Bernardin
A simple shore dive in front of the Bernardin hotel complex between Portorož and Piran, on the bay side of the peninsula. The bottom slopes gently from a gravel bank into seagrass and on to sand and mud at around 12 m, and the most life is found on the rocky reef below the hotel between 2 and 8 m. Its real value is shelter: when the bora whips up waves and ruins visibility at Fiesa and Piran Punta, Portorož bay often stays calm and surprisingly clear.
Facts
- Region: Slovenia – Coast
- Area: Piran, Fiesa & Portorož
- Depth: 0–12 m
- Level: beginner
- Current: low
- Type: reef, bay, night
- Coordinates: 45.5142, 13.5757
- Highlights: rocky reef below the hotel, gravel bank turning to seagrass, shelter from the bora, seaplane wreck remains offshore
- Tips: Enter between the large paid hotel car park and the hotel's bathing area; exiting directly below the hotel is difficult. Head south, then west parallel to the shore and return shallower. Watch out for motor boats using the hotel's small harbour. Night dives are possible along the shore. Bring a compass for the muddy bottom.