Below the Blue: Advanced Diving off Isola Bella

MAZZARÒ SCUBA FIELD GUIDE

Below the Blue: Advanced Diving off Isola Bella

A three-day PADI Advanced Open Water course run by Nike Diving in Mazzarò that focuses on Search & Recovery and Deep Dive skills to 30 m.

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Below the Blue: Advanced Diving off Isola Bella.

Duration
3 days
Location
Mazzarò
Operator
Nike Diving
Category
Scuba
Robert Eric Crews
Founder & Editor, The Adventure Collective
Published Verified

Set beneath the cliff faces and pebble beaches of Mazzarò, this PADI Advanced Open Water Diver course with Nike Diving takes certified Open Water divers into the deeper, more technical side of Mediterranean diving. Over three days you’ll sharpen navigation and recovery techniques and extend your range to sites reaching 30 metres at the iconic Isola Bella.

Highlights

Outing Highlights

THE PLACE

Isola Bella’s shorefront classroom

The course is based at the beach around Isola Bella, a compact, sheltered marine setting that serves as the base for shore and boat dives and close-to-shore skill work.

THE SKILL

Search & Recovery training

The program drills underwater compass use and object-location techniques so participants can find and lift objects (or a person) using an inflatable lifting balloon.

THE DEPTH

Deep dives to 30 m

One cornerstone of the course is Deep Dive training, which extends certified divers’ experience to sites down to 30 metres, exposing them to different marine life and dive planning considerations.

What the day feels like

How the course feels

The pace is practical and hands-on: meet at the Nike Diving centre each morning, work through equipment assembly and briefings, then carry that classroom and shore preparation into focused specialty dives — notably Search & Recovery and Deep Dive — under instructor supervision.

Suitability

Who it's for

Who this course matches — and who should look elsewhere

1
Certified Open Water DiversIdeal: the course is designed specifically for divers who already hold an Open Water certification and want to expand skills and depth limits.
2
Navigation and recovery-focused diversA strong match for divers seeking to learn or refine underwater compass work and object‑retrieval techniques, including the use of lifting balloons.
3
Divers uncomfortable with depthNot recommended: the curriculum includes Deep Dive training down to 30 m, so it’s not suited to divers who cannot or will not dive to those depths.
4
Divers aiming to advance their certificationGood for those who want a practical, multi‑day skills course that builds on basic certification toward more competent, confident deep and specialty diving.

Practical planner

Details to review before reserving

Timing & Duration

The course runs over three days.

Meeting & logistics

Meet at 08:30 at Nike Diving on the beach of Isola Bella to Taormina where the course begins with equipment assembly and briefings.

What to expect in sessions

The program includes hands‑on practice of equipment assembly, Search & Recovery techniques and supervised Deep Dive training to 30 m.

Equipment notes

The day begins with a review on the assembly of diving equipment at the Nike Diving centre.

Booking Notice

Review cancellation policies before reserving.

Frequently asked questions

Planning Your Outing

Who can take this course?

This course is intended for divers already certified as Open Water Divers (OWD).

How long is the PADI Advanced Open Water Diver Course in Mazzarò?

The course lasts three days.

Where and when do participants meet for the course?

Participants meet at 08:30 at the Nike Diving centre on the beach of Isola Bella to Taormina.

Which specialties are emphasized in this course?

The course focuses primarily on Search & Recovery and Deep Dive specialties; other specialties will be arranged with the instructor.

How deep will we dive during the course?

Deep Dive training extends to 30 metres (approximately 100 feet).