- Open Water course
- €550
- Best season
- Diveable May to October
- Water temperature
- 16–25°C
Updated July 2026
Good to know
Good to Know
- Most Split-area diving is boat-based, not shore diving — even the closest sites in the Kaštela Gulf and around Čiovo/Šolta require a short boat ride from a dive center.
- If Vis Island wrecks or the Blue Cave are on your list, budget a full day (or ideally an overnight stay) rather than expecting a quick add-on to a Split-based dive day — the ferry alone takes around 2.5 hours each way.
- Deeper wrecks like the Teti and the WWII plane wrecks off Vis require advanced or technical certification; many of the closer Split-area reef and wreck sites are suitable for Open Water divers.
- Dive shop operating seasons are short — many Split-area centers effectively run June through September, so shoulder-season travelers should confirm availability in advance.
- Some 'Split' dive centers are physically based just outside the city center in Kaštela (part of the same coastal urban area) but offer pickup/meeting points in Split — worth checking the actual meeting location before booking.
- A Discover Scuba / try-dive package is a cheaper, lower-commitment way to test the water before signing up for the full 3–5 day Open Water certification.
- Ask upfront whether the quoted course price includes the PADI e-learning fee and the physical certification card fee — these are sometimes billed separately on top of the advertised course price.
- Freediving in Split is available but runs through a distinct specialist operator rather than as a standard add-on at the general scuba dive shops.
Dive Sites And Conditions
- Season
- Diveable May to October, with the core season and warmest water in July and August; many Split-area dive centers only operate June through September.
- Visibility
- Generally very good in the Adriatic, commonly cited at 20-30m or more in summer.
- Water Temperature
- Roughly 22-25°C at the surface in July/August, dropping to around 16-18°C below the thermocline at depth; a 5mm wetsuit suits high summer, with a 7mm or hood recommended in spring/autumn.
- Accessibility Summary
- Diving directly out of Split itself is limited — the city's own coastline is mostly harbor/marina. The real diving is a short day-boat or short-ferry hop away: the Kaštela Gulf, Čiovo/Trogir, and the island of Šolta are all reachable as normal half-day or full-day boat dives from Split-based operators (roughly 20 minutes to 1 hour by boat). Brač and the Pakleni Islands off Hvar are doable as longer day trips. Vis Island and the Blue Cave at Biševo — genuinely the best wreck and cave diving in the region — are NOT casual shore or short-boat dives from Split: Vis is reached by a roughly 2.5-hour ferry from Split to Vis town, or a boat/road transfer to Komiža, meaning a serious Vis dive day is a full-day excursion (some operators run it as a long day trip by speedboat, others treat it as an overnight or multi-day base). Do not expect easy shore diving anywhere in this area — nearly everything is boat-accessed, even the closer sites.
Sites
Kaštela Gulf Reef (Split Area)
- Type
- reef
- Access
- day boat from Split
- Location
- Gulf of Kaštela, a short boat ride from Split
- Best Season
- May-October, peak June-September
- Marine Life And Features
- Described by a Split dive operator as the most beautiful reef in the Gulf of Kaštela, with a deeper side full of holes and cracks.
ČIovo Reef and Wall Sites
- Type
- reef / wall / small cave
- Access
- day boat from Split
- Location
- Around the island of Čiovo, adjoining Trogir, a short boat ride from Split
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- A Split-based operator describes one Čiovo site as having walls, reefs and small caves with diverse flora, and notes ridges/cliffs with shallower and deeper sections among Posidonia seagrass meadows and, on the north side, ceramic (ancient amphorae) remains.
Small Wreck Near ČIovo
- Type
- wreck
- Access
- day boat from Split
- Location
- Close to the Čiovo cliffs
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- A smaller wreck about 8m long lying close to the cliff, suitable for Open Water divers.
Pajo Wreck
- Type
- wreck
- Access
- day boat from Split
- Location
- Split/Kaštela area waters
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- The Pajo wreck is located next to a wall rich in flora and fauna; the wreck itself is roughly 12m long and 4m wide.
Trogir-area Reefs
- Type
- reef
- Access
- day boat from Split
- Location
- Waters around Trogir, a short boat ride from Split
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- Soft corals, sponges and clusters of marine life on a colourful seabed, generally calm conditions and considered suitable for beginner and intermediate divers.
Livka Bay (ŠOlta)
- Type
- reef ridges
- Access
- day boat from Split via Šolta
- Location
- Šolta Island, roughly a short ferry/boat trip from Split
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- Several ridges with steep cliffs in the lee of the Maestral wind, offering a relaxed dive.
Punta Solta / Marinca (ŠOlta)
- Type
- reef, shallow and deep sections
- Access
- day boat from Split via Šolta
- Location
- Šolta Island
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- A former restricted military zone (a barracks was once located here), now offering both shallow and deeper diving options.
Nečujam Shipwreck (ŠOlta)
- Type
- wreck
- Access
- day boat from Split via Šolta
- Location
- Off Nečujam, Šolta Island
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- A shallow wreck suitable for beginner wreck divers, with fish weaving through the structure and soft marine growth colonizing it.
Ribolovac Wreck (Near Stomorska, ŠOlta)
- Type
- wreck
- Access
- day boat from Split via Šolta
- Location
- Near the town of Stomorska, Šolta, not far from the Pelegrin reef
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- A 28m-long wreck, described as a very popular dive position; another source describes the wrecked fishing boat resting on a sandy seabed.
Lučice Cave/Bay (Brač)
- Type
- cave
- Access
- day boat from Split (longer day trip)
- Location
- Southeast end of Lučice Bay, Brač Island
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- Entry at only 3-5m leads to an underwater cave with two chambers, one falling to 37m and the other to 42m in one account (another source describes the cave starting at 5m and dropping to 15m before branching into two tunnels); stalagmites, stalactites, corals and sponges line the interior.
Bol Dive Sites (Brač)
- Type
- reef / occasional wreck
- Access
- day boat from Split (longer day trip)
- Location
- Bol, Brač Island
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- Bol's position is sheltered from the winds that blow through the Hvar channel, and dolphins are frequently sighted leaping in the gentle waves; local dive schools run night dives and trips to Lučice Cave for advanced divers.
Vodnjak Reef, Pakleni Islands (Off Hvar)
- Type
- reef
- Access
- day boat from Split (longer day trip) or from Hvar town
- Location
- Southwestern side of Stambedar island, Pakleni archipelago
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- At 6m the reef is covered in green and brown algae; at 50m it is coated with red algae, yellow coral and multi-coloured sponges, with fish abundant at all depths.
Pakleni Islands Sheltered Reefs (General)
- Type
- reef
- Access
- day boat, longer day trip from Split
- Location
- Pakleni archipelago, off Hvar
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- Shallow reef systems at roughly 12-18m host octopus, moray eels and schools of bream; the islands form a natural barrier that keeps conditions calm even when winds pick up.
Teti Wreck (Vis)
- Type
- wreck
- Access
- Vis is reached via a roughly 2.5-hour ferry from Split (or ferry from Hvar) — a full-day or overnight trip, not a short day-boat hop
- Location
- Ran aground on the islet of Mali Barjak, Vis
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- A WWII-era Italian cargo steamer that ran aground in 1930, sitting at around 32m and considered one of the Adriatic's finest wreck dives.
B-17G Flying Fortress Wreck (Vis)
- Type
- wreck (aircraft)
- Access
- Vis is reached via a roughly 2.5-hour ferry from Split, then transfer to Komiža — full-day/overnight, technical-depth dive
- Location
- Bay of Komiža, Vis
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- A US bomber that ditched in the bay on 6 November 1944 after losing three engines; it lies in around 72 metres of water and is a true technical-level dive.
B-24 Liberator Wreck (Vis)
- Type
- wreck (aircraft)
- Access
- Vis is reached via a roughly 2.5-hour ferry from Split — full-day/overnight, technical dive
- Location
- Waters off Vis
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- A heavy WWII US bomber (the Tulsamerican) that crashed in December 1944; a deep technical dive alongside the B-17.
Fortunal Wreck (Vis)
- Type
- wreck
- Access
- Vis is reached via a roughly 2.5-hour ferry from Split — full-day/overnight
- Location
- Waters off Vis Island
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- A shallower, recreational-depth wreck near Vis that has been rated among the best dives in Europe by some divers.
Vis Port Amphorae Site
- Type
- archaeological/reef
- Access
- Vis is reached via a roughly 2.5-hour ferry from Split — full-day/overnight
- Location
- Entrance to Vis port
- Best Season
- May-October
- Marine Life And Features
- A large ancient amphorae field on the seabed at the harbour entrance, reflecting Vis's long maritime history.
Blue Cave / Modra ŠPilja (Biševo)
- Type
- sea cave
- Access
- Reached by small boat from Komiža; primarily known as a tourist snorkel/boat stop, with true scuba cave exploration possible beyond the sunlit chamber for certified divers — genuinely a boat-and-ferry day trip from Split, not shore-accessible
- Location
- West side of Biševo island, a few nautical miles off Komiža (near Vis)
- Best Season
- May-October, best visited early morning before tourist boat traffic
- Marine Life And Features
- Sunlight filtering through an underwater opening fills the cave with a glowing blue light; divers entering via the same opening as tourist boats can continue past the sunlit chamber to a sponge-encrusted wall and a series of small caves loaded with fish.
Typical Costs
PADI Open Water Diver (OWD) Certification Course
- PADI Open Water Diver (OWD) Certification Course
- €550
Full certification package price as listed by BLU Diving Center (Radisson Blu Resort, Split).
Discover Scuba Diving Package (Multi-dive, No Certification)
- Discover Scuba Diving Package (Multi Dive, No Certification)
- €450
6-dive first-timer package as listed for a Split-based operator via a booking aggregator.
Single/two-dive Trip for Already-certified Divers
- Single/Two Dive Trip For Already Certified Divers
- €45
'From' price listed by BLU Diving Center for certified-diver boat dives.
EUR
Operator Density
- Estimate
- Roughly 4–6 named dive operators actively serving Split, plus at least one dedicated freediving specialist — a small-to-moderate scene rather than a saturated one (nothing like the density of Vis or Hvar islands nearby).
Named Operators Identified
- Venus Diving Center — PADI Five Star Dive Resort, physically based in Kaštel Stari (Kaštela, part of the Split urban/coastal agglomeration, a short drive from central Split) with roughly 40 dive sites accessed
- BLU Diving Center — based at the Radisson Blu Resort in Split (Znjan area), offering both PADI and SSI instruction
- OpenSea Diving Center — based in Split, running day trips/courses to Split, Šolta, Čiovo and Brač
- Split Diving Experience — Split-based operator running trips out of Split since 2007, focused on Šolta and Čiovo
- Freedive Experience — a Split-based freediving specialist (boat-based, no fixed shopfront) rather than a scuba shop
Levels Commonly Available
- Unconfirmed For Split Specifically
- Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver and Divemaster are standard rungs in the PADI ladder and are advertised at some other Croatian dive centers (e.g. on Korčula, Vis), but we could not directly confirm which specific Split-based shop currently runs Divemaster internships — worth confirming directly with a shop before planning around it.
- Description
- Split-area dive centers primarily focus on entry-level certification (Discover Scuba / Open Water Diver), with some offering the next tier up.
Confirmed Levels
- Discover Scuba Diving / Try Dive (no certification, single or multi-dive taster)
- PADI Open Water Diver (OWD) — the core, most commonly advertised course
- PADI First Aid / EFR (Emergency First Response), offered at Venus Diving Center as an add-on
- SSI junior, beginner and advanced diving courses at BLU Diving Center
Nearby Dive Sites
Hubs
Hvar
- How to get there
- ferry
- Country
- Croatia
- Travel time
- 2 hours
Typical Course Structure
Open Water Diver certification typically runs 3–5 days (confined-water/pool skills on days 1–2, then two boat trips for four open-water certification dives), with PADI e-learning theory usually completed online in advance of arrival.
Certifying Bodies Offered
Certifying Bodies Offered
- PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) — the dominant agency among Split-area shops
- SSI (Scuba Schools International) — offered by at least one Split operator alongside PADI
Freediving Crossover
- Detail
- Freediving in Split exists mainly as its own separate specialty rather than being a common add-on at the scuba shops: Freedive Experience runs regular freediving training and trips out of Split with depths up to 60m by boat. We did not find clear evidence that Split's mainstream scuba operators (Venus, BLU, OpenSea, Split Diving Experience) also run in-house freediving certification programs — it appears to be handled by this separate specialist rather than being bundled into the general scuba shops.
- Genuine Crossover Found
- Yes
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
This section has no cited sources.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.