Diving around Cinque Terre

Have you always been dreaming of scuba diving in the deep blue sea, experiencing the silence, feeling the extraordinary sensation floating among colourful fish and corals? Why not try it in Italy?

With this "Sea Baptism" your dream comes true: you will wear all the diving equipment and, hand in hand with an instructor of the diving center, you will experience the unforgettable sensation of breathing under water, exceeding the limits of human respiration. You will be diving in the marine protected area of Portovenere.

If you are reading my website you probably know by now that the Cinque Terre is not only a UNESCO world heritage site, but also a National Park. However, most people don't know that also the sea around the Cinque Terre is a marine protected area. I don't dive unfortunately, so I don't have personal experience, but I have met lot of colourful fish snorkeling in this area.

If you only have a couple of days in the Cinque Terre, I think you should spend it hiking, taking a boat tour, enjoying local gastronomy and wine, but if you have more days and you are interested in diving, then this can be a great program for you.

I love the Bay of Poets, with the colourful towns of San Terenzo, Lerici, Portovenere and Tellaro, so you could spend a fantastic day in the Gulf, visiting these towns before or after your diving tour. If you are staying in the Cinque Terre, you need to take the train to La Spezia, then walk down the stairs in front of La Spezia Centrale station and take the bus towards San Terenzo/Lerici. You need to buy the bus tickets at the station, at the news vendor or the tobacco shop. Of course you can also take a taxi from the station.

Starting from San Terenzo you will be brought with our boat to one of our spectacular diving spots in the protected marine area of Portovenere.

Our underwater world is exciting: steep rocks with an abundance of species – octopuses, fish shoals, corals (like the red gorgonia), posidonia sea weed fields, barracudas, crayfish, murays and much more. Our area is very interesting for seabeds. You can explore different species of an interesting flora and fauna.

If you are an experienced diver, you might also want to go to San Fruttuoso to see the Christ of the Abyss. The 2.5-meter tall bronze statue of Jesus Christ is standing underwater, about 15 meters deep. You can reach it by renting a boat from Portofino.