Our opnion on Areamare Diving Center:

Unaltered passion for scuba diving is what drives everyone at Areamare Diving Center', and it's not Patricia, the new owner, who's going to say otherwise! Located in Cannigione since 1990, on the North-East side of Sardinia, the dive center is cocooned in a bay that's facing the Marine Park of La Maddalena and is open all year round.

When you get there in the morning, all the gear's ready... just hop on board! On average it takes about 35 minutes to get to the dive sites, so the (eco-focused) briefing is done on the way. When you get there you'll be glad to find out you're the first ones onsite: indeed, passion is best lived when you're in a small group, and you can enjoy the school of barracudas and the big groupers to yourself rather than with 30 other divers! With Areamare Diving it's not about seeing fish, but observe and get to know them. Okay you might find the departure time a bit early but in the quest of quality before quantity, this tiny sacrifice proves its worth as soon as you get in the water! Once you're back from the first dive, you'll be idling along the archipelago with a snack, listening to the next dive's briefing and checking out the odd shapes of the granit islands. What a day!

Patricia is passionate about diving since the very day she tried it out ; and although she's the boss, Patricia and Alain the instructor can't see a day without diving... ever! The whole team, during the summer months, has just the same philosophy : if you have fun then your divers will have a great day. Simple yet very efficient! The dives are very well managed, in small groups only. If you're taking a dive course, the instructor to student ratio is one to one or, at worst, one to two; your confined water skills are done in a shallow, natural environment with fish... if you were looking for ideal conditions, it's safe to say we've found them!

The dives are usually quite shallow (30m max.) since the best of what the Med has to offer, and more, is found in the first 20 meters. Most of the sites are fitted with a mooring buoy so the boat anchors do not damage the seabed. If the sea conditons are right, ask to dive the Angelika wreck or the Lavezzi Islands!

Last but not least, the UW photographers will find a safe haven to practice their art here since they let you enjoy the sites as long as you want! Rare, thus precious. Areamare Diving Center is definitely the kind of dive center that gives the industry a great name! Thanks guys!