Pula is a better dive spot than most people expect. The water off the Verudela peninsula and the channels toward the islands is clear, and the seabed holds more than rock: amphora fields, a few wrecks, and the usual Adriatic life of damselfish, wrasse and the occasional octopus. If you snorkel and want to go further down, this is the place to do it.
What you’ll see
The diving here is gentle rather than dramatic. Expect walls and reefs dropping off the peninsula, seagrass meadows, and the scattered pottery that sits in the silt from two thousand years of harbour. Visibility is best in the early morning and after a spell of calm weather. It is not a tropical reef, and anyone selling you “crystal blue” is overselling, but on a good day the clarity is the equal of anywhere in the northern Adriatic.
The centres
The Stoja campsite runs the Hippocampus diving centre, which handles training and guided dives. There are other operators around the city and on the peninsula, most offering a discover-diving session for people with no certificate. If you are certified, bring your card and they will sort the rest. Our camping in Pula guide covers Stoja as a base.
For beginners
You do not need to own kit. A discover dive includes everything, and the centres run the standard entry courses if you want to go further. Book a day ahead in summer, because the good operators fill. The water is warmest from July to September, which is also when the bays are busiest above the surface.
The honest bit
Diving costs real money once you add kit hire and a guide, and the northern Adriatic is cold compared with the south of Croatia, so a thick suit is normal even in August. It is worth it if you like the quiet down there. If you only want a look, our snorkelling in Pula guide covers the shallow version for free. Get to the centres via the getting around Pula buses and the Verudela lines.
