Diving in Montenegro: Expectations vs Reality

Background

I hoped Montenegro would become a place where I could escape once a month for a weekend and satisfy my need for diving. But things turned out differently. I made several mistakes that affected my first impression. Mostly because I was too eager to get back underwater.

After getting used to diving in Thailand all year round, I naively expected Montenegro to be similar. Well... not really :)

Back in January, I started writing to local dive centers:

When can we dive? I'm ready to fly next weekend!

The answer was reasonable:

It's seasonal work here. Right now we're in Belgrade teaching beginners in a pool. We'll go to Montenegro in early May - if the weather allows. Contact us closer to the date.

So I waited until the end of April. When warm weather arrived in Serbia and Montenegro, I wrote again. The answer: the season starts in early May - come and dive.

On May 8, I flew to Tivat, rented a car, and drove to Herceg Novi for my first dive.

Herceg Novi

Herceg Novi is a resort town near the Croatian border and one of the main diving locations in Montenegro. From here you can reach famous sites: wrecks, caves, submarine tunnels.

But there is one detail - you can only reach them if the dive center has already launched its boat.

As I mentioned, I arrived right at the beginning of the season. I thought that would be an advantage - like when I visited the Similan Islands early in the season and enjoyed almost empty boats. But here it worked against me. A few days before my trip, the dive center informed me the boat was not in the water yet. So we would dive from the shore.

Well, I couldn't cancel everything. And it was a new experience. Previously, I had always dived from boats. (Okay, I also dived from shore in Belgrade - but that was in a dry suit. Here I wore a long 8 mm wetsuit.)

Diving in "warm water" at +20°C after Thailand felt different. Not terrible - but at depth, I felt the cold.

The dive took place at Rafaello Beach. We spent 41 minutes underwater. Visibility was about 15 meters, water temperature 20--22°C, maximum depth only 6 meters.

Marine life was less diverse than in Thailand, but still interesting: sea bream, wrasse, sea cucumbers, black sea urchins. We tried to lure out an octopus, but it just looked at us from its hiding spot as if asking, "What are you doing here?"

After the dive, I spoke with the divemaster. She suggested coming in early September - fewer tourists, better weather, and boats fully operational. Maybe Montenegro deserves a second chance then.

Budva: The Tunnels, St. Nicholas Island & Mogren Cove

Two days later, I was in Budva diving with another center. Here dives were from a boat near Sveti Nikola Island.

My feelings were mixed - mostly about the organization. I saw two different approaches: one for certified divers and another for DSD groups (people trying diving for the first time).

Thailand clearly set a high standard for how diving should be organized. Even an average Thai divemaster looked very professional compared to what I experienced here.

Briefing lasted about five minutes, two of which were spent looking for a mask. A DSD dive lasted only seven minutes for 80 euros - people were simply dragged underwater by their tanks. The boat trip lasted three hours.

For me, as a certified diver, it was slightly better. I had a personal guide who showed interesting spots, but there was almost no communication before or after the dives.

What about underwater?

First dive: The Tunnels, St. Nicholas Island.
38 minutes underwater, max depth 13 meters. We explored two natural tunnels, saw a moray eel, many sea stars and bream. Visibility ranged from 15 to 7 meters. Pleasant location - warmer water would make it much better (temperature was 21--18°C).

Second dive: Mogren Cove.
The guide swam very fast - more like a race than a fun dive. After 40 minutes on the boat without warming up properly, I felt quite cold underwater.

We tried to reach a sunken boat but turned back halfway. At 18 meters, temperature dropped to 16°C. The wreck lies at 27 meters - I would have frozen there. We spent 35 minutes underwater. Visibility similar to the first dive. Slightly less marine life, but we explored a few small caves.

Overall - okay. The underwater world did not impress me deeply, but comparing the Adriatic Sea to the Andaman Sea was interesting.

What I Would Do Differently

Looking back, I realize that rushing was my main mistake. If I could redo the trip, I would:

Confirm not just the official season dates, but whether boats are actually launched. Calendar season and real readiness are two different things.
Ask for photos of the boat and equipment beforehand.
Clarify whether dives are with certified divers or DSD groups.
Discuss specific dive sites in advance.
Choose another time of year - September or June instead of May.

If I give Montenegro another chance, I will plan it more carefully. Montenegro is definitely not Thailand. Here you need to adapt to the rhythm of the region, not impose your expectations.