SCUBA Diving Destinations: Europe
Albania | Britain | Bulgaria | Croatia | Cyprus | France | Greece | Iceland | Ireland | Isle of Man | Italy | Malta | Portugal | Norway | Spain | Turkey
10 May 2024
Europe has very varied diving from the clear fresh-water springs in Iceland to the marine-rich Mediterranean of the South of Italy. The continent has almost 90,000 km of coastline
Photo credit: Tim Nicholson
For wreck diving Scotland takes some beating, from the scuttled German Fleet and "blocking" ships of Scapa Flow to the Hispania and other wrecks of the Sound of Mull. Further south, the Zenobia of Cyprus has been voted the best wreck dive in Europe.
Highlights apart from wrecks? The caves of Ustica and Sardinia; the clear waters of Malta and Gozo; the sharks and pelagics of the Portuguese Azores which are around 1500 km west of mainland Europe or, for something completely different, the extreme diving of Norway. See other suggestions at the Top Ten Dives in Europe list.
We've been asked where in Europe is the best place to learn to dive. Training around Britain, or Northern Europe, prepares you best - if you can dive here you can dive anywhere - but for a warmer learn-to-dive holiday try Greece, Malta or Turkey. Don't forget some specialist diving travel insurance.
Wreck at Secca della Columbara by Andrew Reay-Robinson