it’s possible to admire underwater villas, roads and goods from the Imperial Rome period.

5) Naples: you can also dive in wonderful places. For example, the Banco di Santa Croce is wonderful; but there are a lot of other diving sites there.

This is a just a very very short list: if you need further and more detailed info, let me know. I'll be glad to give you details, as well as references (links, people, diving, etc.).

Ciao,
A.

 

[Boa Gialla]

Unless Naples has changed from my Navy days I would not dive there. The water was really polluted and nasty. I really enjoyed all the dead fish floating in harbour.

Sorry, but the harbour is not Naples. I don't know harbours where i'd like to dive.

Naples has a very long coast, and you can find a lot of great diving places.

Ciao,
A.

 

[Boa Gialla]

This could be interresting in Italia.
It's not far from Rome : a drownded village in a small very clear lake .

You're right: it takes a couple of hours by car from Rome.

The lake is small, the depth is less than 10 meters, the water is cold and trasparent. I've been there last year for the first time, and i'm going to dive there again next April.

Ciao,
A.