Madeira Grouper (Photo is courtesy of TripAdvisor and Madeira Diving Center)
Updated December 26, 2022
This is the one hundred and seventieth in a series of reviews of the best resort diving locations around the world. In this post, the focus is on Europe. For other “Best” reviews of liveaboards and destinations, go to “Best Liveaboards & Destinations Lists” on the top menu.
Have you been diving in Europe before? If so, I’d love to know about your experience. What dive shop or liveaboard did you use? Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.? Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.
Best Scuba Diving Europe
Where can you go for great diving in Europe? There are many wonderful spots available from above the Arctic Circle in Norway, to Northern Scotland, down to Mediterranean locations, and outside the Strait of Gibraltar among the European Atlantic Ocean Islands. A great variety of reefs, wrecks, caves, fantastic macro critters, and megafauna await.
Here are the best we can find for you to consider for your next scuba diving adventure.
- Costa Brava, Spain
- Lofoten, Norway
- Sardinia, Italy
- Madeira Islands, Portugal
- Croatia
- The Azores, Portugal
- Scapa Flow, Scotland
- Crete, Greece
- Canary Islands, Spain
- Malta
Costa Brava, Spain
On the far northeast Mediterranean shore of Catalonia is a rugged coastline giving way to rich undersea topography of drop-offs, caves, tunnels, and sheltered coves with exceptionally rich corals and gorgonians, and 600 types of fauna. The Cap de Creus marine reserve offers rich marine life with megafauna including Mola Mola, dolphins, whales, and pelagics, and the Boreas wreck a short distance south of there provides intriguing exploration and penetration opportunities on a German WWII tugboat turned private drug runner scuttled in 1989 to become an artificial reef.
- Dive Season: year-round, best from May to September when the water is warmer
- Skill Level: beginner to advanced
- Water Temperature: 13-26°C (57-79°F) with highs in July and lows in December
- Visibility: 10-30 meters (33-100 feet)
- Highlights: Boreas wreck, sea stars, nudibranchs, sea hares, moray and conger eels, octopus, cuttlefish, lobster, tubeworms, fan mussels, schools of sardines, cardinalfish, John Dories, wrasses, bream, red mullet, sea bass, groupers, sharks, turtles, schools of barracuda, eagle rays, Mola Mola (ocean sunfish), pelagics like tuna, dolphins, whales.
For my more complete review of Costa Brava scuba diving, please check this:
Lofoten, Norway
Above the Arctic Circle, the undersea terrain of the Lofoten Archipelago including rock walls and canyons is bathed in the nutrient-rich warm water of the Gulf Stream. The plant and invertebrate life are extremely abundant with giant kelp, anemone-covered walls, lots of crustaceans, mollusks, and macro critters, as well as abundant fish life and the possibility of an orca sighting. Tidal flows in and out of the fjords create exhilarating drift dives and there are numerous wrecks with something suitable for all levels of diver.
- Dive Season: year-round, practically speaking May through September is best due to water temperature and limited daylight
- Skill Level: beginner to advanced
- Water Temperature: reaches a high of 15°C (59°F) in July and August and lows of less than 5°C (41°F) from January through March
- Visibility: averages 8-12 meters (26-40 feet), poor seasonal lighting is a major influence
- Highlights: carpets of soft corals, giant kelp forests, fields of algae, walls covered with anemones and dead man’s fingers, jellyfish, starfish, urchins, nudibranchs, amphipods, hermit crabs, blade shrimps, spider crabs, mussels, scallops, cod, pollack, halibut, flounder, squirrelfish, shoals of herring, monkfish, wolffish, orcas, very fast drift diving, shallow and deep wrecks including WWII warships, cargo and passenger steamers, and fishing boats.
For my more complete review of Lofoten scuba diving, please check this:
Sardinia, Italy
The large island just south of Corsica and west of continental Italy, Sardinia has a wide variety of dive sites mostly along the eastern shoreline less exposed to westerly winds. Marine life is rich on shallow and deep sites that include Punic/Roman ruins, historic and recently scuttled wrecks, and extensive cave systems with penetration possibilities for advanced and technical divers. There are two marine protected areas and a nice array of macro critters and reef fish to go with more spectacular fauna like grouper, pelagics, eagle rays, Mola Mola (ocean sunfish), and dolphins.
- Dive Season: year-round
- Skill Level: beginner to advanced
- Water Temperature: highs in August of 25°C (77°F) and lows in February of 13.5°C (56°F), a thermocline is often present at around 12 meters (40 feet) that can take the temperature down 5-10° C
- Visibility: 10-40 meters (33-130 feet)
- Highlights: sponges, sea fans, red corals, nudibranchs, seahorses, pipefish, crabs, squid, octopus, moray eels, scorpionfish, slipper lobster, bream, grouper, barracuda, tuna, stingrays, eagle rays, Mediterranean bamboo sharks, dolphins, Mola Mola (ocean sunfish) from March to June, Punic/Roman ruins, World War II and more recent shipwrecks, several maze-like caves.
For my more complete review of Sardinia scuba diving, please check this:
No liveaboard yachts are currently cruising Sardina for scuba diving. This one, though, cruises the nearby Tuscan Archipelago:
Norseman, Tuscan Archipelago Scuba Diving Liveaboard – Check the Price & Details
Madeira Islands, Portugal
With its position in the Eastern Atlantic in a region sometimes called Macronesia, the Madeira Islands are affected by the Gulf Stream and the warmer Canary Current which has influenced the development of marine life similar to what you might find at latitudes closer to the equator. Volcanic in origin, the undersea terrain consisting of rocks, canyons, crevices, and caverns is the habitat for a plethora of plants, sponges, corals, interesting macro critters, reef tropicals, turtles, rays, pelagics, and mammals like seals, dolphins, and whales. Wildlife protection is aided by the Garajau National Reserve, and Desertas Islands Nature Reserve. In addition, there are several excellent wrecks within recreational limits.
- Dive Season: year-round
- Skill Level: beginner to advanced
- Water Temperature: from an average of 18°C (64°F) in winter to 24°C (75°F) in summer
- Visibility: 10-30 meters (33-100 feet)
- Highlights: cleaner shrimp, scorpionfish, spiny fan mussels, spiny starfish, purple sea stars, warty umbrella snails, nudibranchs, cotton spinners, fireworms, anemones, frogfish, seahorses, blennies, octopus, several species of moray eel, garden eels, stingrays, Turkish wrasses, huge friendly groupers, cuttlefish, red hogfish, sharpnose puffers, trumpetfish, triggerfish, turtles, manta, eagle, and butterfly rays and big schools of many species including jacks and barracuda, monk seals, sea lions, 4 species of dolphin, 5 species of whale, several intact large wrecks at 30 meters (100 feet) or shallower including the Madeirense, and the Corveta General Pereira d ‘Eça.
For my more complete review of Madeira Islands scuba diving, please check this:
Croatia
Croatia’s long shoreline on the Adriatic Sea has a variety of undersea topography with walls, caverns, caves, swim-throughs, and great diversity of marine life, especially when compared to the Mediterranean to the south. Croatia can boast 7,000 species of plants and animals, many endemic. The terrain has rich encrustations of hard coral, sea fans, colorful sponges, and black coral with numerous macro critters, reef fish, pelagics, turtles, monk seals, dolphins, whales, sharks, and rays. The site of many historic battles, there are dozens of wrecks from the two world wars, with many 30 meters (100 feet) or shallower.
- Dive Season: year-round is possible, the best season is considered to be May to October
- Skill Level: beginner to advanced
- Water Temperature: 12-25°C (54-77°F) with highs in July and lows in February
- Visibility: 15-30 meters (50-100 feet) on most sites
- Highlights: Mediterranean parrotfish, wrasses, seahorses, damselfish, nudibranchs, tube worms, crinoids, octopus, cuttlefish, squid, lobster, scorpionfish, crabs, shrimp, conger and moral eels, amberjacks, barracuda, three species of turtle, monk seals, several species of dolphin, sperm and humpback whales, sharks, skates, rays, dozens of wrecks, most of WWI and WWII vintage, both shallow and deep including the Taranto and Baron Gautsch wrecks
For my more complete review of scuba diving in Croatia, please check this:
No major liveaboard yachts are cruising Croatia for scuba diving, but there is one doing an adventure cruise there and another to nearby Montenegro:
Sadri Usta, Montenegro Liveaboard Adventure Cruise – Check the Price & Details
MV Futura, Croatia Liveaboard Adventure Cruise – Check the Price & Details
The Azores, Portugal
Situated in the Gulf Stream 1,360 kilometers (850 miles) west of Portugal, the climate is milder than one might expect for that latitude and currents bring a large volume of nutrients and plankton from more tropical areas to enrich the volcanic subsea terrain of rocks, boulders, walls, caverns, and seamounts. A variety of encrusting invertebrates and plants with macro critters and lots of fish find it a nurturing environment. What is most notable, though, is the large number of pelagics, and rays, including hordes of mobulas, shortfin mako, blue, hammerhead, and whale sharks, and the possibility of two dozen different cetaceans that visit the area. Records indicate 600-700 ships lost around the Azores between the 15th and 20th centuries, many of which are regulars on diving itineraries.
- Dive Season: year-round
- Skill Level: beginner to advanced
- Water Temperature: from an average of 16°C (61°F) in February and March to 24°C (75°F) in August
- Visibility: 10-60 meters (33-197 feet)
- Highlights: slipper lobsters, tubeworms, scorpionfish, frogfish, crabs, moray eels, starfish, fireworms, nudibranchs, octopus, grey triggerfish, parrotfish, pollack, snappers, stingrays, huge groupers, numerous species of schooling fish, huge schools of amberjacks and barracuda, eagle, manta and mobula rays, up to 40 in a school, shortfin mako, blue, hammerhead, and whale sharks, turtles, wahoo, tuna, marlin, 24 different species of cetacean.
For my more complete review of Azores scuba diving, please check this:
Scapa Flow, Scotland
Scapa Flow, sheltered by several of the 70 Orkney Islands, is the location where the German High Fleet was quarantined at the end of World War I. To prevent the 74 ships from coming into the hands of the British, Rear Admiral Ludwig von Reuter had them scuttled. 52 were sunk and some beached. Later 44 were raised and salvaged with 8 remaining on the seabed including a number of major vessels. In addition to these 8, there are 20 more that were used to block channels or sunk for various reasons over the years. Most are 30 meters (100 feet) or less of depth with marine life flourishing in the rich waters of Scapa Flow.
- Dive Season: year-round
- Skill Level: beginner to advanced
- Water Temperature: highs in September of 14°C (57°F) and lows in April of 4°C (39°F)
- Visibility: <10-30 meters (<33-100 feet), with the best in winter
- Highlights: 28 wrecks including a cruiser, 3 battleships, a destroyer, a couple of U-Boats, and other vessels sunk to block channels, marine life highlights are seagrass and kelp, soft corals, herringbone hydroids, sea stars, urchins, hedgehogs, horse mussels, crabs, lobsters, codfish, lings, wrasses, common skates, basking sharks in summer, and grey and common seals.
For my more complete review of Scapa Flow scuba diving, please check this popular review:
Crete
The largest Greek Island and on the south of the mainland, Crete has volcanic undersea topography that includes rocks, walls, arches, caverns, and caves in clear water with little to no current. The reefs have a variety of plants, sponges, and hard and soft corals with a large array of macro critters, mollusks, crustaceans, reef fish, pelagics, turtles, rays, seals, dolphins, the possibility of hammerhead sharks, and sperm whales. A number of caves and ship and plane wrecks are accessible at recreational depths and suitable for all levels of divers.
- Dive Season: year-round
- Skill Level: beginner to advanced
- Water Temperature: highs of 26-27°C (79-82°F) in August and lows of 17°C (63°F) from January to March
- Visibility: 15-35 meters (50-116 feet)
- Highlights: black corals, anemones, tube anemones, tube worms, crinoids, scorpionfish, octopus, squid, cuttlefish, moray and conger eels, slipper and spiny lobster, mollusks, crabs, nudibranchs, seahorses, shrimps, flying gurnards, octopus, cardinalfish, soldierfish, several varieties of wrasse, black gobies, razorfish, star-gazers, grouper, common stingrays, brown rays, schools of jacks and barracuda, loggerhead turtles, occasional tuna, dolphins, porpoises, monk seals, the possibility of sperm whales and hammerhead sharks, several notable plane and shipwrecks that are mostly reasonably shallow and don’t require advanced technical diving skills
For my more complete review of Crete scuba diving, please check this:
Canary Islands, Spain
Set to the west of Morocco, the Canaries, volcanic in origin, are under the influence of warm Gulf Stream and Canary currents and cold oceanic currents. The coral growth is not as rich as in the Caribbean or Southeast Asia but there is abundant marine life otherwise with 550 fish species and 1,000 invertebrates reflected in a multitude of macro critters and reef tropicals to go along with a variety of turtles, sharks, rays, cetaceans, pelagics, and 50 shipwrecks to boot. Excellent sites are widespread around the islands with 3 Marine Protected Areas.
- Dive Season: year-round
- Skill Level: beginner to advanced
- Water Temperature: 19-23°C (66-74°F) with the low in January and the high in August
- Visibility: usually 30 meters (100 feet) or better
- Highlights: parrotfish, boxfish, drummers, moray eels, garden eels, crabs, sea urchins, nudibranchs, octopus, cuttlefish, scorpionfish, trumpetfish, damselfish, pufferfish, glass-eyes, goatfish, triggerfish, seahorses, groupers, jacks, marlin, tuna, mobulas, common and marbled stingrays, eagle and manta rays, blacktip, whitetip, nurse, guitar, angel, hammerhead, mako, bull, silky and whale sharks, 400 resident pilot whales, sperm whales, beaked whales, false killer whales, orcas, dolphins, 5 species of turtle (green, hawksbill, leatherback, Kemps Ridley, and loggerhead), 50 shipwrecks.
For my more complete review of Canary Islands scuba diving, please check this:
Malta
Malta, the 3 island archipelago just south of Italy, has a surprisingly rich and colorful reef of corals and sponges in harbors and on seascapes of plateaus, arches, caves, and swim-throughs with smooth surfaces, little current, and clear water. There is a good selection of macro critters, reef fish, and pelagics, but the top attraction is the historic and scuttled ship and plane wrecks numbering 20 or more with some suitable for near beginners and others in the deep requiring advanced or technical skills. In all, there are more than 50 great sites.
- Dive Season: year-round
- Skill Level: beginner to advanced
- Water Temperature: 15-26°C (54-77°F) with highs in August and lows in February and March
- Visibility: up to 40 meters (130 feet) at times
- Highlights: nudibranchs, crabs, damselfish, sea bream, octopus, lobster, rainbow wrasses, scorpionfish, Mediterranean parrotfish, triggerfish, starfish, grouper, barracuda, amberjacks, tuna, turtles, more than 20 divable historic and scuttled ship and plane wrecks.
For my more complete review of scuba diving in Malta, please check this:
Photography in Europe
With colorful coral reefs, a variety of fish, marine life, sharks, turtles, shipwrecks, and beautiful and historic onshore targets, there are many excellent photo opportunities. For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:
Scuba Diving Trip Insurance
A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation. I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and give scuba divers quality insurance and medical assistance service.
Feedback and Comments
I hope you found this post on the best scuba diving in Europe interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section. I’d love to know of any experience you have. If there is no comments section directly below, click here: >>comments<<
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