Dive sites in Italy

Directly beneath the cliffside dive lodge at Capo Galera near Alghero, this house reef gives direct access to northwestern Sardinia's coastal marine life. Stairs lead down to a sheltered rock platform, leading into limestone boulders that transition into Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds and open sand. The location suits refresher sessions, training dives, and night excursions.

Set within the Portofino Marine Protected Area off San Fruttuoso bay, this site centers on Guido Galletti's bronze statue of Christ, positioned on the rocky seabed to honor lost mariners. Divers descend into a sheltered cove of rocky outcrops, seagrass beds, and encrusted boulders. Surrounding reef walls support Mediterranean marine life in calm coastal waters.

Sunk after a collision, the Greek merchant cargo ship Evdokia II sits upright on the sandy, silty northern Adriatic seabed off Chioggia. Divers can inspect the cargo holds, deck winches, and multi-level superstructure. Silt buildup demands precise buoyancy control, especially around the lower decks.

The Mohawk Deer rests within the Portofino Marine Protected Area. Built in Canada, the cargo steamship struck cliffs while under tow in heavy seas and split apart. Scattered sections cascade down a rocky drop-off, where divers find hull plating, framing, boilers, and machinery encrusted with Mediterranean invertebrates.

Off the southern tip of the Portofino Promontory within the Marine Protected Area, a steep rocky headland plunges directly into deep water. Divers explore conglomerate boulders carpeted with sponges and sea fans before tracking vertical walls exposed to the open Ligurian Sea. Its position catches passing pelagics while sustaining resident populations of Mediterranean predators.

Between Sestri Levante and Riva Trigoso, the rocky headland of Punta Manara plunges into the Ligurian Sea along steep ledges and scattered boulders. Divers follow slopes covered in encrusting sponges and seagrass meadows that shelter regional marine life.

Secca dell'Isuela rises from deep water off the southern cliffs of the Portofino Promontory. Situated within the Portofino Marine Protected Area, this isolated seamount features sheer rocky walls draped in red gorgonians and yellow cluster anemones. Pelagic schools circle the current-swept crest, while territorial groupers patrol fissures below.