It sounded way cooler than it was, but I’m still glad we did it.

*Bill, Violet & Elena after our scuba dive through the Baia ruins*

When Elena suggested that Violet and I gear up and scuba dive in Baia, Italy (about 45 minutes from Naples) through an underwater archeological dive site, I imagined an underwater version of Pompeii. Specifically, our ability to scuba dive through ancient buildings and streets checking out a city that is now under water. Not quite.

*“Angry Penguins” mosaic underwater as part of our scuba dive*

By far, this mosaic was the coolest thing we saw underwater. It’s referred to as the “angry penguins” and once you see it, you can’t unsee this description. It’s cool. It’s buried under rock and sand. And once it’s revealed, it’s enjoyable to look at. But then what? There were a few more mosaics with cool patterns and a column or two that had been knocked over, but for the most part, the ocean and tides had removed the bulk of what has been pulled under water and very little remains of the sunken town we came to explore.

*Most of the dives were like this … “Imagine a beautiful column here …”*

Now I admit, when you stop and consider that this was once a giant column, it’s cool. But it’s no longer much of anything beyond a stump. It’s like looking at a tree stump and saying, “Imagine an beautiful Oak tree in all its glory …” it’s just not the same as actually seeing a large oak tree when you’re looking at a cut down stump of what was a tree.

*Slightly cooler formation of walls and what were buildings … kinda*

And finally, there were a few spots where you could see what was once a wall and the foundations of what would have been rooms to a building. Again, not what I had in mind when Elena first described this underwater adventure.

I think what bums me out the most is that over the past 30 years, I’ve been a witness to the decline in our oceans. I’ve watched the vibrant color of our coral give way to this dull gray and green color. What was once an underwater rainbow of color and beauty is rarely seen underwater these days. Yes, you can still find it on a rare occasion, but it was once plentiful and everywhere.

I’m grateful to those who are working to reverse this trend. I know much has changed in the past three decades and that changes are being made today that are helping the oceans reverse course. In the meantime, I thought an underwater ruins dive might spark some adventure and a new perspective under water. And it was interesting, just not in the ways I was anticipating.

Looks like I might have to invest in a dry suit and new certification so that I can go wreck diving in the much colder ocean waters and see the sunken ships. It’s the cold water that has kept me from doing this to date, but I see that’s my next likely course of action to check out old ships that have sunk hundreds of years ago and serve as underwater museums for today’s scuba divers.

*Baia from the shore. Really beautiful part of Italy.*

In the meantime, and if nothing else, this dive got the three of us to Baia, which is a beautiful part of Italy. The shoreline is gorgeous and it’s a wonderful place to enjoy some lunch and gelato.

Underwater Ruins in Baia, Italy (October 3, 2025)

Naples, Italy (October 2, 2025)