Euro (med?) diving versus the Carribean

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DrSteve

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OK I'm asking a really broad question with very subjective answers possible.

I'm hoping to have some vacation soon and we want to go on a diving vacation...we've been to the Carribean (Cozumel) and thought it was the best thing ever. Our other thoughts would be to go to Bonnaire. But...I'm a Euro type and we could combine a trip diving in *one* location in Euro-land before heading out to see my folks (in the UK).

So...have any of you dived both the med and/or the Carribean? Also, what are the med hot spots? It always used to be Malta and the Red Sea. Not so keen on the Red Sea due to the proximity to war zones. What about the Canaries? Southern italy?

Thanks!
 
Having done both, I can give an opinion.

The Med. has a variety of diving available, but it does not have the warmwater temps of the Carribean, so no large coral reefs.

However, if you are going in summer then you should not be disappointed. Fish life would be much less colourful than the Carib., and much less in abundance.

Malta offers excellent choices, mostly from shore, and you can have a good week's diving there without being bored. This is down to availability of wrecks as well as scenic dives.

Cyprus has one major wreck, theZenobia. Other than that three days would be my limit before boredom sets in.

Crete has more topside than beneath.

Sardinia is a good location, much variety.

The Med. attracts those who want to combine topside trips with diving, and history abounds. Research according to your interests, then dive around them!

The other, non-Med. places you mention are the Canaries - easy to get to from the UK, and offer from mediocre diving (G.C.) to medium (Lanz./Tenerife) to great (El Hierro).

The Red Sea, some places may seem to be located geographically near war zones, but are in reality light years removed.

If you want excellent topside trips combined with easy, beautiful diving, try Jordan (Aqaba) you won't be disappointed! Friendly people too. Again, mostly shore dives, but all the depth you can handle within easy reach. Very little current.

If you liked the currents in Coz. then a trip to the Brothers would be similar. Located in S. Egypt, an excellent choice.


Google these locations plus diving for info. and you will find something to satisfy you in Euroland/Africaland.

Cheers,


Seadeuce
 
I'm off to the Red Sea in less than two weeks. Should be pretty good diving. Do take into account that the Brothers are a marine park and require a minimum amount of dives.

Laurens
 
DrSteve:
OK I'm asking a really broad question with very subjective answers possible.

I'm hoping to have some vacation soon and we want to go on a diving vacation...we've been to the Carribean (Cozumel) and thought it was the best thing ever. Our other thoughts would be to go to Bonnaire. But...I'm a Euro type and we could combine a trip diving in *one* location in Euro-land before heading out to see my folks (in the UK).

So...have any of you dived both the med and/or the Carribean? Also, what are the med hot spots? It always used to be Malta and the Red Sea. Not so keen on the Red Sea due to the proximity to war zones. What about the Canaries? Southern italy?

Thanks!


Hi DrSteve..
if you want know som information about Canaries..
look this link Dive center SeaDive

(all the pics are really taken in ours diving points.. )

you can visit this link too
zerovisibility.com.uk

our diving points have shipwrecks, vertical walls, shore dives, easy dives, deep dives, night dives, etc... and we always see groupers, barracudas, manta rays, stingrays, morays, black an red coral, breams, parrotfish, trumpetfish, tiggerfish, scorpionsfish, cephalopods, nudibranchs and some kind of sharks (blue sharks, hammerheads and angel sharks.. ) is this mediocre or medium diving??? :D


Hope it is of some help!

Cheers,
Pepe
 
"The Med" is a bit big to really classify as one. In my view generally the further east you go in the med the less fish life you tend to see, or in other words, the nearer to the atlantic the better the life. Dont expect coral.

Typically, visibility will be good and conditions calm anywhere in the med though.

Southern italy (well italy as a whole) apparently has some good wreck diving.

Ive enjoyed diving around the balearic islands more than greece as it seemed there was more variety.
 
but it will not compare to Cozumel. There are no coral reefs - I don't think there are any coral reefs in the entire mediterranean but I could be wrong. As was mentioned earlier generally speaking the diving is better the further west you go. As for Southern France there's good diving from Marseille to Antibes. Some good WWII wrecks (deep) in the Saint-Raphael area, including landing barges and airplanes.
The western coast of Corsica has some beautiful, pristine and typically mediterranean diving to offer, with a national underwater park and the Lavezzi islands, with one area known as Grouper City (Mérouville). Again if you expect the Caribbean you might be disappointed, however if you go there with an open mind you'll likely have a good time. If I'm not mistaken Southern France is where modern scuba diving all started (with Cousteau and self contained breathing apparatus creator and engineer Emile Gagnan).
 
plongeursousmarin:
but it will not compare to Cozumel. There are no coral reefs - I don't think there are any coral reefs in the entire mediterranean but I could be wrong.

Very wrong.... There are coral reefs but not too many of them....

btw. there are also some coral reefs at greater depths (over 70m), but these are not for a typical tourist diver and are very hard to find...
 
hvulin:
Very wrong.... There are coral reefs but not too many of them....

btw. there are also some coral reefs at greater depths (over 70m), but these are not for a typical tourist diver and are very hard to find...

If we're talking tropical coral, then your assertion is incorrect. Coral found at 70 meters in caves and such cannot be considered the same as reef coral that rarely grows below 30 meters in tropical waters. The coral you're referring to I think is the one that professional divers collect throughout the Mediterranean for jewellry, which is pinkish. Not exactly the definition of a coral reef... The fact of the matter is that the Med gets too cold in the winter to sustain coral reefs. It is quite possible that with global warming the Med may have coral reefs in a few years and in a few places but right now I don't think so.
 
s, there is some coral, but it does not form reefs.
 
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