• Use local operators or guides for Karaburun-Sazan and other exposed boat days.
• Treat wind and swell as trip-defining variables, not minor inconveniences.
• Carry an SMB for scuba and a visible buoy for freediving or open-bay snorkeling.
• Expect rocky entries in some Riviera areas and watch for sea urchins and scorpionfish.
• Keep profiles conservative if you are far from advanced medical support, especially on deeper wreck or repeat-dive days.
• In peak summer, assume more recreational boat traffic around Himara, Saranda, and Ksamil and plan early starts.

Albania's emergency numbers are straightforward, but dive travelers should not confuse that with frictionless specialty care on the coast. National emergency is 112 and the health emergency number is 127. That is useful, but deeper or more remote incidents still deserve strong evacuation planning, especially outside Tirana. DAN-style dive accident cover is a smart baseline, and boat operators should be asked in advance about oxygen, communication, and the nearest practical referral pathway for a dive incident.

Karaburun-Sazan is Albania's only national marine park and its management zoning is not cosmetic. Core zones have the strictest protection, with normal recreation such as diving, swimming, snorkeling, fishing, anchoring, and boat trips prohibited unless special permission applies. Traditional use and recreation zones allow low-impact visitation in designated areas, but still restrict commercial fishing, extraction, and collecting. Across Albania, the conservation mindset should be simple: no touch, no take, no anchor assumptions, and no casual entry into obviously sensitive seagrass or reef structure. Posidonia meadows, coralligenous communities, and protected species such as turtles and dolphins are part of the park's management purpose.