Scuba Diving in Baku

Good to Know

• Permit requirement is mandatory and must be arranged one week in advance through your dive operator—noncompliance carries high fines.
• All named dive sites near Baku are shallow (average 5-7 meters), making them ideal for beginners and newly certified divers but limiting technical exploration. Deeper dives require multi-hour trips to mountain lakes or reservoirs outside the city.
• The Caspian Sea hosts no dangerous marine species; snakes are harmless and do not attack divers.
• Active season runs late May through late October; winter diving is possible with dry-suit certification, but water temperatures drop to 8°C.
• Multiple day-boat operators serve the Baku islands from marinas; tours typically run 10:00–17:00 and include equipment rental and instruction.
• Baku Scuba Diving and Freediving Center requires divers to obtain a permit from Azerbaijan Coast Guards at least one week before diving — divers must provide passport data, and fines for diving without permits are high
• Local dive sites in the Absheron Peninsula near Baku are predominantly shallow (5–7 m average depth), well-suited for newly certified Open Water divers; deeper dives available via trips to Mingechevir Reservoir or mountain lakes
• Active diving season runs late May through late October; winter diving in dry suits is available for certified dry suit divers
• Marine life includes Caspian seals (world's smallest seal species), sea turtles, and harmless sea snakes; no dangerous marine species in the Caspian Sea
• Freediving is offered at the same operators and sites alongside scuba training