Safety · Destination Guide
Protected Adriatic walls, wrecks and sea caves in a car-free island chain
Tremiti combines small-island remoteness with boat diving, deep offshore options and a tightly zoned marine park. Choose an authorized operator with oxygen, first aid, communications and a written evacuation plan. Weather, current and diver experience should decide the site, not a fixed wish list. Conservation is operational rather than decorative: Pianosa is closed, Zone B activity is regulated, free anchoring is restricted and natural or archaeological material must remain where it is found.
Use a computer, conduct a clear lost-diver briefing and carry a surface marker buoy appropriate to open-water boat diving. Deep shoals and walls can involve blue-water descents, current and profiles reaching 60 m; these require suitable certification, recent experience, gas planning and decompression discipline. Do not enter cave or overhead sections without the correct training and equipment. Freedivers must never train alone and should use one-up one-down safety plus a lanyard on line sessions. Snorkelers should stay with a guide at cave mouths, channels and outer-island sites. After any suspected decompression illness, administer oxygen when trained, call 112 or 1530 and contact DAN Europe promptly.
Do not plan around a full hospital or hyperbaric chamber on the islands. Local first response may stabilize a casualty, but serious trauma, cardiac illness, drowning or decompression illness can require coordinated sea or helicopter evacuation to the mainland. Weather can affect transfer time. Carry an adequate supply of personal medication, disclose medical conditions to the operator and confirm dive-fitness questions before arrival. Dive insurance should explicitly cover emergency consultation, evacuation and hyperbaric treatment. DAN Europe can coordinate diving medical advice, but activation of public emergency services should not be delayed.
Pianosa is a no-entry reserve
Pianosa is Zone A. Ordinary landing, navigation within the protected perimeter, swimming, snorkeling, freediving, scuba, fishing, anchoring and mooring are prohibited. Do not follow unofficial itineraries that describe it as a recreational stop.
Wind can rewrite the day
Exposed Caprara shoals, cave mouths and mainland crossings can become unsuitable even in summer. Treat a signature-site request as a preference and let the skipper substitute a sheltered route.
Deep shoals are not casual advanced dives
Official maximum depths reach 60 m at selected sites. Current, blue-water descents and deep profiles require the correct certification, recent experience, gas and decompression planning.
Sea caves create overhead risk
A bright cave mouth can still become unsafe with swell, poor visibility or crowding. Do not enter beyond a direct daylight exit unless the team, equipment and certification are appropriate for overhead diving.
Pianosa is Zone A and closed to recreational access. In Zone B, guided scuba is regulated and individual scuba needs authorization; navigation and mooring must follow park controls. Spearfishing is prohibited, and ordinary anchoring is restricted in protected zones. Maintain neutral buoyancy over coralligenous growth, avoid kneeling in Posidonia, do not feed wildlife and take no shells, ceramics, metal or other artifacts. Report archaeological finds to the guide rather than moving them. Around seabird cliffs, reduce noise, lights and approach distance, particularly during breeding. Choose operators participating in monitoring, cleanup or Posidonia work when available.
Do Not Do This
Avoid entering when pianosa is a no-entry reserve. Confirm local briefings before committing.
| Contact | Role | Phone | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| European emergency number | Police, ambulance and fire coordination | 112 | 24 hours; free throughout the European Union |
| Italian Coast Guard | Emergency at sea and maritime rescue | 1530 | 24 hours in Italy |
| DAN Europe diving emergency line | Diving medical emergency consultation and assistance coordination | +39 06 4211 5685 | 24 hours; initial response available in English |