Summer is a time of holidays and incredible life experiences. It is the time of year that most adults and children eagerly await, to finally leave the daily grind behind, relax physically and mentally, and prepare for a new cycle of work or school days.
How one spends one's summer holiday is up to each person, but it is quite logical that the most popular activities on these hot, sunny days are those that require direct contact with water. The usual swimming on an air mattress or a rubber ring, fishing in a wooden boat, overcoming huge waves while surfing, or exploring an interesting underwater world with the help of diving is only the beginning of a list of activities that people enjoy themselves with during the summer holidays. By the way, about diving... Diving... It sounds kind of unusual and seems so far away and unbelievable, does not it? How much have you heard about this kind of extreme sport? And did you know that in Montenegro, for example, all factors contribute to safe diving underwater, both from the organization of infrastructure and natural conditions and that almost every holidaymaker can afford it?
What is "diving"? Types of diving
Before delving deeper into the subject of diving, you must of course first understand the basic meaning of the term. In case you do not know: Scuba diving is a pre-planned and prepared dive underwater, usually to a considerable depth, to explore the underwater world or to perform various tasks. Breathing a person underwater requires special equipment, depending on (or generally without) which diving can be divided into the following types:
- freediving. This is a type of diving without special equipment for breathing underwater - scuba. Actually, freediving is ordinary swimming underwater based on a delay in breathing. This type of diving does not serve much of a recreational or aesthetic purpose, as the lack of a breathing apparatus underwater means that a person must constantly return to the surface, and furthermore, the freediver is significantly limited in the depth of research when diving in;
- Scuba diving. Special equipment is already available for the researcher for this type of submersion. This type of diving is safer and also provides an incredible opportunity to fully understand the underwater world. The diver is virtually unrestricted at depth and the only thing he or she needs to do is monitor the oxygen level in the aqualung;
- Professional diving. The name speaks for itself. Professional diving involves people for whom this is not some kind of holiday entertainment, but the work of a lifetime. Such people have professional, more complex equipment, undergo a series of health checks and various training courses, and their underwater work may have technical, rescue, or installation purposes.
Besides this basic classification, there are many other types of diving. Some of them are really extreme. For example, hookah diving, where the air is supplied to a person at depth through a special hose from the surface, taster diving, where diving is done under the supervision of a specialist, drift diving, where a diver's driving force is not his arms and legs, but... the underwater current, and others.
Diving in Montenegro
In Montenegro - a country with unusually beautiful landscapes and warm coasts, as already mentioned, all conditions for diving are created. In general, diving in Europe began to develop rapidly after the end of World War II. This is noticeable in the tourism sector of all European countries that have access to the sea. And Montenegro is no exception in this respect.
Today, the tourism sector of this small but very diverse country offers all holidaymakers the opportunity to dive safely in the Adriatic Sea. Since ancient times, these places have been very popular with local fishermen and pearl collectors. Visibility underwater here varies between 15 and 40 meters, the water temperature is 21-25° C in summer and about 13° C in winter. Those who wish can try their hand at free diving, scuba diving, but also underwater photography, and orienteering for a token fee with the help of diving centers. No less popular in the resorts of Montenegro is fishing with a harpoon, the so-called "underwater hunting" or diving safari.
Diving in Montenegro will not leave anyone indifferent! Because at the bottom of the Adriatic Sea, there is a multitude of interesting places, from natural caves with unique coral species to sunken warships and airplanes that surely hold true treasures in their dilapidated walls. You just have to decide to dive for them...
Diving centers in Montenegro. Training courses for adults and children.
If you have already arrived in Montenegro to spend your unforgettable holiday and have decided to try your hand at diving, then you should immediately go to the nearest diving center. Only with the help of these special facilities can you legally and, most importantly, safely realize for life what you have imagined.
Remember that diving is an unsafe profession. No matter how professional your equipment looks, no matter how nice the weather was that day - unforeseen situations always happen. Therefore, it is necessary for all tourists who want to dive off the coast of Montenegro to take out additional travel health insurance. Take care of this before your trip.
Professional diving centers in Montenegro, which prepare students for diving in their courses, issue certificates (CMAS, PADI, NNI, or SSI) to all students after completion of the courses, which entitle them to dive, go on liveaboards, and rent equipment.
Obtaining a certificate from a Montenegrin diving center is the most convenient and relatively inexpensive way to dive legally. Today, there are diving centers in almost every major city on the coast of Montenegro. Prices for preparatory courses for adults and children vary only slightly from city to city, depending on the season. As an example, we present the cost of courses in one of the diving centers in Montenegro:
- a 5-day basic course for children aged 12 to 15 costs 200 euros;
- a 5-day basic course for adults costs 250 euros;
- a 5-day advanced course, where students learn four types of equipment: three mandatory (deep water diving, underwater navigation, and night diving) and one of their choice, costs 300 euros.
The main places for diving in Montenegro
Diving enthusiasts will certainly find many interesting places for their exciting dives off the coast of Montenegro. The natural objects on the Montenegrin coast deserve special attention from diving tourists. Many experienced connoisseurs of this area advise you to visit the Mikovic cave, located in the bay of Bigovica, Bar Riviera. An equally interesting place in the same area is the ancient amphorae. And although this is not a natural object, it is a place of real underwater archaeological excavations, which is particularly interesting for all history lovers. Among the underwater caves to visit are the Blue Cave and the Caves of Poseidon, located near the Lustica peninsula, the Krekavica Cave (the Valley of Grbal), and others...
And how amazing are the Montenegrin underwater reefs... Oh, they are a true wonder of the world! The colorful marine vegetation that has completely overgrown the underwater part of the rocks not only allows you to take excellent souvenir photos but also completely immerses you in a truly fabulous world. The reef near the island fortress of Mamula (in the Bay of Kotor), the Donkova Seka reef (Budva Riviera, Petrovac), and the Royal Bay reef (Bar Riviera, Chanj, Queen's Beach). This list could be continued endlessly! But whichever of these places you visit, bright feelings and positive emotions are guaranteed.
Speaking of diving sites in Montenegro, do not forget about the sunken boats, fighter jets, and ships that now rest peacefully on the bottom of the Adriatic. After all, they represent no small aesthetic, recreational, or even material value! All lovers of such places worth a visit fighters Supermarine Spitfire - MK9 (resting on the territory of the Bay of Kotor, Rose), Golesnica - torpedo boat - 76T (same location), SS Tihany steamer (in the Bay of Kotor, Mamula Island), cargo ship Quinto (Bar Riviera), etc.