Lake Garda is a prime holiday hotspot for sun-seeking tourists from all over the world, who come to sample the delicious local cuisine, the fine wines and the stunning scenery, but how many know that it is also a great diving location?

Although Lake Garda stretches some 32 miles in length and in parts is nearly ten miles wide, most of the diving happens in the northern part, with the majority of the marked dive sites being cluster in this area.

One of the most-popular dive sites in Lake Garda is the Port of St Nicolo. Kitting up is easy - you don your gear in the nearby public car park, overlooking the flotilla of yachts moored in the marina, and then stroll a couple of hundred feet to the entry point, which is well-equipped with a metal jetty boasting steps and ladders to aid your exit. Shallow water soon gives way to a steep slope dropping off into the deep, and as you head down this wall, which has many overhangs and even the odd swim-through, you will see cables running off in various directions along the rock - this is to aid navigation for those who might find themselves a bit "challenged" on that front!

Among the sunken attractions is the Statue of the Silent Christ, created by local artist Germano Alberti, which is certainly an eye-opener, standing nearly 20 feet tall in 50 feet of water.

Another site, Tempesta, doesn’t look much topside — you park up in a roadside layby that can fit maybe half a dozen cars, kit up, then cross the road and make your way down a driveway behind some lake-side houses. Then you venture down a narrow set of stone steps right to the water’s edge. You’ll find yourself in 9 to 10 feet of water, but then you go over the wall and it is just a sheer drop into the depths, which can reach more than 1,200 feet. With visibility in excess of 125 feet on a good day, this is a seriously impressive dive.