Pula is a seaside city on the south east coast of the Peninsula of Istria in Croatia. The coast lies on the Northern Adriatic Sea. It is a place that is visited for its history, its beaches as well as for diving. The clear, calm waters here hold a high abundance of marine life. The handful of dive centres here will take divers to the best dive spots depending on the conditions and certification levels of the divers. There are dive sites for every level of diver, from shallow house reefs, to tunnels to penetrable wrecks. Some of the highlight dive sites include the Flamingo wreck, the tunnel systems at Fraserik dive site and the rock formations at Bumbiste dive site.

Whether divers are hoping to do relaxing guided dives, thrilling wreck dives or dive courses, they are all possible here, year round!

Croatia has a Mediterranean climate which means hot summer and wet winters. The peak diving season lies between May and September when the waters are the most calm, the most clear and the warmest, with the least amount of rain and the least amount of currents. The air temperatures ranges between a cool 8 degrees Celsius in the midst of winter and reaches up to 26 degrees Celsius in the summer. The water temperature here ranges between 11 and 25 degrees Celsius and the visibility is on average good throughout the year and ranges between 10 metres and 35 metres on the best days. 

One of the main features of the underwater world here are the wrecks. Most of the wrecks have been submerged for a longer amount of time meaning divers will not only be able to appreciate the wreck structure, but also the high abundance of marine life which not inhabit these artificial reefs. Other features here are some steep reef walls, shallow reef plateaus, house reefs, tunnel systems, and caves. Other types of dives which can be done here include drift dives and night dives. Many of the dives sites are also great for underwater photographers. 

The waters off the coast of Pula hold a high abundance of marine life which live among the reefs and wrecks. Some of the many rock formations here are also encrusted with Hard Corals. The coral reefs are made up of Soft Corals, many colourful Sea Sponges and Anemones, which are defended by the Anemonefish. Other fish species found here include Damselfish, Scorpionfish and many schools of reef fish that glimmer from the sun rays which penetrate the clear waters. Other species which reside in these waters include Sea Spiders, Lobsters, Crabs, Octopus, the majestic Seahorse, Conger Eels and Zeus Faber. Some of the more unique species include Electric Rays, Catsharks and it has even been said that Great White Sharks have been spotted here! One of the things divers will definitely notice here is the wide array of colours. 

Flamingo wreck is an impressive wreck which sunk in 1914 and has created a stunning artificial reef in the century it has been submerged. It lies at 45 metres so it is for more advanced divers only, but it’s definitely worth a visit.

Fraskeric is an exciting tunnel system which lies at an average depth of 14 metres which means it’s accessible divers of all levels. This dive site also has an impressive sea wall which lies between 14 and 35 metres.

Bumbiste is one of those dive sites which has a wide selection of different topography including caverns, a lot of marine life, large rock formations and a large cave which stretches over 200 metres.  

Varese is an Italian merchant steamship which sunk in 1915 and divers are able to penetrate this wreck. It lies between 32 and 40 metres and there are many species of marine flora and fauna to be admired here.