Scuba Diving in Albania 2025

Holidaymakers combine bathing in warm water with sunbathing on the beach, but few know about the underwater wonders of Albania, which every year attract the increasing number of local and foreign scuba divers. The rocky coast makes this country unique, in terms of diving. The coastal waters are not fully explored, so the chances of finding ancient artefacts underwater are quite high.

Diving is especially awesome in the Ionian Sea. There most popular places include the Vlorë Bay, Karaburuni Peninsula, and Sazan Island. Other places to check out are Dhërmi, and Bay of Sarandë. There are many wrecked ships in Albania waters. For example, an Italian dry cargo ship that was sunk during World War II. The ship lies on the left side, at the depth of 20 meters on the sandy bottom of the Bay of Sarandë. There's also the wreck of a WWII Italian hospital ship (Po) in Vlorë Bay. Divers may explore these wrecks in the depth from 4 to 33 meters.

The Adriatic and Ionian coasts of Albania boast magnificent underwater caves, grottos, and reefs. Some of them offer scuba diving directly from the shore, and their depth reaches 10 to 50 meters. The most popular underwater caves for diving are Viruet, Skotini, and Petranik.

The peak season for scuba diving in Balkans is early June to early September when the water is the warmest and marine life—the most active.