Wall
down to 40 m
Scoglio del Remaiolo
A rocky ridge runs to an islet covered in anthias and red sea fans.
- Advanced
- Barracuda
Elba
Diving in Italy
12 documented dive sites. Known for eagle rays, dentex and tuna.
- Best months
- Jun–Aug
- Levels
- Advanced, Experienced
- Nearest airport
- FLR
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Elba in October
Good season- Sea
- 22 °C
- at the surface
- Air
- 22 °C
- 16 °C at night
- Rain
- 90 mm
- one of the wettest months
- Wind
- 10 km/h
- on average
Exposure suit: 3 mm full suit · if you feel the cold: 5 mm full suit. How we choose
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
Summer is the best time; in winter the water drops to 10 °C and marine life declines. Pianosa trips run May–October.
Dive sites in Elba
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Pianosa, in the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, can be dived only with accredited dive centres, in groups of at most 9 Advanced divers aged 14 or over, and the number of daily visitors is limited.
For Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m6 sitesFor experienced divers
usual dive down to 40 m6 sitesWall
down to 47 m
Scoglietto di Portoferraio – Christ Statue
A deep plateau at about 39 m with a bas-relief of Christ among red gorgonians, where eagle rays and large dentex often pass.
- Experienced
- Eagle rays
Wall
down to 50 m
Formiche della Zanca
Past Punta Sant'Andrea, a long boulder drop-off where stacked rocks shelter groupers and walls host nudibranchs and Parazoanthus sea daisies.
- Experienced
- Nudibranchs
Wall
down to 45 m
Secca del Careno
Off Capo Sant'Andrea, a long gorgonian wall below an 18 m plateau where dentex and large barracuda school and eagle rays pass.
- Experienced
- Eagle rays
Wall
down to 40 m
Secca di Capo Fonza
A shoal rising to 3 m off Capo Fonza whose vertical wall drops to 40 m, with lobsters, morays and yellow Parazoanthus.
- Experienced
- Moray eels
Marine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
Reported here, season not documented yet:
- Eagle rays
- Dentex
- Tuna
- Amberjacks
- Barracuda
- Crustaceans
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus
- Scorpionfish
- Anthias
- Conger eel
- Groupers
- Moray eels
- Corals
Where is Elba?
- Nearest airport
- FLR
Elba: frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Elba?
- The best months to dive Elba are Jun–Aug. Summer is the best time; in winter the water drops to 10 °C and marine life declines. Pianosa trips run May–October.
- Is Elba good for beginner divers?
- Not really: none of the 12 dive sites we document is rated for Open Water divers. Plan an Advanced certification and some experience first.
- What marine life can you see in Elba?
- Divers regularly see eagle rays, dentex, tuna, amberjacks, barracuda and crustaceans.
- How do you dive Elba?
- The nearest airport is FLR.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash