Cilento Sub – discovering the Cilento seabeds

At the base of the Punta Tresino promontory, around 150 metres off the coast, people can experience a very peculiar diving.

At a depth of 5 mt the sea bottom is made of rock strips and cracks that, together with the posidonia, create ravines and tunnels. During the tour, people can just walk among the rocks exploring shady locations that hold many peculiarities.

This diving excursion is in the sea area between Punta Tresino and Punta Pagliarolo, where the coast, crumbling in time, got to the crystal clear sea of our gulf.

ùAfter a wide posidonia plateau, there is a sinuous cliff rich in benthic and sessile life, with sponges, sea fans, scleractinaian corals and fanworms that colour the sea bottom. The rocky wall, full of ravines and cracks, ends up on a sandy sea bottom; from this area, the excursion proceeds towards a bunch of scattered big rocks.

At the base of each rock there is a recess that is the ideal habitat for black groupers. It is likely that you spot octopuses, diploduses and shi drums before they run back to their arduous nests. This is an excursion that suits experienced divers, especially those who are into marine biology and underwater photography.

This diving excursion is in Punta Pagliarolo, B zone of the A.M.P. (Marine Protected Area) of Santa Maria di Castellabate.

At the foot of the cliff, in a cove between two high and narrow rocks, there is the entry to the so-called Grotta Nera. This grotto can be visited partially; in fact only the first 7 metres area is lit.

You can also explore further on with a flashlight, looking for shrimps and slipper lobsters. The path continues along the profile of the collapsed rocks that created very interesting recesses. It is likely that you meet black groupers, diploduses, lobsters and octopuses’ nests.

This diving excursion is in San Marco di Castellabate, B zone of the A.M.P. (Marine Protected Area), not far from the island of Punta Licosa.

The sea floor gradually lowers, until it creates a 10 metres cliff.

The anchor is thrown where the sea floor is higher and during the descent people realise why it is called “Parete dell’Ancora”: there is a 4 metres long anchor, probably dating back to the Byzantine era. As fate would have it, the anchor got its flukes stuck on the facade of the cliff, whereas its shank came off into open waters creating a very evocative view.

This diving excursion is half mile off the coast, right in front of the Santa Maria town’s centre.

Proceeding towards the rock where the Virgin Mary statue is, it is likely that you meet groupers, diploduses, saddled seabreams and many damselfishes. This statue is a popular destination among underwater photographers. This excursion suits every diver, from beginners to experienced ones, with regard to the depth.

This diving excursion is very peculiar: you begin with diving in open waters at a depth of 28 metres, where there is a posidonia terrace. Then, with a breathtaking jump, you get to a depth of 40 metres. Here, you can spot cracks and ravines rich in marine life until the bottom.

After some time spent admiring the typical corraligene environment, you will come back up through a diagonal path that leads to a group of small groupers so interested in the divers that will follow you at a distance up to the posidonia terrace. Here you will find the downline to come back up.

This diving excursion is a thrilling excursion for both beginners and those who dive at night for the first time.

Among big cracked rocks and few metres long small arches, people can play around with colorful fish and small octopuses, surrounded by groups of big salpas. This tour is perfect for underwater photography beginners, as the shallow water allows to dive for more than 60 minutes.

At a depth between 25 and 35 metres you can admire underwater remains dating back to both Roman and Medieval eras.

There are several diving spots where you can enjoy groupers and lobster, besides the amazing remains.

This is the tour of a wonderful rock tunnel rich in sponges, at a depth of 20 metres off the Torre Saracena (Saracen Tower) coast in Pisciotta. The position and the cracks together create beautiful light tricks.

Right out of the tunnel it is likely that you will run into big fish that hang out at this place to hunt.

On a 25 metres seafloor, close to the Pisciotta’s harbour, there is a fishing boat that sank around 30 years ago.

After being underwater for so long, the structure has developed multicolour crusts that house lobsters, goldblotch groupers, corvinas and amberjacks. This excursion suits those who want to try the wreck diver specialty.

This is definitely the most popular excursion among the Cilento underwater activities.

The grotto’s walls reflect the rays of sunshine creating this incredible light blue colour effect. The grotto is a 90 metres huge karstic recess that passes through Punta Quaglia, housing an incredible biological diversity that attracts many scientists from all over the world, who come here to study phenomenons that only happen in the depths of the ocean.

Besides, the thermal waters and the resulting leak of sulfate-reducing bacteria inside of it make the Grotta Azzurra of Palinuro an open biology book ready to be read by all the divers who visit it.

In Punta Quaglia, to the right of the south exit of the Grotta Azzurra, there is a very deep basin, that reaches the depth of 38 metres.

Here, there are many recesses – some of them are tunnels – that are few metres long but rich in marine life. Sea fans, tunicates, sponges, small red coral branches and milksnakes live together with lobsters, morays and small groupers.

This is a demanding excursion. Just be careful as there are many boats in the area.

Around 100 metres off  Punta Jacco there is a cliff that continues for 20 metres underwater, where the diving base is. Here, you will see a great hall with rocks on the floor housing corvinas.

The grotto, that resembles an upside down cone, can be climbed on both sides. Just beware of the small hall on the left, full of mud, where it’s not safe to dive. As you climb the grotto, you will enjoy the beauties hidden inside the recesses and the drapes that you will meet along the path until you reach a big stalagmites formation (the monks) where the golden coral shrimp lives. After that, you will reach an air sac full of alabaster castings and formations.

You will finally exit the grotto through a 8 metres tunnel that from the air sac leads to the cliff, underwater. Here you can enjoy the view of groups of dreamfish, amberjacks, snappers and big diploduses, as well as fanworms and purple seastars. Just pay attention to sea conditions, as it is dangerous to exit the tunnel with wave movement.

The name of this grotto is due to the beautiful red concretions within it. On the bottom, after a 25 metres tunnel, there is a sulfurous spring where you can feel the temperature changing.

Back to the exit, on the right side there is a narrow passage that, through a windy tunnel, leads to an inner beautiful lake that sometimes is filled with milky water due to the copious inlet of sulfate-reducing bacteria. It is recommended to not remove the regulator as the tourist boats often visit the site with engines on.

This section of the excursion suits only experienced divers, as the tunnel is very windy and narrow. Boats are allowed to enter the grotto, so pay attention when diving here.

This grotto is a gem of the karstic environment within the Capo Palinuro landscape. The entrance to the grotto is located 3 metres underwater.

After a wide but not so high tunnel, you will enter the first area with an air sac. Here, surfacing, you have to pay attention to the stalactites that can reach the water surface.

After enjoying these beautiful formations, most of them covered in manganese, dive again and go through a narrow tunnel that leads to the second area: here, all the stalactites, stalagmites, columns and small recesses resemble a frozen nativity scene, an astonishing view as it is completely natural. Among the rocks you might find cowries and crabs. You must be careful when moving inside this area so as to not damage anything.

In Cala Fortuna there is the Grotta degli innamorati, that can be seen through the water surface. When diving, you have to pay attention to the boats as many tourists enjoy the boat tours of the area organized by the local cooperatives.

The grotto has a sandy bottom with pebbles and little encrusted walls and it is around 25 metres long. On the right there is a detour that leads to a wide area with an air sac; within it there are a fresh water spring and several big fallen rocks, two rocky rings sticking out of the wall, surmullets and small corvinas.

We suggest that you bring a flashlight with you. This excursion suits every diver, from beginners to experienced ones, and it is the ideal tour to begin exploring grottoes.

The Saint Pius statue was placed here in 2004 by the Diving Center Marina in Camerota, as requested by the local committee. The statue is located at a depth of 11 metres within the Cala Fortuna area, on the left side of Braccio di Levante. Every year, on September 23th, the sea procession takes place. It is a ritual that consists in placing a flower ring at the base of the statue to honour all those who died at sea. Many divers won’t miss this event as it is a very spiritual diving.

You can visit the site whenever you want: the excursion suits every diver, from beginners to experienced ones, and the fishermen help people to find the statue, that can be seen through the water surface. The statue is surrounded by groups of damselfishes. But they are not the only ones living near the statue, that seems to calm down the rich underwater fauna: you will also find octopuses, morays, small groupers and diploduses.

This diving excursion is very evocative but still easy; you can also snorkel here. The Grotta dell’alabastro is a unique journey through the geological history of the Earth.

The entrance is few metres underwater, with a maximum depth of 5 metres. A short tunnel ends up in front of a rocky protrusion that, if seen from the inside and against the light, looks like a stretched hand. After this rock, there is a grotto that is around 60 metres long: inside of it there are a huge lake with an air sac and fascinating formations, such as stalactites, stalagmites, columns, basins, drapes, castings and concretions of different shapes. This is a 70% alabaster grotto, rich in colours, from white to rust. There is a second underwater room full of concretions, with a sandy bottom that covers the alabaster floor, that houses many shrimps. Inside of it you will find cool spring water, but the view it’s worth the visit!

We suggest that you bring a flashlight with you.

This excursion is in the Levante zone of the A.M.P. (Marine Protected Area); the diving takes place under the Torre Saracena (Saracen Tower) known as “Torre Mozza”.

It is a wall diving, among many crab nests, recesses, shrimps, jumps and bare rocks, groups of sea fans and amberjacks. It is also likely that you meet some dolphins swimming close to the surface on your way to the diving point. Perfect for a great picture.

This wall diving at different depths suits every diver, from beginners to experienced ones. You will dive from the top of  Levante di Porto Infreschi, among recesses, cracks, small grottoes, up to 35 metres underwater.

You will be surrounded by swallowtail sea perches, sea fans, cardinalfishes and hatpin urchins, reminding you that you are in the coralligenous.

Back to the surface, you may run into groupers, diploduses and big octopuses coming out of their nests. On the sea floor, there are many amphora’s shards, fragments of the past of these lands.