Best diving in Europe during winter months?

[sinetwo]

Hey all, I'm seeking a bit of drysuit diving in Europe. I'm working my way down to colder temps. Desperate to see wolffish and other critters, whilst also getting better at drysuiting. 

 

Rough criteria:

* Great for marine life

* Reasonably budget friendly (say £1k per week)

* Short flight

* Easy diving, as I want to focus on photography 

* Ideally dive sites are shallow ish to capture any ambient light, but obviously this isn't a requirement.

 

Areas I'm currently considering are:

* Norway

* Scotland

* Italy

* France

 

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I prefer critters over wrecks, and would love to avoid the red sea given I've been there so many times I'm not sure my memory card wants any more blue spotted stingers ☺  

[Davide DB]

From the UK certainly the cheapest destination is Malta.
Malta and Gozo have had a huge boom for diving. For historical reasons so many instructors have moved here from UK. Despite this there does not seem to me to be much to see underwater, wrecks aside. Those at recreational depths are all artificial reefs while the historical and best ones are all in the technical diving zone.

 

Instead for marine biology there are two places (Spain and France) that are outstanding even in winter.
Both are very famous marine parks. IIRC Port Cros Marine Park I believe is the oldest marine park in Europe.

 

https://xray-mag.com/content/medas-islands

 

https://destination.portcros-parcnational.fr/en

If you search on social networks or YouTube you find thousands of results.

Some time ago @jpiovano posted a beautiful video of one of the most famous wrecks in the area that is completely covered with soft corals. It's a little bit deep but believe me there are amazing walls and shoals even at rec depths. Well, actually this is considered recreational in this part of the Med 😉

 

 

 

For Costa Brava just check this video to have a feeling of what to expect for soft corals.

 

 

We have several French and Spanish members, maybe they can give you more accurate informations.

 

Ciao

[canislupus]

Hello,

I usually dive in Costa Brava, and the place that said Davide (Illes Medes) is maybe the most famous site but there are other interesting dive sites.

Take note that some diving centers are closed during winter time, not because it is not possible to dive but because there are much less people that wants to.

That being said, I love diving in winter, less crowded, I usually do shore diving. Also, some weeks would be hard due to weather conditions.

 

Any question about Costa Brava don’t hesitate to ask.

[Davide DB]

1 hour ago, canislupus said:

 

Any question about Costa Brava don’t hesitate to ask.

 

Why don't you give us your personal preferences on dive spots and diving center in Costa Brava?

 

It's time to create some area specific subforums. Stay tuned 😉

 

[sinetwo]

@Davide DB Thanks, I will certainly look at it. I'm one of those weird divers that have very little interest in wrecks in the Med - I need life, and lots of life where possible 🙂

 

I've been seeing a lot of interesting Numana and Messina, especially from this guy: https://www.instagram.com/davidsalvatori_photo/

 

I had an extremely disappointing trip to Tenerife (I think that was more dive site/school related, than what's actually possible there), so that's put me off the canaries for some time, although Lanzarote was pretty good!

 

I'm desperate to do more cold water diving, especially to see critters and life I've never seen before, but for some reason I'm finding it very difficult to get the information with searches like "best coldwater diving europe" etc.

[Davide DB]

2 hours ago, sinetwo said:

I've been seeing a lot of interesting Numana and Messina, especially from this guy: https://www.instagram.com/davidsalvatori_photo/

 

David Salvatori was a well-known and much-loved Italian underwater photographer in the Italian photography community. Sadly, David passed away now more than two years ago and his friends still post his uw photos and memories of him on social networks.
He had discovered with others the uniqueness of Numana and coined the expression (later misused) “Numana the Italian Lembeh.” 
Numana has become famous among Italian photographers for the abundance of nudibranchs in its waters. But beware, for most of the year it is in almost zero visibility. The richness of the sediments in these waters combined with the partly rocky bottom are perhaps the reasons for the abundance of nudibranchs.
You are not the only one who has been intrigued by this site.

 

I will try to write something about Numana and the Strait of Messina (personally the most beautiful place in Italy) for the benefit of all Waterpixels members.
 

2 hours ago, sinetwo said:

I'm one of those weird divers that have very little interest in wrecks in the Med - I need life, and lots of life where possible

 

No problem, I posted you the video of the wreck only as an example. If a wreck is completely covered with soft corals as if it were a wall, imagine real walls! I, during the 1990s had become addicted to Port Cros Marine Park. Every year I would go once or twice and a couple of times on a liveaboard. 

let's see if some French and Spanish members give us direct info. 

 

[Architeuthis]

2 hours ago, sinetwo said:

@Davide DB Thanks, I will certainly look at it. I'm one of those weird divers that have very little interest in wrecks in the Med - I need life, and lots of life where possible 🙂

 

I've been seeing a lot of interesting Numana and Messina, especially from this guy: https://www.instagram.com/davidsalvatori_photo/

 

I had an extremely disappointing trip to Tenerife (I think that was more dive site/school related, than what's actually possible there), so that's put me off the canaries for some time, although Lanzarote was pretty good!

 

I'm desperate to do more cold water diving, especially to see critters and life I've never seen before, but for some reason I'm finding it very difficult to get the information with searches like "best coldwater diving europe" etc.

 

Hi Sinetwo,

 

Since you say Canares Islands were dissapointing: I was really excited and can strongly recommend the village "La Restinga" on El Hierro, a small Canary island. This village was a depot/harbour for fishermen for centuries (Columbus himself started one of his expeditions to the new world from the shelted harbour). Really wonderful diving with beautiful marine life, mostly lots of fish...

 

We were there in March 2017 (with drysuits, when I remember correctly water was 17 °C top to bottom) and with the diving base "Fan Diving". Günther, the owner (from Austria), is a passionate UW-photographer by himself and knows very well how to provide diving for UW-photographers (he is the only guide on his base and takes maximum 6 clients). You could contact him and ask, whether they are active in winter (there may be always a sheltered region were diving is possible). In case communication in English is a problem, there are at least 4 other diving bases in this little village (La Restinga is a Mekka for scubadiving, little other tourism there (some sailing boats that sail against or come from the Americas, maybe some sports fishermen); there is no hotel, guests live in private apartments, cook for themselves or go to restaurants)...

 

 

Wolfgang

 

[Crasoner]

I can confirm, as the buddy above, that El Hierro island in The Canary islands has the best diving in Spain,  and probably in the entire Europe in terms of biodiversity and big marine life. It's a bit pricey but totally deserve a try. Another spot, this time in the mainland is the marine reserve of Cabo de Palos, in the province of Murcia. Plenty of marine life with its famous giant groupers. 

 

Good luck with your trip!

[atus]

I've been at El Hierro 2 times, great place, great food, great diving, but I wouldn't say the best diving in Spain, There's a few spots almost the same good, but El Hierro is very budget friendly, in fact, the last time I've been there, I made 10 days with 800 euros, all the meals and beers at the retaurants and 3 dives per day, two in the morning and a night dive everyday. There are up to 12 dive center in La Restinga. 

Cabo de Palos in Mediterranean Mainland of Spain is another must to go, but althought meals and hotels are budget friendly, diving is definitively not budget friendly. And for photography is complicated, currents, bad visibility, depth...

Illes Medes in the mediterranean north of Spain could fit you, but i don't really know how many dive centers are open in wintertime.

And, my home, Balearic islands. I live in Ibiza, only a single dive center remains open in winter, but if you like to dive from the shore there is a filling air station. If you love Posidonia, and all its critters, easy to find if you know how and you have the patience, that could be your place. But again, it isn't budget friendly, in fact it's the most expensive.

In Mallorca, the same than Ibiza, but could be a bit cheaper, the El Toro marine reserve is spectacular. But mediterranean is a very weather changing place, nobody could warranty that you come and can dive.

[Davide DB]

12 minutes ago, atus said:

and 3 dives per day, two in the morning and a night dive everyday. There are up to 12 dive center in La Restinga. 

 

Wow!

Is it mostly fish or even coral reef?

 

[atus]

21 minutes ago, Davide DB said:

 

Wow!

Is it mostly fish or even coral reef?

 

Not a single coral reef. El hierro is known by the grouoers, there are lots of them and they are very friendly. And there are lots of them because the people discovered than groupers are more valuable in the sea than in your dish. So they don't fish it, furthermore, right in front of them there is the marine reserve "el mar de las calmas" where only local fishermen are allow to work and there is a real surveillance of the marine reserve with big fines when doing bad.

A part of groupers you can find lots of trunmpet fish, parrot fish "endemic vieja canaria", thousands of fire worms, morey eels...really many fish. Their star dive spot is a vulcano named "el bajón", an spot with strong current but plenty of fish.

Here you can see my El Hierro pictures  on flickr from my last trip there in 2021  

 

 

Edited September 18 by atus

[atus]

Sorry, I wanted to link the gallery and I don't know how to undo this mess....

This is the link to the gallery...

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/atussub/albums/72157717702398828/

 

[Davide DB]

44 minutes ago, atus said:

Sorry, I wanted to link the gallery and I don't know how to undo this mess....

This is the link to the gallery...

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/atussub/albums/72157717702398828/

 

 

I saw you have a photo of the Antipathella wollastoni. Is it deep? What's the name of that eels into the sand?

I'm a fan of Rafa Herrero's video. Once he was a member of Wetpixel.

I still remember his Bajo de Las Gerardias video.

[John Liddiard]

For really cold water winter diving you could go the other direction.

 

Narvik and surrounding Fjords have historically significant wrecks from WW2 and if you are lucky, killer whales. My Narvik article has become lost on Divernet, but it is available on Dyk.net https://dyk.net/art/bortom-narvik-–-bland-späckhuggare-och-vrak

In the winter the visibility can be stunning, but the daylight hours short.

 

Further north, in winter there is ice diving on P40 aircraft and a merchant ship Johan Faulbaum in Jarfjord near Kirkenes by the Russian border. My article on that has unfortunately also become lost from Divernet.

[atus]

1 hour ago, Davide DB said:

 

I saw you have a photo of the Antipathella wollastoni. Is it deep? What's the name of that eels into the sand?

I'm a fan of Rafa Herrero's video. Once he was a member of Wetpixel.

I still remember his Bajo de Las Gerardias video.

Yep, it's a bit deep, about 35 meters more or less. The problem is that it's not easy to go. That dive it's located out of the reserve. And because of the winds there are only few times in the year that it's possible to go. i was lucky enough to be there. 

The name of that eels is Heteroconger longissimus 

there is a huge garden of that eels in a dive site called "el desierto" i've been told that it's more than 1 km long large. They start in around 25 m depth. And it's a challenge to take them a good picture.

I know the Rafa Herrero's work but I have never meet him.

 

[sinetwo]

On 9/18/2024 at 3:52 PM, Crasoner said:

I can confirm, as the buddy above, that El Hierro island in The Canary islands has the best diving in Spain,  and probably in the entire Europe in terms of biodiversity and big marine life. It's a bit pricey but totally deserve a try. Another spot, this time in the mainland is the marine reserve of Cabo de Palos, in the province of Murcia. Plenty of marine life with its famous giant groupers. 

 

Good luck with your trip!

Hey @Crasoner, would you recommend both of those options in winter time? 

[Nando Diver]

I recommend Porto Santo

 

Water temperature 22 to 24 celsius during september and october.

Best diving spots are 2 x Ship wrecks (cordeca & madeirense aprox 30m ) 

Affordable flights and accommodation 

Affordable dives with Nitrox 35€/40€

Visibility is +40m...

Example https://fb.watch/v4sz1edDFV/

 

Ive dived in Porto Santo in September 2023 (Cipreia Dive club) 

12 x dives with nitrox 430€ (pack) 

flights lisbon - Porto santo - lisbon 200€ 

Accommodation 50€/day x 6 days 300€ 

 

Return in May 2024 for the Madeira underwater open Water 2024 (video & Photography competition) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 8 by Nando Diver

[Nando Diver]

I also recommend the Madeira -Funchal 

 

Best diving spots : Cordeca, Garajau, Reis Magos

Visibility is +30m...

Water temperature 24 degrees

Affordable dives with Nitrox 35€/40€

Flights and accommodation are also affordable.