Palermo's dive sites spread across the Tyrrhenian Sea coastline north of the city and extend to the island of Ustica, a Marine Protected Area and Italy's first marine reserve. The range here is wide: shallow archaeological sites such as an ancient Roman harbour, shore-entry rocky reefs, seagrass meadows, caves including Grotta della Regina, and wrecks such as the Arenella Wreck. Species recorded include gorgonians, red coral, European spiny lobster, and common octopus. Water temperatures rise from around fifteen degrees in winter to close to twenty-eight degrees at the height of summer, giving a long warm season.
Monthly water temperature across Palermo's sites, from satellite sea-surface data corrected for depth. The band shows the site-to-site spread.
Temperatures warm quickly from late spring and remain at their highest through August and September, making this the peak period for comfortable diving and the best visibility around Ustica. Winter diving is possible but requires a thicker suit as temperatures drop to around fifteen degrees.
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Water temperature around Palermo ranges from about 15°C in February to 28°C in August, based on satellite sea-temperature data for its dive sites.
In the warm season (about 28°C) a rash guard or 3mm shorty is comfortable in Palermo; in the coldest months (about 15°C) step up to a 7mm or semi-dry suit.
Fin maps 8 sites in Palermo (7 scuba diving sites and 3 snorkelling spots, with some suited to both).
Across Palermo's dive sites, May and October are most often reported as the best months to visit.
6 more sites to explore
