Diving from Sorrento, Italy

[dianna912]

We will be spending 6 days in Sorrento. Instead of seeing the Amalfi coast by boat, I figure it’d be even more fun to see it by dive boat!! We’d love to dive Ischia and even Baia but I’m not sure how we can get there from Sorrento. I’m not opposed to paying a pretty penny directly for a boat from Sorrento. Any suggestions?

Any must see sites for us? We are AOW with 200 dives each. We love our macros, and hate large head boats.

 

[Sbiriguda]

The best dive in the area is Banco di Santa Croce
One of the best dives of the Mediterranean sea
Google Maps
You can go with Bikini Diving from Castellammare di Stabia (not far from Sorrento). There must be also diving centers in Sorrento but I don't know them
Ischia is also a good spot for diving (le Formiche, etc.)
Capri is nice but the dives are not so nice. The water is crystal clear and the environment is beautiful but there are less fishes compared to other places

As for Amalfi coast, it can be divided in 2 parts. From Sorrento if you go North you go to Naples. If you go South you go to Salerno. The best part of it as a sightseeing spot is from Sorrento to Salerno and indeed you will see on the map that Amalfi, Positano, etc. all the most famous towns are on that part. There are some dives there, but the best dives are north of Sorrento, and indeed out of what Italian people would call Amalfi coast

Apart from diving, in Ischia I recommend the Giardini Poseidon (hanging gardens with access to the beach and spa with thermal baths) and since you are in Sorrento you might want to see Pompei or Herculaneum. The first is much bigger, the second is very well preserved and smaller (which is good if you don't have to much time to spend in Pompeii)

 

[Sbiriguda]

Diving in Italy in July?

Another discussion on a similar topic

 

[CarstenS]

If you plan to be in Pompeii, you would have one of the best sites in Italy (possibly the Mediterranean) close by with the Banco di Santa Croce (best reached from Castellamare di Stabia; Bikini Diving would be a good place, at least when I went a few years back). Most of the best diving in Italy tends to be on the islands, though. Your itinerary won‘t get you near Northern Sardinia or the great sites around Sicily (Ustica (Mr. Jump), Marettimo (BluTek are great) with lots of archeology dating back to the Punic War and some of the best diving I have seen anywhere, including tunas, lots of barracudas, turtles, the odd shark (longimanus and grey, if you don‘t mind hitting 100-130ft), Pantelleria (similar) etc.). If you are into big/pelagic fish, you may be disappointed in mainland sites. That said, I love diving the Med, it‘s just different from the tropics, but not in a bad way, and somehow Italy gets an undeserved bad rep on SB, mostly from people who haven‘t been there. I hear great things about the Strait of Messina (Scilla would be doable on your route) from friends but haven‘t been there. Keep in mind that the water may still be chilly in late May (I go dry in that season, having fought with a torn rented 5mm once and not wanting to repeat that - doable but cold), and in some places there could be a bit of current and/or swell. Do check it out when you are there, is all I can say. Have fun, above and below sea level!