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SCUBA Diving Destinations: Europe
We regularly add new areas to the SCUBA Travel site. If you want to be notified of updates to the site, along with other SCUBA diving news and discussion, please subscribe to our newsletter: SCUBA News (ISSN 1476-8011). Diving Greece
Caldera, Santorini "The diving is mainly on the Caldera (volcano). Vis was excellent and water temperature was 25C, but the Greeks have fished the place out, so there ain't a lot of marine life to look at. Some of the rock formations on and around the volcano are interesting, and there are wrecks to dive on too. We dived with a company called Mediterranean Dive Club (tel: +302860-83080). We found them near the beach in Perissa on the other side of the island to the diving." Adiaviade, Santorini "I was surprised how good the diving was for the med. The water was lovely and warm and the visibility was around 26-30 meters. There was plenty of life down there, including King Solomon's, Octopus, Barracuda, Red Snapper and Grouper. There was also a lot of coral. Red, Vibrant Yellow and Black. Clams, huge shells with snails in, some anemones. Apparently this was not one of the best sites, there are plenty more. Apart from that the Island is a lovely place to go for a holiday, with lots to do " Mansell Reef,
Santorini " This is a reef in the middle of the open sea with a minimum depth of 3 m. At the edge of the reef the wall goes down to 200 m giving the feeling of the abyss. colourful plantation and some sights of big fish that vanish in the open sea very quickly. Excellent visibility." Volcano,
Santorini "Wreck of a small passenger ship. Maximum depth 18 m." Palaia Kameni
Santorini "Volcanic rocks and small fishes." Kontokali,
Corfu "I dived a variety of sites during my stay, in all areas of the island, including some beautiful, remote locations. The dive centre ensured I saw a wide variety of the island's different underwater experiences. Excellent visibility (20m). A large marine population, with a wide variety, I often saw octopus, moray eels, grouper, starfish, etc. Chios Island Rating: Light House, Vassiliki, Lefkas Island Rating: Canyon, Vassiliki, Lefkas Island Rating: Explosion, Elounda, Crete Rating: Kamini, Elounda, Crete Rating: Argassi, Zante "I went to Zante to the resort of Argassi in September last year. The sea life compared to places like the Red Sea isn't that great (but that is hard to compare to the Red Sea). The best thing that I found about diving in Zante was the Caves, they were fantastic, at times a touch scary as some of them you have around 1.2 m to get through but really really good. The hotel i stopped at was Zankantha Beach hotel which was quite nice but nothing special." Vatera Wreck, Lesvos "A commercial wreck recently found at 10 metres. Easy entry and exit." Ag. Vasilios Cave, Lesvos "A fantastic cave, amazing colours and aquatic life. Deep blue water." Patroklos island "A commercial boat in 25-30 meters depth. It was broken in two pieces. Clear waters. Pretty good dive." Tzia island "An old river boat broken in pieces all over the bottom. Very good!" Bretannicus, Tzia island "Brother of Titanicus. Great wreck. It was huge! The best wreck for me!"
Aqua Divers Club, km 48.5 Souniou-Athens Ave, Athens, Greece. Tel: 00302291053461, Fax: 00302291053461, info@aquadiversclub.com, Mediterranean Dive Club, Perissa, Santorini, Greece. Tel: 22860 83080, Fax: 22860 33989, E-mail: mdc@otenet.gr, "Would NOT recommend dive operator Mediterranean Dive Club. Friendly staff but... Island Divers, Karfas beach, Chios Island, 82100, Greece. Tel: +30 22710 32434. Yiannis Ligos, Elounda, Crete Eurodiving, Ligaria, Crete. Tel: 00 30 2810 811252, Fax: 00 30 2810 811253, E-mail: mickanaks@in.gr. Santorini Dive Center E-mail: info@divecenter.gr. Mykonos Diving Center, Psarou beach. E-mail: info@dive.gr, Tel: (+30) 2289024808. Vassiliki Divers, Lefkas Island Lesvos Scuba Oceanic Centre, AG. Irinis 3, Mytilene. Tel: 0030 6945998764, Fax: 0030 22510 37799, info@lesvoscuba.gr Seven Islands Dive Centre, Kontokali, Gouvia, Corfu, 49100 Greece. Tel: 0030 266 109 0006. E-mail: mail@sevenisland.eu Odyssey Dive Club, Pefkohori, Halkidiki 63085. info@odysseydive.com Meandros Diving Rating:
Diving Cyprus
The Zenobia "The pristine wreck of a huge ro-ro (roll on, roll off) ferry. Lies in 40 m just outside Larnaca harbour in Cyprus. Lying on its port side, so you hit the wreck at about 15 m, it goes all the way down to 42 m. Fabulous, fabulous dive. Probably the best shipwreck dive in the world in recreational depths. 20 m plus visibility and some great swim-throughs. Vast wreck, simply enormous. Needs at least 10 dives to see anything like all of it. " "A 172 m long cargo ship that sank in 1980 about 1 km off the south south east of Cyprus. An excellent penetration dive. " "Fifteen minutes away from Larnaka harbour by yacht: very impressive with great visibility. Will go again and again. " Karpaz Peninsula "Big groupers, steep walls and some caves. The water temperature never goes below 16 oC and is 21 oC in June. Cyprus is famous for groupers and turtles."
Mephisto Diving, Yeni Erenköy, Yeni I.skele Mersin 10 Turkey / Karpaz / Northern Cyprus. Tel: 0090 533 867 37 74, E-mail: info@mephisto-diving.com
Dive-Cyprus - Rating: CyDive, 1 Poseidonos Avenue, MYRRA Complex, 8042, Paphos, Cyprus. Email: cydive@spidernet.com.cy Easy Divers Cyprus, P.O. BOX 30459, AYIA NAPA, CYPRUS, 5344. Tel: 00357 (99 676 216), Fax: 00357 (23 833 371), E-mail: Dive@EZDivers.com Dive-In Cyprus, 45 Tomb of the kings road, Paphos. Tel: +357 26 912643, E-mail: dive_in_paphos@cytanet.com.cy Olympian Divers Ltd, PO Box 30536, Ayia Napa, Cyprus, 5344.E-mail: dinfo@olympiandivers.com
Amphora, Kyrenia, North Cyprus. E-mail: asimuygur@superonline.com.
Rating: Old Diving School, P.0.Box 42235, Larnaca, Cyprus, 6532. Tel +357 99438815, Fax: +357 24361858, E-mail: tekkis@gmail.com Diving Turkey
Butterfly Valley, Fethiye "This is a new diving site just opened last year. Before diving here was forbidden because of enviromental concerns. It is mostly shore diving, also it is very nice place for snorkelling. There are 5 main spots mostly walls. There are not too many fish but water is so clear and visibilty about 50 feet. I stayed at a camp site and I'd stay there again and again...Scuba cost 20 and 35 euros (2004). Accomodation is about 15 euros included breakfast and dinner (mostly vegetarian). Elsewhere around Fethiye Gurmenli Ada, Kas "Wall dive with large grouper at depth. The wall bottoms at 85 m. Stunning vis." Canyon Wreck, Kas "Canyon entrance at 5 m dropping to 38 m. The wreck is split in two. Canyon wall has stunning flora recovering from wreck damage. Small chimney at 30 m climbing to 20 m. Deco at 5m wall brimming with life " Flying Fish Reef, Kas " 5-40m dive with Moray eels, Amberjacks, Trigger fish and large grouper. Relaxing multilevel dive, Stunning. " Duchess of York, Kalkan "Wreck dive for all levels " Middle Reef, Kalkan "Very good fish"
Mavi Diving, Kas, Antalya, Turkey. E-mail: office@mavidiving.com Rating:
Dolphin Scuba Team, P.O. Box 31 Kalkan, Antalya, Turkey. Tel/Fax: +90 242-8442242. Rating:
Anemone Diving Center, Yacht Marina, Kas, Antalya, Turkey. Tel: +90 555 4730986, Fax: +90 242 8364008. E-mail: info@anemonedc-kas.com
Barakuda Queen, Ugur Eroglu, PK 44, Kas, 07580 Antalya, Turkey. Tel: +90 532 613 6584, Fax: +90 242 836 2997. E-mail:
European Diving Center, Fethiye, info@europeandiving.co.uk Rating:
Lykiaworld, Oludeniz, Turkey. diving@lykiaworld.com Diving Italy
See our Italy section. "Beautiful clear blue waters, good visibility and brilliant cave diving with one cave having an air pocket - great to talk under the water. Good depth in warm water and about an hour out from beautiful boats moored in the harbour - how the other half live. Island extremely green and plenty of restaurants to eat in and places to visit. Hiring a car is advisable from the airport to see the island. Day trips are available across to other islands. Spectacular scenery and clear blue water. Good food and wines available at Italian prices. " See also: Our
Italy section. Diving Spain
The Wall, Radazul, Tenerife "Vertical wall full of morays, stingrays, octopus, tuna, parrotfish, bogues, barracuda and angelsharks " Devil's reef, Radazul, Tenerife "Deep dive (-35 mts)... a lot of groupers, red and black coral, greats jackfishes and baracudas, shraks, stingrays, morays, tunas." Grouper's cave, Radazul, Tenerife "Beautiful reef. At the end there are a cave with a big and friendly grouper. There are morays, tunas, barracuas, throumpet, triggerfichs, parrotfish, eels, giants anaemones and stingrays." Masca Deep, Tenerife "38 m. Great subaquatic life." Octoput Cove, Tenerife "Clear water, big mushroom shaped rocks with loads of life." Echo Bay, Tenerife "Loads of stingrays and great view." Tres Picos, La herradura, Granada, Costa del Sol "A stride entry off rocks into the sea. Depths from 8 metres to 19 metres with three large outcrops of rocks giving home to an abundance of life including moray eels, wrasse, bream, mullet, soft coral and octopus." Fraggle rock, Costa del Sol "A sea dive suitable for Open Water or Advanced divers. Plenty of life around the rocks, including a resident congar eel, scorpianfish and plenty of nudibranch. More experienced divers can venture a little further to explore the sunken fishing boat and two cars!" Marina Bay, marina del este, Costa del Sol "This wide bay really has something for everyone. Superb for beginners with lots of interest even in the shallower water. Depth ranges between 8 and 25 metres with huge rocks and large crevices in the cliff face. Octopus, sunfish and eels will be seen. Be aware that the current can be quite strong at times around the point."
Scuba Moraira, Ctra Moraira-Calpe 130, Moraira-Teulada, Spain. Tel: 0034 966 492 006. E-mail: info@scubamoraira.com, Web: http://www.scubamoraira.com/. NEVERDRY, 249E compostela beach, Playa las Americas, Tenerife, Spain.
Tel: +34 922 79 05 86 E-mail: scuba@neverdry.co.uk, Web: www.scubadivingtenerife.co.uk Blue Experience, Edificio Bamalhur, Lost Cristianos, Tenerife. Tel: 0034922795901, E-mail: info@dive-blue-experience.com. Ocean Blue Divers, Jardines del Mar Puerte de Santiago, Tenerife. Rating: "One dive was 40 Euro but I paid 265 Euro for a 10 pack plus a night dive. I'd love to go back next year." Atlantic Divers, Consuelo Alfonso, Montana Caraba, Villa Isabel, El Fraile, Arona, Tenerife. E-mail: info@atlantic-divers.com Tenerife Dive, Costa Del Silencio, Arona, Tenerife. Tel: (00 34) 666 275841 E-mail: info@tenerifedive.com Dive Academy Gran Canaria, E-mail: info@diveacademy-grancanaria.com. One2onediving, Paseo Maritimo Rey de Espana no 123, Edifico Promosol Local H, Torreblanca, Fuengirola, Costa del Sol, Spain. Tel/Fax: 0034 952 196 090. E-mail: info@one2onediving.com. Neptunes Navigator, Malaga, Spain, Tel: 0034 952 415 275, E-mail: Mike@neptunesnavigator.com. "We believe the diving on the Southern coast of Spain is really good. We like to disprove the myth that the Med is dead simply by taking divers to some great sites, full of life, with wrecks and reefs galore. There are lots of sites within a two hours drive of the main holiday resorts of the Costa del Sol, you just need someone to show you where they are." Diving Portugal
Pedra da Lagoa, Fonte da Telha "A rock at 26 to 32 m deep full of colourful Gorgonia & Sponges holding incredible amount of very rich and diverse marine life. Is very common to find schools of White Seabass (Atractoscion nobilis, Argyrosomus hololepidotus), octopus, squids, sardines, Sunfish (Mola Mola), Congers, Crab, Lobster, etc. Pedra da Âncora, Fonte da Telha "33 to 3 6m - A rock formation where big Congers can be found together with schools of coastal fish. Maria Eduarda, Fonte da Telha "33 to 36 m. A small cargo boat sunk several miles from the coast that holds an incredible variety of life due to the protection provided by the wreck on an sandy area. For experienced divers, good sea conditions required.
Cabana Divers, Fonte da Telha, Costa de Caparica beach, 25 km south of Lisbon.
Diving Croatia
BUKA wreck, Korcula, Croatia "Superb wreck dive in crystal clear Adriatic at 10-15 m. Novice to any level can enjoy this one. Lovely walls in the vicinity with fantastic colours. " Sveta Marina, Korcula, Croatia "Tremendous wall, down to 50 meters, colourful sponges and gorgonia fans, snappers, lobsters, octopuses " Alains Cliff "A stunning wall dive which gave me vertigo the first time I dived it. The viz is excellent and the corals are stunning. " Zlarin: Francesca da Riminy "This is a lovely wreck which is fully intact and upright standing in 48m. You can still see the cargo of explosives on board. "
ISSA Diving Center, E-mail: issa.dc@hi.hinet.hr "I have been diving with Pongo for the last 2 years and this is a fantastic small and friendly dive outfit. It is especially good for small groups and lone travellers. The accomodation was all inclusive courtesy of Pongo. Self catering in superb apartments overlooking the bay. There are no single supplements for lone travellers." Diving Iceland
Silfra, Thingvellir "Silfra (The name is a variation on the word Silver) is a deep crack in the lava in the National park Thingvellir in Iceland. It is about 5 to 10 meters wide and 200 meters long. Average depth is about 20 meters but there is a dropoff down to 40 meters. Silfra is a large fresh water spring where water from the nearby glacier Langjokull surfaces and runs into the lake Thingvallavatn. Silfra's main attraction is the total clarity of the water. The clarity of the water gives the diver the feeling of flying above the bottom and on sunny days when there are slight small waves on the surface the light breakes into its rainbow of colours creating a beautiful display of colour. The water is very cold, only about 2 degrees celcius, so frost protected equipment and dry suits are necessary. The lake Thingvallavatn is also interesting with some canyons in the bottom but less visibility. No boat is needed for Silfra the diver simply dresses on shore and jumps of the vertical bank. " " Fantastic dive site. Endless visibility in a canyon between the American and Eeuropean continents. Diving in Iceland is definitly expensive, but so is Iceland. For me personally it was absolutly worth it. The best dives I had so far. I stayed in the guesthouse which belongs to Hotel Keflavik. Nice rooms and good service for budget price. " Flosagja and Haagja, Thingvellir "Flosagja and Haagja are also interesting to dive and have clear water. There are caves extending from the cracks under the lake and can by dived by very experienced cave divers. The cracks require advanced dive exprerience. "
DIVE.IS, Grofinni 2, 230 Keflavik, Iceland, email: dive@dive.is.
" Diving Silfra with DIVE.IS was great experience." Diving Norway
Saltströmmen "One of The worlds top ten National Geographic say, and I for one beleve them. In terms of nature and extreme diving this is the place. " Sundstrømmen "More extreme, and in some parts more spectacular, in the terms of fauna and animal life "
Polardykk, in Bodø +47 75525293 Diving Britain
"I've been diving for a few years in various parts of the world and if you don't mind the cold then you could do much worse than dive the wrecks of the Sound of Mull on the west coast of Scotland. There are lots of dive operators and lots of dives for people of various experience. Lots of wrecks: The Hispania, Thesis, Shuna and Rondo just to name a few. The best part is even if you're not into wreck penetration the life on the wrecks is just as worthwhile. " Hispania, Scotland "The best wreck in Britain, in the opinion of a diver who's logged over 1000 dives. Very intact, picturesque, covered in life. " Saint Kilda, Scotland "Oceanic blue water and visibility. The only dive site in Britain which is outside the green coastal waters. Highlight? 7.5 lb lobsters! " James Barrie, Scapa Flow, Orkney "Amazing to find such clear conditions at 41 m in UK waters. A great dive. " Blockship Tabarka, Scapa Flow, Orkney "In 18 m this wreck was scuttled to prevent submarine attack during WW2 and is a 2000t steamer built 1909. Boilers and reciprocating gear intact, covered inside with marine life, anemones, lobsters, starfish, urchins and wrasse. Easy penetration dive, hull very open many access and entry points, light streams in. Wonderful dive " "All the wrecks are cool, but this shallow 18 m dive is a real beauty. One of the block ships, but only dived on slack as the tide when rushes and you would not want to be inside it when its running. Luckly all Skippers from Stomness are class. Covered in life, gin clear water -like a cathederal a beautiful place. Worth the trip and the one of surprises of Scapa. " Koln, Scapa Flow, Orkney "Fantastic historic wreck. Mostly intact (some evidence of salvage operations) lying on its side. Guns still intact, good vis. loads of life. " Lanfranc "A liner in 50 metres, midway between France and England in the Channel. Very good viz on the slack. Copious large cod and pouting. Some splendid crabs and lobsters. Brilliant cold water dive. " Eddystone Reef, Plymouth, England "12 miles off Plymouth, England. Reef rises from sea to depth approx 50 m. Encrusted with jewel anemone. Remains of ancient wrecks, including large 17th century anchor. Stunning! "
Big Squid, 72 Hubert Grove, London SW9 9PD, info@bigsquid.co.uk
NicePlace2Stay Ltd bedandbreakfasts.co.uk
Scapa Flow Dive Guide by Rod Macdonald Diving Ireland
There are hundreds of dive sites off the west coast of Ireland. Here are descriptions of a few. Rutland Sound, Burtonport, Co. Donegal "This is a Drift dive located in the channel on the way out to Aranmore Island. How fast a drift you want depends on at what stage the tide is. I last dived this channel in early September last year on a Spring Tide. We timed it to be three hours after the tide-change as we wanted a fast drift. Our Club, Omagh SAC, know this area well as we do this dive every year. In mid-channel there is a maximum of 23 m though much shallower at the edges of the channel and with a lesser speed of the tide-run. Good boat cover is essential as you can travel maybe 1 km underwater in only 20 or so minutes. Another minor point is to find out the times of sailing of the Aranmore Ferry. The ferry travels up and down the channel, which accounts for the variety of old and recent, but interesting, object found on the bottom. So if you happen to be underwater do not panic as it has a very shallow draught. Just stay on the bottom, or head to the western side of the channel. A good safe dive and one for trainees as well as experienced Divers. " Tory Island "Located approximately 14 km off the north coast of Co. Donegal. A ferry runs from Magherority (??) out to the island. There were 23 of us and other passengers also, plus all our gear and bags, which the skipper of the ferry and two crew all helped to load. We stayed in the only hotel on the island and made good use of the Dive Centre behind it. They supplied all our air filling needs and also took us to the various dive-sites around the island. All the dives we did gave us approximately 30 m viz, even at 30 m depth. Granted, you have to have luck with the weather, which we did, and so we were treated to fabulous views of the marine wild-life. This area is frequently visited by Whales, Dolphins and also the odd Basking Shark. Very much worth a visit but should be booked well in advance as the demand is great. " Diamond Rocks, Kilkee "I have dived the Yongala - Stupendous! But this is on a par. It is a cold water dive off Ireland's west coast. The bay is north west facing and the prevailings are south west - so it is a fairly sheltered area. The place is teaming with life, loads of stuff mating and reproducing cos of the sheltered location. The terrain is full of rocks and gullies and the water is really pure. " Carraroe "Beautiful reefs and fish life. " Fanore "Crystal clear Atlantic water with abundant fish. " Further reading: Shipwreck Index of Ireland by Richard and Bridget Larn, Lloyd's Register - Fairplay Car Hire: Discount & Luxury car rentals in Dublin, Shannon, Cork, Galway & Belfast.
Scubadive West, Co. Galway, Ireland,info@scubadivewest.com Inishfree Charters, The Pier, Burtonport, Co. Donegal, Ireland. Tel: 00 353 (0) 749551533, Mobile : 00 353 (0) 862209508, E-mail: info@inish.ie Diving Malta
Blue Hole, Gozo "Scenery going to the dive is awesome, looking at the Azure window. Next door is the inland sea, which is a good dive in itself, but if your navigation and air is good the combo is awesome. Start in Inland Sea, down to 10m, through to Ocean down to 22m and keeping wall on left shoulder gradually back up to 15m, across first inland part (10 fin kicks) to join wall on left, the through Azure window and 30 fin kicks to Blue Hole at 12m. If your air is good, then go past blue hole cave entrance and turn right keeping wall on left, and then in through chimney swim-through up to 7m, then back round to right (wall now on right) and rejoin blue hole cave entrance, explore cave before ascent into the Blue Hole itself. Smile at the tourists as you surface. " "It is a beautiful sharp drop off into the blue hole with what seems like limitless visibility and literally feels like you are on the very edge of the world. It really is the most extraordinary dive!" Azure Window, Gozo "The dive starts off into a fissure in a cliff wall then opens up into a magnificent inland sea. As you come out of the cavern the rocks form a triangular shape like a window with the most startling bright blue water on the other side. This then goes into a beautiful steep drop off with amazing vis. " Reqqa Point, Gozo Entry to dive is down a ladder. Swim to your left along a cliff. Big shoals of chromis.
Xlendi Cave, Xlendi Bay, Gozo Enter the water by the 6th lampost. Swim across the bay to a cliff where the cave, or tunnel, is at 6 m. The cave is straight and you can see daylight at either end. HMS Maori "Malta diving: it's great. The HMS Maori wreck dive at St. Elmo Bay, Valletta was excellent. Lots of marine life it also makes a good night dive! anchor bay has good reef and cave dives,and wied iz zurrieq-west has drop-offs,ledges,gullies and caves. " Anchor Bay, Popeye Village, Malta This dive features a long, straight cave. In this you can always see the opening if you look back. At the end of the cave is a big air chamber - but don't remove your regulator as the air is not fresh. Swim into the cave keeping the wall on your left. If you carry on with the wall on your left, when you leave the air chamber you can enter another passage leading to another chamber. Still keeping the wall on your left, another exit from this chamber takes you back to the original entrance passage and out. "Has good reef and cave dives. " Wied iz Zurrieq-Wes "Drop-offs, ledges, gullies and caves." Cirkewwa "Excellent dive site with wreck of ROZI as well as stunning underwater topography (swim through's, drop offs etc.) Vis stunning usually 30 m+ occaisionally 50 m+. Sea life in abundance, barracuda, morays, octopus, cuttlefish and even dolphins! Marfa Point, Malta Dive at the North West tip of Malta, near where the ferry for Gozo docks. Good access to a little gully to the left of a tower. Down to the left there is at 7 m a drop off down to around 15 m. A few small caves, several wrasse. Worth doing.
Family Diving (Gozo) - Katharinewood@f2s.com Chikarma Diving (UK)
- diving@chikarma.com Holidaysmaltagozo - diving@holidaysmaltagozo.com, Location: Malta and Gozo.
Holidaysmaltagozo Diving into Malta "Accommodation at Diving into Malta is excellent and cheap." Your CommentsWe endeavour to keep this site as informative and current as possible. If you would like to recommend, or warn about, a particular dive or diving location we'd love to hear from you. We're also compiling a Top Ten Dives list. Tell us about your favourite dives: why were those particular dive site so fantastic? Books of the World's Best SCUBA Diving
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