WorldDiving.info

Diving Italy

Italy offers spectacular diving sites with drop-offs, colorful sponges, grottos, varied marine life, and soft corals. Cinque Terre, Gulf of Neapel, Amalfitana, Giglio, Tremiti islands in the Adriatic Sea, Costa Smeralda, the Garda Sea with fresh water diving and grottos, Lake Fibreno in the Abruzzen national park, the island of Sicily, and the grottos of Giusti are some of the most popular diving areas in Italy. From reef diving with beautiful marine life and rich underwater flora to fresh water lakes, to grottos offering cave diving, Italy has a lot to offer visiting divers.

Best time to dive

Diving can be done year around, but the best time is from April to October.

Visibility

Visibility is often 50 to 100 feet in the islands and 100+ feet in the popular lakes and grottos.

Water temperatures

Water temperatures average 75 F year-round.

Weather and climate

April to June and September through October, temperatures are usually in the 70 to 80s F with nights in the 50 to 60s F. July, August and part of September are in the high 90s F. The winters in the north are average in the 50s F or colder in the day and often below freezing at night. In the south, winters are milder.

Language

Italian, French, German, Serbian, Croatian, and English

Passport/Visa requirements

EU citizens require only a passport or ID card. Citizens of the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Switzerland, and Japan, do not need a visa if entering as tourists for up to three months.

Currency

Euro – Get exchange rates at http://www.xe.com/ucc/

Electrical current

220 volts AC, 50 Hz. Converters or transformers are required for U.S. electronics.

Capital

Rome

General information

Italy is part of the European Union and is attached in the north to the European mainland. Italy extends off of the mainland like a giant boot. To the north, the Alps separate Italy from France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The Adriatic, Ionian, Ligurian, and Tyrrhenian Seas, all of which form part of the Mediterranean Sea, boarder Italy.

Italy is known for its fantastic Italian food, which varies between the north and south. Italy is also rich in history offering spectacular site seeing and touring. From the Vatican in Rome to the ruins of Pompeii, and Alps in the north, Italy has a vast expanse for vacationing, exploring, and site seeing.

Map

Get a map of Italy from WorldAtlas.com.

Diving Greece

The islands of Corfu, Zakynthos, and Crete offer the best diving possibilities, and all three have rocky coves and bays, boulder-strewn reefs, caves, caverns, and swim-throughs. Zakynthos is well known as a breeding ground for green turtles, but if you are staying on the island, give these creatures a break and leave them be while they haul themselves out to nest. Crete has several amphora fields and some good wrecks.

Diving is permitted in most coastal areas except for those prohibited by law due to military installations or as a means of protecting archaeological resources. The protection of archaeological sites is a touchy subject in Greece and any discovery of ancient remains in the course of diving must be immediately reported to the nearest office of the Hellenic Ports Authority.

Best time to dive

Depending on the area, Greece offers almost year-round diving.

Visibility

Visibility averages 50 to 100 feet.

Water temperatures

Water temperature ranges from 77 F in summer to 53 F in the winter.

Weather and climate

May to June and from September through October, temperatures are mild and normally average 68 to 77 F. From June to September the weather is hot, getting into the 90s F. In the winter months, temperatures are often below 50 F. Greece has little rain year-round.

Language

Greek

Passport/Visa requirements

U.S., Australians, UK, and Canadian citizens require a passport valid for at least three months after the end of their stay. No visa is required for a stay of up to three months, but a return ticket and proof of sufficient funds are advisable. The border countries of Greece, such as Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Spain (all of the countries that make up the Schengen region) are issued a standard Schengen visa that allows the holder to travel freely within the borders of all countries. Passport and visa requirements are liable to change at short notice so be sure to check prior to traveling to Greece.

Currency

Euro – Get exchange rates at http://www.xe.com/ucc/

Electrical current

220 volts AC, 50 Hz. Converters or transformers are required for U.S. electronics.

Capital

Athens

General information

Greece lies at the southern extremity of the Balkan Peninsula in southeastern Europe. To the north, it has borders with Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Bulgaria, and to the east it borders Turkey. The mainland of Greece is surrounded by more than 1,400 islands, of which 169 are inhabited. The islands are divided into six groups: the Cyclades, the Ionians, the Dodecanese, the islands of the Northeastern Aegean, the Sporades and the Saronic Gulf islands. Crete and Evia, the two largest islands, do not belong to any group.

Greece offers excellent nightlife with discos and clubs. The nightlife doesn’t begin until 10 or 11 PM, and it doesn’t end until the sun comes up. Every corner of every street has its own bar and cafe. Greece has a wide variety of restaurants, ranging from traditional eateries to world-class gourmet restaurants. Avoid the tourist traps and to eat in taverns frequented by Greeks.

Map

Get a map of Greece from WorldAtlas.com.