Read the price properly. It is 170 EUR a group, up to four people — not a head. It is the only sea product on the island priced this way, and it changes the sums completely: with four of you it is a little over 42 EUR each for eight hours, against the 42–50 EUR that two hours on an organised tour cost.
The boat is six metres, self-drive, and you do not need a boat licence. On board there are a stereo system, a shower, a sun deck, a fridge and a wide awning. You leave from Via Marina di Corricella 74. On GetYourGuide the rating is 4.9 out of 5 from 22 reviews, with the "among the best loved" badge: a small base but a consistent one.
Without a licence: what it actually means
In Italy, boats within certain limits of power and length can be handled without a boat licence. That is what the hire rests on, and it is the reason a six-metre boat with that kind of engine is within anybody’s reach.
It does not mean it is something to do lightly. You do not need a qualification, but you do need your head: knowing how to read the wind, keeping clear of the rocks, anchoring without ending up on the posidonia, coming back in with a margin. If you have never handled a boat, this is not the day to learn with three people on board and the mistral getting up in the afternoon.
Before you book, ask the operator three things: whether fuel is included or paid for as you use it, whether a security deposit is needed, and what the navigation limits are — how far you are allowed to go. Those are the three items I have no verified information on and on which I do not want to give invented figures.
What you do with eight hours
Eight hours around an island of just over three kilometres are a very long time, and that is exactly the point. The organised tours last two hours and the swim stops are short. Here you do the loop in an hour and then you stop where you want, for as long as you want.
The natural circuit is this: you come out of Corricella, you run along below Terra Murata and Palazzo d’Avalos, you drop down to the Chiaia — which from land costs about 180 steps and from the water is two minutes away — you pass Punta Pizzaco, then the Chiaiolella and Vivara, and you come back up along the Ciraccio as far as Pozzo Vecchio and the lighthouse.
The real advantage is access to the coves that do not exist from land. Half the coast of Procida has no paths: with a boat of your own you stop where nobody else gets to, and in August that is the only way to find empty water.
When it is worth it and when it is not
It is worth it with four of you. At that point it is about 42.50 EUR each for the whole day: the best ratio of price to time in the entire Procida offer. It is also worth it with three, at about 57 EUR each.
With two the sums change: 85 EUR a head for eight hours. It is still money well spent if you are after independence, but it is no longer a bargain compared with a two-hour tour at 42–50 EUR. The right question is not "how much does it cost", it is "how many hours at sea do I want".
It is not worth it at all if nobody in the group feels up to handling the boat, if the sea is rough, or if you want somebody to tell you about what you are seeing. For commentary on board there is the tour with a guide in three languages; for the underwater photos, the trip with the photo service included.
Collecting the boat at Corricella
You leave from Via Marina di Corricella 74. As with everything in the village, remember that Corricella has no vehicle access: you go down on foot by one of the four stairways. With the beach bag, the ice and the shopping for the day, that descent has to be reckoned with.
A practical piece of advice: do the shopping before you go down, but keep the load light. There is a fridge on board, so water and something to eat make sense; the rest does not. At the end of the day you climb those same steps back up, and with eight hours of sun on you they are a different matter.
Collect the boat as early as you can. Eight hours that start at ten finish at six in the evening, with the windy afternoon in the middle; eight hours that start early give you the calm morning, which is the best time to be out on the water here.
Is it worth it?
Yes, and it is probably the thing I recommend most willingly to anybody staying at least two days and travelling as a four. The "among the best loved" badge and the 4.9 from 22 reviews are consistent, even if the base is small: read the reviews first, as always.
One last piece of advice from somebody who lives here. The sea at Procida is easy in the morning and more nervous in the afternoon, especially on the west side, where the mistral comes straight in: it is the same wind that lifts the sand on the Ciraccio. If the forecast says wind, come back in early and enjoy the quay. No cove is worth a badly handled return.
If, on the other hand, the idea of handling a boat does not convince you but you still want a whole day at sea, there are formats with a skipper: they are part of the island’s offer, they last eight hours and they include lunch on board. You will find them listed alongside the other products on the page of experiences at Procida.
