07 July 2019 - From season to season, Herceg Novi and the Bay of Kotor attract more and more tourists who want to explore Montenegro's underwater world. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in diving courses offered by Diving Club Adriatic Blue on Škver.
The Diving Club Adriatic Blue was founded 15 years ago and ever since, its members have been actively organizing diving training and diving tours. Two instructors and three dive masters are the main members of the club. “Diving classes are attended by children from 8 to 14 years old, while the diving school is accessible to individuals older than 14 years, which is the precondition for getting the certificate issued by the Diving Association of Montenegro,” said the director of the club Danijel Đorđević for Radio Jadran.
Training for divers who want the CMAS certificate of the first, second or third category, lasts for an average of 6 days. The theoretical part is processed daily, followed by practical training under water.
Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) is an international federation that represents underwater activities in underwater sport and marine sciences, and oversees an international system of recreational snorkel and scuba diver training and recognition. It is also known by its English name, the World Underwater Federation. The CMAS has developed a CMAS International Diver Training Certification System that consists of Diver, Speciality Diver, Technical Diver and Leadership Diver Training Standards and which allows divers that have been trained in accordance with the prescribed CMAS International Diver Training Standards to have their certifications recognised throughout the world in countries that are members of the CMAS family of divers.
The underwater area of Bay of Kotor is extremely attractive, due to nature and configuration itself, but also due to the wreckage of ships and planes that have been found at the bottom of the sea throughout the years.
“At the area from Cape Dobreč, through the island Mamula to Blue Cave (Montenegrin: Plava špilja), we have a very attractive terrain, riffs that extend up to 40 meters deep and several caves, such as Blue Cave, Zlatne vale, Jakubića cave, that are harmless even for beginner divers. In terms of shipwrecks, the most attractive ship is Patrolac at Žanjice, because it is accessible for all CMAS categories. It is the most visited wreck on the entire Montenegrin coast,” says Đorđević.
He also highlighted that better cooperation between diving clubs and the Municipality of Herceg Novi and the Tourist Organization of this city is of great importance in order to more actively promote diving tourism before, during and after the tourist season. “If we had more support, Herceg Novi would become a great diving destination, because all foreigners that come and go on our diving tour are delighted with the visibility, the warmth of the water and the diversity of locations on a relatively small area, at a short distance from the city,” Đorđević concluded.
Read more about tourist destinations in Montenegro at TMN's dedicated page.
