Diving in Apulia Italy Otranto Scuba Diving June 2010

I had spent all winter looking at the catalogs of specialized diving tour operators, this summer it was decided I would stay in the Mediterranean.

Not wanting time differences, not wanting long hours on the plane with or without the little pill that goes well for sleeping and fatigue on arrival, not wanting to stress on the charter flight and the number of kilos I had more or less straight for my suitcases and my boards when boarding.

For convenience and on the advice of my local travel agency I therefore booked two weeks at club med in Italy on the Adriatic coast in Otranto and 10 dives with an external provider through them.

I will skip the choice of club med and the comments that can be made on services and customers to get to the heart of the matter: the dives.

I might as well tell you right away that I really did not regret my choice. I even had two nice surprises.

First of all, the dives are simply magnificent. The water is very clear, the visibility is very beautiful, it stretches over 25 meters. The stone is white, full of cavity and therefore of life. The sites can be reached from the port of Otranto in 20 minutes by navigation. The fauna is Mediterranean: moray eels, conger eels, crustaceans, Dalmatians, scorpion fish and capons, etc….

The particularities of the dives on these sites come from the relief. The coast is rich in cavities and caves. We can therefore explore caves even if we are a beginner level 1 diver.

It was with pleasure that I dived at the Dell-ora Grotto: Huge cavity with skylight leading to a smaller cave in the second room in the dark. It was with pleasure that I went up the chimneys lined with jeweled anemones before lingering in the 5 meter zone for my safety stop.

Second, the framing was perfect. I dived with Stefano Di Levanto Scuba Diving in Otanto. This dive center is managed by a professional, experienced couple, cultivating a taste for customer service.

I am level 2 (I forgot to tell you), in 10 dives, I have never dived with beginners. For ease, he never put me in a team that was not of my level.

Safety is respected, and one feels in complete confidence even if one does not speak fluently Italian. The briefings are complete and done in French.

The outings are in the morning and afternoon, the center takes care of the shuttle between the holiday centers and campsites in Otranto and the boat.

Your material is managed by the center. By gerér, you have to understand: Kept in the evening, Transported from the center to the boat (by that I mean that apart from putting on your wetsuit and rigging your bottle you don't touch it), rinsed, dried, tidied up. The blocks are transported by the monitors / divemasters (by that I mean let's be precise that you do not touch them except to rig the bottle).

Finally, you have to get your head out of the water and tell yourself that the Puglia region is very beautiful to visit, it is rich in history, terroirs and gastronomy.

It is for me a very beautiful diving destination!

Anne-Violaine