About the country
Italy has several interesting Mediterranean dive spots, which we discovered rather late. In September, we found really good visibility, with more or less warm water (a slight thermocline). Every time, we were delighted by how professional and friendly the dive clubs were.
In Sardinia, we were struck by the topography and the canyons. At Ustica, we found a lot more life : balls of anchovies or sardines hunted by jacks and small tuna over the seamounts, not to mention the big groupers.
The best of Sardigna : Lavezzi (Corsica) ; San Franscesco cave (Caprera) ; El Picchu (Caprera).
The best of Ustica : Scoglio del Medico (Ustica) ; Seca della colombara (Ustica) ; Punta Galera (Ustica).
Northern Sardinia is simply gorgeous. With its very jagged coastline, overlooked by granite boulders, it offers small lagoon-colored beaches and natural pools. Right nearby, the Maddalena archipelago, and around a bend on some beach, you can spot Corsica.
You’ll find the same topography underwater : very impressive rock formations that create beautiful walls dropping to nearly 30 meters. The dives are beautiful. It’s a shame there isn’t more fish, but the small stuff is a real treat (lots of nudibranchs, crabs, shrimp, a few seahorses and small gorgonians).
The water is warm and clear, and the climate is hot and humid in summer.
Reachable by ferry or plane, you’ll need a car to get around.
Ustica has been a marine reserve since 1986. It was the first in Italy. Still spared from mass tourism, despite the large ferry and the 8 dive clubs, the island is small and really pleasant. The activities are diving and hiking. There’s a good twenty dive sites, the furthest of which are 15 minutes by boat from the harbor.
We saw lots of big groupers, balls of small fish, and some nice hunting action along the walls. The caves and arches host small corals and crustaceans. The dives are really beautiful.
The clubs leave at staggered times so that each boat is alone (or nearly so) underwater.
Reachable by ferry from Palermo, the island is small, and everything can be done on foot, by electric bike, or by shuttle.
Our opinion
Difficulty
Visibility
Diversity
Atmosphere
Practical
In September 2025.
Blue Diving Ustica, a really friendly club that handles transfers and accommodation booking. They have two rigid inflatables for 12 divers max, and provide guides. 15 L tanks for everyone and small groups by level make for enjoyable hour-long dives. We dived with Davide and Paolo, very good, smiling guides who speak French and English. During the surface interval, a little tea-and-cake snack is also offered (rare enough in Europe to be worth mentioning). The club typically goes out for 2 dives in the morning, but returns to the harbor in between.
In September 2021.
Nautilus Diving is a small club in Palau, close to the Maddalena and Lavezzi archipelagos (50 minutes away). This small team takes good care of divers before and after dives, underwater they’re very attentive, though not very chatty, which we found a bit disappointing.
They have two boats, a covered, mid-sized one, which is a nice bonus in this region, that can take 14 divers, and a rigid inflatable with a capacity of 8 divers. Groups are split by level. You go out for 2 dives back to back in the morning, with a roughly 60-minute limit. An afternoon dive is possible. Padi-style no-deco dives, Nitrox available for an extra fee.
In September 2025.
The dive club offered us a wide choice of accommodation and booked it for us. We really loved Cleia vue mer , run by an adorable couple : a really pleasant small shaded terrace, a good breakfast with homemade garden jams. Well equipped and quiet, this place is a bit out of the way but still reachable from the harbor.
In September 2021.
The dive club offered us a choice of accommodation, we settled near the small Vecchio marina on the outskirts of Palau, a well-equipped, quiet house with a magical view over the islands.
In September 2025.
All the hikes are worth doing for the viewpoints. They’re easy and doable in half a day. You can spot the island’s many birds, like bee-eaters, falcons, the small sea eagle, …
In September 2021.
Around Palau, a small seaside town without much to offer, the pretty beaches or stunning coves. Push on to the tip of Sardinia, where you’ll find coves and lagoons along the way, …
The Nuraghe archaeological sites around Arzachena.
The village of Santa Teresa di Gallura.
A bit further, Castelsardo, a charming little medieval village.