Never been to Europe, considering Italy.

[blondce]

I am curious, has does anyone know anything about Norseman Liveaboard? It sounds very cool, combining sailing with diving, but very little info out there about it.

Thanks

 

[David Novo]

IMHO, Italy is the most interesting country in continental Europe by far. If it is your first visit, I would not focus on sailing/diving. Just my 2c.

 

[JustSurfaceInterval]

Any idea how far from the main port the dive sites are?

It's a really short ride: 1-2 km depending on the site...

 

[Sbiriguda]

I hit the jackpot one day on Dustin's charter out of West Palm Beach. An entire group had been there. Their words still ring in my ears as I type this. "Italy? Well it's the Mediterranean Sea. It's 'ok' but nothing like THIS (meaning the diving we were doing in West Palm).
Pretty much said it all.

Many people in Italy would agree with this, I mean that obviously in the Mediterranean is very difficult to see sharks or mantas, impossible to see many tropical species, etc.
On the other hand, for those who come West Palm Beach the Mediterranean itself could look exotic... I mean there are colors and species that you would not find in West Palm Beach. There is a saying here "tropical seas are dressed for carnival, the Mediterranean is dressed for an elegant dinner". That gives you the idea... Many other marine environments could be interesting for those who come from the US: Norway and the killer whales, Ireland and the seals and kelp, etc.

 

[Sbiriguda]

Non c'è traccia dei 3 sub di Palinuro nella "bolla d'aria". Ancora dispersi

All around Palinuro there's plenty of beatiful caves which are a piece of cake to dive in, and where it's impossible to get stuck. It's just a matter of being conservative enough and not accept to go to caves with tunnels, but only to very big wide caves where several people can swim at the same time without lifting mud from the bottom

 

[Sbiriguda]

I would add the Banco di Santa Croce and the archeological site of Baia (both close to Naples) and the Tremiti islands (Apulia)
If someone wants to try a dive in the Como Lake I would suggest the Moregallo or the "Macchine" ("Cars") dives both close to the town of Lecco. They might be interesting if you want to see the landscape with the mountains and the lake plants and fishes. Or if you happen to be nearby for example in Milan and you don't have time to reach Liguria. Honestly they are not comparable to the sea dives in my opinion. Viz is lower in summer, it improves in winter but you need a drysuit

 

[W W Meixner]

I’ve never been to Europe, am considering a trip to Italy. Of course we would want to do other things too, but the quality of the diving is essential. What is it like? For comparison purposes, I’ve been to Florida, Carribean locations, and wrecks of North and South Carolina.

You may want to consider Croatia...dive the Adriatic off Dubrovnik...or Spain...dive the Med off Gibraltar...both Fabulous...

W...

 

[Sbiriguda]

IMHO, Italy is the most interesting country in continental Europe by far.

Thank you for your kind words on our country, and let me say that Portugal is a beautiful country too and very well worth a visit, indeed many Italians also go to Portugal to see both the towns and the nature

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Thank you for your kind words on our country, and let me say that Portugal is a beautiful country too and very well worth a visit, indeed many Italians also go to Portugal to see both the towns and the nature

I'm hafl-Greek, I think Italy is the "richest" country in the world. From continuous history without occupation, from the ancient Greeks to Romans to medieval time to renaissance. You can't help but trip over history. Add to that gorgeous beaches, villages, mountains, cities. Then the food, with so much variety from all over the country.

And there is an ancient Roman wreck that can be dived once per week.

 

[rabe]

I'm hafl-Greek, I think Italy is the "richest" country in the world. From continuous history without occupation, from the ancient Greeks to Romans to medieval time to renaissance. You can't help but trip over history. Add to that gorgeous beaches, villages, mountains, cities. Then the food, with so much variety from all over the country.

And there is an ancient Roman wreck that can be dived once per week.

Thanks for the nice words!
Unfortunately, a lot of people forgot (or never knew) about this.
(I'm italian, living in Australia, after 10 year spent in USA)