Ionian Islands Diving
Just off the western coast of Greece, the Ionian Islands offer fantastic diving in clear blue waters. Each island has its own distinctive highlights, including caves, Mediterranean reefs, rocky landscapes and WWII wrecks. From deep tech dives to easy reef dives with loggerhead turtles, there is something for every diver.
Diving in the Ionian Islands
Scuba diving in the Ionian Islands features everything from large rocks and thrilling caves to Mediterranean reefs and many WWII wrecks, including the HMS Regulus off Corfu and the well-known HMS Perseus off Kefalonia.
With rich waters and a seabed plunging down to 4000 meters in places, the Ionian Islands host abundant reef and pelagic life. Go diving in the Ionian Islands and you will see colorful reef fish, morays, barracuda and wrasse. Keep an eye out for eagle rays, stingrays and electric rays cruising over the thriving reefs. Seasonal visitors include common, bottlenose and spinner dolphins, plus numerous loggerhead turtles at Marathonisi Island.
With numerous Ionian Islands dive centers to choose from, it’s easy to explore all that this idyllic destination has to offer.
Best places to dive
Corfu
Visit Corfu and you can dive WWII wrecks in 30 meters water visibility and explore turquoise waters dotted with rocks and reefs. Paleokastritsa is a hidden gem with deep reefs, numerous underwater cave systems and huge arches, plus striking walls busy with reef fish and passing pelagics.
Zakynthos
Zakynthos, also known as Zante, is a paradise for divers with its rich marine life and exciting caves. It is the place to go for sea turtle encounters. Marathonisi Island off Zakynthos is a prime nesting site for loggerhead turtles, which you can see when diving there. Another Ionian Islands diving highlight, the Perseus wreck, a WWII British submarine, lies at over 50 meters deep off Zakynthos.
Kefalonia and Lefkada, also called Lefkas, offer yet more fantastic scuba diving in the Ionian Islands, with excellent wrecks, caverns similar to the Mexican cenotes and walls swathed in marine life.
