You understand Procida from the water. From land you see three villages and five beaches joined by narrow roads; from the sea you see that it is a single island, with a coast that changes face every five minutes. The loop lasts two hours and in my view it is the most sensible thing to do here after walking around Terra Murata.
This version has one feature that sets it apart from the others: the underwater photo and video service is included in the price, it is not an extra. It costs from 44.99 EUR a head, lasts two hours and the groups are eight people maximum. On GetYourGuide it has 5.0 out of 5 from 396 reviews: it is the most solid product on offer at Procida, both for the numbers and for the rating.
What you see
The trip goes past Palazzo d’Avalos, the former Bourbon prison that dominates the rock — seen from below, the complex reads far better than it does from the road. Then Vivara, the crescent-shaped islet of the nature reserve, which from the water you see whole: from land you cannot, because you can only enter on a booked guided visit and you walk inside the scrub.
You go as far as the Punta Pioppeto lighthouse, at the northern end, and there is a photo stop at Corricella. That is the photograph everybody is after and that never quite works from land: the fishermen’s village only looks like what it is when you are in front of it, in the water, at the right distance.
Along the way you skirt the island’s beaches: the Chiaia, which from land costs about 180 steps; the Ciraccio with its tuff stacks; the bay of Pozzo Vecchio, where Troisi recited Neruda. In two hours, in practice, you see the whole coast.
The swim stops and the snorkelling
The tour includes several stops for a swim, with mask and snorkel on board and a fish identification board. That last one is the kind of detail that looks like a gimmick and instead works very well with children: after ten minutes they are staring into the water trying to recognise what they see, instead of sitting bored in the boat.
The coast of Procida falls partly within the Regno di Nettuno marine protected area, and it is a seabed worth looking at. Do not expect coral reefs: expect clear water, rock, posidonia and rock fish. With two hours in total, the stops are short. If you want to swim properly, the right format is something else — boat hire without a licence, for example, where you decide how long you stay put.
The photo service: what it is and what it is not
The underwater photo and video service is included. It is the main reason you would pick this version instead of the tour with swim stops, which costs 42 EUR and does not include it: three euros’ difference to have somebody photograph you underwater is a bargain, if you want those images.
On how they are delivered — when you receive the files, in what format, how many images — I have no verified information and I am not inventing any. That is the question to put to the operator when you book, along with the one about what happens if the sea is rough and the water is cloudy: underwater, visibility changes everything, and no photographer can do a thing about it.
Where it leaves from, and how to fit it into the day
You leave from Marina Grande, about five minutes from the ferry landing, near the petrol station. It is the best possible logistics for anyone coming for the day: you get off the hydrofoil and you are practically at the meeting point.
If you are doing Procida from Naples in a day, this tour fits well in the morning: two hours on the boat, then lunch and an afternoon on land between Corricella and Terra Murata. The other way round — boat in the afternoon — works less well, because it ties you to the time of the return crossing with less margin.
On the tour’s languages I have no verified figure for this product and I am not writing one. If you need the guide in a specific language, check it on the listing when you book: the tour with swim stops, for instance, states Italian, English and French.
Is it worth it?
Yes, and it is the easiest recommendation in this whole section. Five out of five from 396 reviews is not just any rating: it is the highest score and the widest base among the island’s boat products. GetYourGuide flags the tour as one of the best loved and points out that the groups are eight people maximum.
The limit is the length. Two hours are right for going round and swimming a bit, not for a day at sea. If that is what you are after, look at hire from 170 EUR a group or at the eight-hour formats. And if your problem is the sunset rather than the swim, there is the sunset aperitivo boat trip.
One thing nobody will tell you: if you have already booked the guided visit to Vivara, the boat trip is still useful, because from the water you see the islet whole and inside the reserve you do not. The two things do not overlap.
