The Marine Protected Area of Portofino
The Marine Protected Area of Portofino is a place renowned for the practice of underwater activities, with several diving spots of both naturalistic and historical interest.
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We offer our valued guests the opportunity to visit all the available dive sites, that can be reached with a short navigation on our equipped motor boat. Our diving guides will help you discover the charm of our wonderful Mediterranean Sea.
ISUELA
Isuela is one of the most fascinating diving spots in the area. Constantly hit by currents very rich in plankton, this area provides the best environment for the smallest fish species, but also for larger ones, such as pelagic fishes, which are almost constantly present in the area. Amberjacks, snappers, tuna, leerfish in the right season enrich the already large animal and vegetal population.
MAX DEPTH: 40m
SCOGLIO DEL DIAMANTE
Going down, about thirty meters deep, there is a vertical wall along which red gorgonians flourish, often surmounted by splendid crinoids. The large boulders at the foot of the wall, form an infinite number of caves and passages. The range between 35 and 20 meters is amazing too; here, the rocks create the ideal environment for groupers and corbs, with dark gray back and yellow-green reflections.
MAX DEPTH: 35m
IL DRAGONE
Il Dragone offers one of the most varied diving site environments in the Portofino area: from walls rich in coral and gorgonians, to suspended roofs, you make your way around large rocks with an intricate succession of channels and steps. The conformation of the walls, which descend vertically to the bottom and the variable depth between 25 and 40 meters, make this dive medium-difficult level.
MAX DEPTH: 40m
CHRIST
OF THE
ABYSS
The "Cristo degli abissi" is a mandatory destination for those who scuba dive at least once in their life. The bronze statue, the work of Genoese sculptor Guido Galletti, was placed at a depth of 18 meters in August 1954, in memory of the unforgettable diving pioneer Duilio Marcante. The eastern side of the San Fruttuoso bay was chosen, a few hundred meters from the town.
MAX DEPTH: 18m
SECCA GONZATTI
The eastern side of this shoal is completely covered by eunicella, and is a place where sunfish and snappers also dwell. The side facing south is particularly attractive: it drops vertically down to a depth of 25 meters, then turns into a short step covered with Posidonia oceanica, then plunges again down to 45 meters. This area is so rich in animal and vegetal species, that it provides many points of observation and study for marine biologists.
MAX DEPTH: 45m
LA TORRETTA
Punta della Torretta is the stretch of land that parts the most famous inlets of the Portofino promontory, Cala dell'Oro and the inlet of San Fruttuoso bay to the east. On the eastern side, it offers a very interesting diving spot, near some steps that lead to a concrete square. The peculiarity of the dive is the wall parallel to the coast, on which many branches of Paramuricea.
MAX DEPTH: 40m
GROTTA DEI GAMBERI
The "Shrimp Cave" a narrow and deep diagonal split in the submerged cliff, the bottom of which is completely covered with myriads of shrimps of the Genus Parapandalus species.
MAX DEPTH: 38m
L'INDIANO
The exploration of this area is pleasant and interesting. Given the modest depth, it does not require an experienced diver's skills. At low depth, a significant amount of Codium Bursa can be observed, green algae more commonly known as sea balls, due to their shape.
MAX DEPTH: 30m
TARGHETTA
This site is located after Punta Chiappa, at the far east side of Cala di Punta Chiappa. Immediately after reaching the bottom, keeping the wall on your left, you will be amazed by many Parazoanthus, arranged to decorate ravines and fissures colonized by red coral. On the seabed some Mediterranean fanworms complete this stunning landscape.
MAX DEPTH: 40m
COLOMBARA
Grotta della Colombara is located to the east of San Fruttuoso bay. It is a very popular place for divers; the dive extends to the east of the ridge and descends to a maximum depth of 39 meters. A peculiarity of the dive is the exploration of three caves which are respectively at a depth of 33, 20 and 8 meters from the surface; the deepest one is a large blind cavity rich in life.
MAX DEPTH: 39m
RAVIOLO
It is defined "raviolo" by the fishermen and by the operators of the local diving centres, and it is an emerging rock, between the Gonzatti plate and the Head of the Lion. The rock, covered with Eunicella, descends vertically to a depth of 15 meters and then turns into a slope which rocks covered with red gorgonians. Unique to this diving spot are two very different looking caves.
MAX DEPTH: 40m
TESTA DEL LEONE
Meaning "The Lion's head", it is so called because of a rocky ridge on the coast which, seen in profile, looks like the king of the forest. This stretch of coast is among the steepest of the promontory. The exploration must be carried out in the range of 30 meters. The diving area is quite large. On the seabed, large boulders form cracks and caves in which crabs and fivebeard rocklings often have their nests.
MAX DEPTH: 40m
ALTARE
Punta Altare is located at the eastern end of Cala Raffinale. It is one of the most fascinating dives of the entire Portofino promontory, not so much for the fish species that can be found, but for the also amazingly spectacular underwater environment. However, it is one of the most challenging dives due to its depth.
MAX DEPTH: 40m
CHIESA DI SAN GIORGIO
After descending to the depth of about 20 meters, we head west through a large landslide that starts at an depth of 35 meters to reach about 10 meters. The landslide has large cracks and cavities rich in red coral, while on the walls you see beautiful branches of red gorgonians. Common encounters for divers are groupers, morays, snappers, black meagre and conger eels.
MAX DEPTH: 35 m
IL FARO
Considering the shape of the bottom and its position, this diving spot is undoubtedly one of the most versatile and rich in fish of the whole promontory. You can choose between an itinerary in shallow water following the coastline, or a deeper route as you wish.
MAX DEPTH: 40m
CASA DEL SINDACO
The west coast above 20 meters, offers an exceptional wealth of ravines, where many animal and vegetal species live. Here too, yellow gorgonians, nudibranchs, sedentary fish and, sporadically, a few sprigs of red coral can be seen while passing by.
MAX DEPTH: 40m
PUNTA VESSINARO
It is located east of Punta Altare. The initial section is mainly made up of sliding boulders and, deeper, silt and rocks. Colonies of eunicella can be found and, among the boulders and the seabed, you can surprise goatfishes passing by. Going on further, you will discover other small jewels of Portofino: below 50 meters, it is easy to sight branches of lophogorgia of different species and some branches of verrucosa eunicella.
MAX DEPTH: 40m
