Sources · Destination Guide

Northern Sardinia (La Maddalena and Tavolara)

Two protected archipelagos, one granite-and-gorgonian diving road trip

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Research Sources

Destination Guide Sources For Northern Sardinia (La Maddalena and Tavolara)

Reference links used to build and maintain this guide.

37 sources • Updated Sep 5, 2026

Written by DiveJourney. Built from public sources and local operator knowledge. Last updated Sep 5, 2026.

La Maddalena National Park protected-area profile - Official park-network profile covering geography, protected status, permit requirements, restrictions at Spiaggia Rosa, winds, currents, habitats, and marine fauna.
La Maddalena National Park permit platform - Official platform for park authorizations, current permit purchases, and authority contact details.
La Maddalena National Park 2026 rates - Official 2026 tariff list, including individual scuba and pleasure-boating authorization rates and online-payment discount information.
La Maddalena authorized dive centers 2026 - Current park page identifying dive centers authorized to operate in the national park during 2026.

Research Sources

Destination Guide Sources For Northern Sardinia (La Maddalena and Tavolara)

Reference links used to build and maintain this guide.

37 sources • Updated Sep 5, 2026

Written by DiveJourney. Built from public sources and local operator knowledge. Last updated Sep 5, 2026.

La Maddalena National Park protected-area profile - Official park-network profile covering geography, protected status, permit requirements, restrictions at Spiaggia Rosa, winds, currents, habitats, and marine fauna.
La Maddalena National Park permit platform - Official platform for park authorizations, current permit purchases, and authority contact details.
La Maddalena National Park 2026 rates - Official 2026 tariff list, including individual scuba and pleasure-boating authorization rates and online-payment discount information.
La Maddalena authorized dive centers 2026 - Current park page identifying dive centers authorized to operate in the national park during 2026.

La Maddalena National Park - Primary authority for current zoning, trail access, visitor notices, authorizations, and conservation rules.

La Maddalena Cala Coticcio and Cala Brigantina information - Official visitor-information page for regulated land access, reservations, authorized environmental guides, and current controls at the two Caprera coves.

Tavolara Punta Coda Cavallo Marine Protected Area - Official MPA portal covering the protected seascape, management authority, education, contacts, habitats, and visitor information.

Tavolara MPA rules library - Official regulations library. As of September 5, 2026, the latest annual implementing discipline visibly listed was for 2025, so travelers should verify whether a newer instrument has since been published.

Tavolara MPA 2025 implementing discipline - Official annual instrument listing designated dive sites, mooring buoys, authorizations, fees, and operating conditions for 2025. It is useful for site structure but must not be assumed to replace any later rule.

Olbia Coast Guard Ordinance 21/2014 - Official operating ordinance supporting Zone A restrictions, private Zone B access at Punta Arresto and Relitto Omega, guide and group controls, and seabed-protection rules.

Tavolara MPA zoning - Official zoning summary covering anchoring restrictions, underwater fishing, jet skis, and other prohibited activities.

San Teodoro tourism MPA dive rules - Municipal tourism page summarizing Tavolara MPA zones, buoy use, private-diver limitations, guide ratios, and protected-area diving.

PADI Sardinia dive guide - Season, water-temperature range, visibility, common marine life, experience-level range, transport, voltage, and plug guidance for Sardinia.

Orso Diving - Local operator evidence for day-boat access across La Maddalena, Lavezzi, and Tavolara, including advanced itineraries such as Secca del Papa.

Argonauta Diving La Maddalena - La Maddalena operator evidence for land-based diving, training, equipment, and archipelago day boats.

Nautilus Diving Center Palau - Palau operator evidence for local day-boat access, broad site choice, and suitability across certification levels.

Tavolara Diving Center - Local operator evidence for Tavolara MPA sites including Secca del Papa, Punta Arresto, and Molara-area diving.

Olbia annual climate summary - Long-term Olbia-area air-temperature, cloud, rain, and seasonal weather patterns used alongside dive-season sources.

Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport ground transport - Official airport guidance for buses, taxis, car rental, and access to northern Sardinia.

Olbia Airport local bus - Official local-bus guidance, including stops near the arrivals area and links into Olbia.

Olbia Airport taxi guidance - Official taxi-rank information and reference road distances, including the route toward Palau.

Delcomar Palau to La Maddalena ferry - Official route and timetable source for the vehicle and passenger ferry linking Palau with La Maddalena.

Tavolara passenger boats - Seasonal passenger-boat timetable and fare source for Porto San Paolo to Tavolara.

Italy visa portal - Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs portal for nationality-specific visa requirements and the Schengen 90-in-180-day short-stay framework.

Official EU ETIAS portal - Official status source for ETIAS. At the research date it was not yet operating and applications were not being accepted.

Italian Ministry of Health 112 guidance - Official guidance for the single European emergency number covering police, fire, and urgent medical assistance.

Italian Coast Guard - Official maritime authority and source for the 1530 sea-rescue number.

DAN Europe emergency assistance - Current international diving-emergency hotline, emergency procedures, and multilingual medical-assistance guidance.

ASL Gallura on La Maddalena emergency and hyperbaric care - Regional health authority clarification on Paolo Merlo emergency services and coordination of hyperbaric cases through the Sardinian care network.

Compendio Garibaldino di Caprera - Italian Ministry of Culture profile for the Garibaldi house, collections, and historical landscape on Caprera.

Tavolara Film Festival - Official festival site. The 2026 edition ran in July; future dates and island transport require separate confirmation.

DiveJourney Secca del Papa - Internal spot-page research used to confirm the destination slug, protected-area access, depth profile, and site character.

DiveJourney Secca di Washington - Internal spot-page research used to confirm the destination slug, exposed-shoal profile, season, and current considerations.

DiveJourney Punta Coticcio - Internal spot-page research used to confirm the destination slug, multilevel granite route, and authorized-center requirement.

DiveJourney Relitto Omega - Internal spot-page research used to confirm the destination slug and shallow MPA wreck profile.

DiveJourney Scoglio di Tahiti - Internal spot-page research used to confirm the destination slug and explicit scuba, freediving, and snorkeling suitability of the shallow Caprera reef.

Destination hero photo by Massimo Virgilio - Photographer profile: https://unsplash.com/@massimovirgilio