Il Grande Blu Diving Center

Il Grande Blu Diving Center

Il Grande Blu Diving Center
4.5
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 8:00 PM
About
Diving charters in the Portofino National Park, night dives, all level courses, snorkelling path, speciality courses, refresher course, discovery dives, diving cruises, free diving, high quality gear hiring. Taxi-boat & tours every day, private jetty, wakeboarding before sunset, kayak tour, reserved swimming line. Sun beds and relax area, Pre-dinner, lunch & dinner, Brasilian food Churrascaria.
Santa Margherita Ligure, Italian Riviera, Italy
Meets animal welfare guidelines

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.


4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles110 reviews
Excellent
87
Very good
14
Average
3
Poor
1
Terrible
5

Nounette68
Wahlbach, France69 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2014 • Friends
I made my first discovery diving in Santa Margherita, and I fell in love with the underwater world...
The team was very friendly and professional, and are equipped with very good & high tech material.
The education provided before diving was very clear and structured--> Grazie Luca

I'm well on the way to pass my PADI there next summer..:-) to be followed.

A big Thank you to the "Grande Blu Team", you made my holidays nicer then expected!
Diving Center fully recommended.
Written September 1, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mark F
Manchester, UK5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2014 • Solo
I have done a lot of diving in the Med and whilst fun it is limited is terms of fish life. Off the West Coast of Italy in the fabulous region of Santa Margherita and Portofino is a beautiful protected marine park.

If you are in the area and you dive you must give it a go. Stunning scenery above the water, incredible yachts moored in the bay and an abundance of fish life to go with the amazing topography under the water. Huge Groupers congregating like the bad boys on the block, shoals of fish of varying sizes, hunting barracudas and that's on one dive. The dives have the traditional Med sea grasses covering most of the rock however there are some beautiful corals also to be seen both hard and soft.

I dived with Il Grande Blu. There are a number of dive centres but all seemed hidden up back streets of SML requiring a walk to the jetty before and after the dive. An easy walk or bus ride (no 8 or 82) out of SML gets you to Il Grande Blu set right on the water front at Covo Nord Est.

They have a new boat, showers, changing facilities and toilets and a great team who all speak good English. If you have a partner who doesn't dive there is food and drinks and a great place to relax in comfort. The guys will even take non divers on the boat. I felt very well looked after, non repetition of dive sites and genuine care that I was having a good experience. Briefings were good and clear and repeated in English for me. Everyone was professional and safety conscious.

The dives are a little more expensive than other centres but you can still get a package discount and leave your gear at the centre if you are diving frequently.

All in all a real gem I hope to come back to but would certainly encourage you to visit. Ciao Luca and the team. Grazie mille.
Written August 23, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jeanette R
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2016 • Solo
Everything about the ll grande blu diving center went above and beyond my expectations. I wasn't sure if anything would be available on a Sunday especially since I would have needed to take a training course before diving. However, when I called the staff immediately welcomed me to come in and was very accommodating! They told me I would be able to take the training course and go for an hour long dive in the same day, a total of 4hrs. Getting to the center was so easy and the view was amazing! I was staying in Portofino, so I walked along the coast for about 40 minutes. When I got there the staff approached me and set me up for the training. The facility itself was gorgeous! The staff was very professional and went through the course in detail. The training session lasted for about an hour and my instructor was very patient. I was a bit nervous at first, but he told me to remain calm and that by being relaxed my visual experience and dive would be much more enjoyable. After the training I continued with another instructor Laura for the dive. I could tell all the staff were highly trained and helped to make my experience wonderful! Laura answered all my questions and instructed me a bit more before heading back into the water. Throughout the entire dive she made it a point to make sure I was okay and directed me towards fish or other sea creatures I may have missed! She also directed me to a ship wrecked boat and I was able to see all the pieces from the wreck. It was an amazing experience to see that! She was such a knowledgable diver and a joy to spend my first dive with! I would highly recommend this center and can't wait to go back for another dive!
Written August 23, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Il Grande Blu
Il Grande Blu
Dear Jeanette, Thank you so much for your very nice review. We are always happy when our customers makes review's for their visits at our Dive Center. Because for us.....we wouldnt be here if you people didnt come....and of course we could not improve our services and facilities if we did not get some feed back, so we just love reviews, and we think than the critical ones is nice, because then we know what to do different.....But on the contrary we just LOVE your kind of feedback....it makes us more confident...and for sure we will stay at this level, but always try to take it to the next step. We hope to see you soon again, and discover some of all the other dive spots together. Until then, we stay at your disposal.
Written September 20, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

100xworldtraveler
Milan, Italy161 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2016 • Couples
First of all, if you are an avid diver, you will be disappointed with diving in Portofino. There is nothing to see. Water is clear but not much else to say. This is a dive shop that basically herds cattle all day long. They use the small boats that use the back roll entry. However, I counted 17 people on our boat. You were jammed in like sardines. Not a nice experience at all. However, we had a great dive master (Luca) who was extremely helpful with my wife who just started diving. This was her first dive since certification. To say the least, she was very nervous and Luca was excellent with her. Thank you Luca. If you are going to dive, maybe it's a good idea to find a smaller company to have more enjoyment from the experience because you are not going to get much from the under water experience. We paid for a 2 tank dive and didn't even bother with the 2nd tank. The shop was organized and the equipment was okay. Free wifi and a nice place. There was a lunch spot above. In summary, spend your time on a boat enjoying the beautiful surroundings and sites. If you rent a boat for a day, you can find some excellent snorkling spots which is better than the diving because the water is so clear.
Written September 12, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Il Grande Blu
Il Grande Blu
Dear Mark, thank you for visiting us, although we are a bit sad by reading your comments regarding our Marine Park and our logistics. If you read other reviews from other customers, biologists, divers, etc. they all say they have been pleasently surprised by the ammount o fsea life hosted in Portofino, especially the dive site where you dived (Portofino Lighthouse) is known as one of the most beautiful and interesting dive site in the Mediterranean Sea. Regarding our boat, it is not possible and either it is legal in our region to carry more than 12 customers on board, so by counting 17 people you might have got confused by divers from a different company who were on the same dive site..? We run our operation with a “small” boat beacuse there are local limitations in lenght to obtain the licence to dive in the marine park of Portofino, where others are not allowed otherwise (by doing so local authorities can keep track of the number of visitors and prevent damages to the environment). Imagine what would be the consequence of using big boats that can carry loads of divers at the same time in such a beautiful place! Last but not least, we would never be bothered by a customer who pays to go diving, in fact you sir were the one telling us you preferred to relax for the rest of the day instead of diving and of course we respected your decision. Thanking you again for your visit, we wish you all the best and safe travels. IGB team
Written September 17, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Candis L
New York City, NY47 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2015 • Couples
I did two dives with the crew and everything was very well organized, from the first email communication to the end of the dive. There is a beautiful restaurant on site to have lunch in between dives. I was pleasantly surprised that there is a full size changing/storage room for your personal items. There are no locks but it's a lot better than leaving your stuff behind the front desk. Grande Blu also has TWO showers! With hot water! WOW! Am I the only one that finds this crazy? I took a shower, got dressed, without going back to my hotel room, I was free to explore town again. How is that for great? There was a mirror and a hair dryer as well! I didn't go that far... but it's there!

Lastly, this might be a personal issue. I always have trouble getting in and out of wetsuits and they make you wear a 7mm here. If you have one at home that will fit you, you might want to bring it. They have great suits but I just like mine better. Hope this helps!
Written September 17, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Il Grande Blu
Il Grande Blu
Dear Candis L, Thank you so much for your nice review. We are happy and satiesfied that we met your expectations. We would be happy to welcome you soon again. All the best from IGB Team
Written September 20, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

bob m
Austin, TX105 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2015 • Couples
well run, good rates, nice boat, good gear, beautiful sites, very unique building. We did 2 dives and hung out in the restaurant/bar upstairs in between.
Written July 18, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bywood
Toronto, Canada625 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2018 • Couples
Stunning location and setting. If you are a water bug this is the place to go. I hope the the storms of October were kind to this beautiful setting.
Written January 2, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TJBurrows-81-
9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2018 • Friends
I visited Il Grande Blue in May 2018 to complete a technical diving course with a visiting instructor and added a few extra days diving on.

Il Grande Blu has excellent facilities for both the technical and recreational diver, and friendly knowledgable staff who will help in anyway they can.

On top of this the area has some brilliant diving including some fantastic wrecks. I can thoroughly recommend them and will definitely be returning very soon.

Grazie Luca, Charlie and the rest of the team!
Written May 22, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Il Grande Blu
Il Grande Blu
Tim, thank you for your rating! It's nice to read that you liked it. It helps us a lot to improve our process. Thank you very much, We hope to see you again soon.
Written June 5, 2018
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Nitotoclub
Paris, France3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2015 • Solo
An unforgettable dive in a outstanding,beautiful and plenty of fish diving-site, along with a welcoming,cheerful and very professional staff.
A great thanks to my instructor Luca for this amazing experience !!
Written August 26, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Il Grande Blu
Il Grande Blu
Dear Nitotoclub, Thank you for your very nice review. We are proud of that experience you had with us. And we hope to see you soon again at our premises. All our best regards, IGB Team
Written September 20, 2016
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

TRAVELDIVER2015
Province of Venice, Italy15 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2014 • Friends
A very nice diving centre with an excellent location. Dives are well organized and the dive locations are very nice. Get there early if you drive as parking is limited.
Written July 12, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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