Almost anywhere you go along the coast of the Mediterranean sea, there are places to get into the water and find out what lies beneath the surface. Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Egypt- each country has something unique to offer under the sea as well as on the land. Here are just a few of the finest diving destinations around the Med:
Portofino, Italy - Less than an hour's drive from the grand old city of Genoa, the Marine Reserve at Portofino provides the best diving and snorkelling in the Europe- at least, that's what the locals say! There is some pretty strong evidence to support their claims. The seabed off Portofino is carpeted with fields of red corals and sponges, which are home to a wide variety of rare and interesting marine wildlife. The largest submerged wreck in the world (the Amoco Milford Haven, more than 1000ft or 330m long) is just down the coast and the famous Christ of the Abyss statue stands tall, 55ft under the surface of San Fruttuoso Bay.
Paros, Greece - It's hard not to be seduced by the romance of underwater archaeology. What could be more exciting than swimming over the top of ancient stony walls and finding the traces of an ancient civilisation lying where they fell a thousand years ago or more? The island of Paros is probably the best place in the world for amateur divers and snorkelers to explorers to learn about underwater archaeology and to get involved with it. Those who have plenty of time can even take a course (including incredible field trips) from the Aegean Institute.
Malaga, Spain - Diving in Malaga's La Herradura area has one real advantage- the bays in this area are so sheltered that there is almost always somewhere calm to dive, even in poor weather. There are reefs to dive on and also open caves to explore. Octopus, eels, and large grouper are plentiful. Sardines shoal in huge numbers too. Those with sharp eyes should keep a close lookout for seahorses in the coral. The waters off Malaga are also frequented by the huge sunfish. The world's largest bony fish, these creatures can weight anything up to a metric ton. They're not considered dangerous to divers though.
Malta - A paradise for wreck divers! All kinds of shallow water wrecks can be explored in this part of the world, from tug boats that sank only a few years ago to relics from the Second World War. It's not just boats either- divers can explore what is left of a WWII bomber aircraft too. Advanced divers can even get down to an old submarine lying about 55m below the surface. In total there are more than 20 wrecks to dive around Malta and the islands of Comino and Gozo. Many of the wrecks still have their guns, torpedo tubes, propellers, and other details intact.
Those are just four dive destinations out of hundreds of choices, if not thousands, spread out across the Mediterranean. There is something for every diver, and for every snorkeler too- you don't have to be an expert. Dive schools and underwater tour operators have never been more popular. There is no shortage of help and guidance for underwater explorers.
Jess Spate is a keen amateur diver and lately she has been moving towards underwater photography but still loves to dive just to see what's down there.
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