Picchi di Coticcio
Along the island of Caprera’s north/east coast stands a deep gorge sheltered from West and Mistral winds in which three diving buoys are located. Being part of the Mb Zone, in the whole surrounding area is forbidden to fishing and it’s not allowed to transit at a speed higher than 3 miles. Granite bastions, deep channels of tafone rocks and natural spiers characterize the entire seabed.During the dives it’s often easy to see shoals of salps, bream, barracudas and groupers of considerable size. Offshore raids of amberjack and snapper swarms are common. The colors of the sponges mingle in the shade of the rocks, among which moray eels, scorpion fishes, mullets and red chestnuts are hidden.
Scoglio del Gotto
Along the north area of Scoglio di Barettinelli di Fuori, where it’s possible to see a signal lantern, some rocks peep out of the water. The dives are usually done right around them and the gorge that divides them. Further north, the rocks lay down on a detrital bottom at about 25m depth characterized by a “coralligenous” environment.Among the photophilic seaweeds it’s possible to see shoals of salps, red mullets and thrushes, while among the red branches of the Paramuricea clavata can be seen many other types of organisms. There’s also no shortage of large moray eels hiding among the rocks. The ripple marks on the seabed formed by the currents are the distinctive and curios mark of the whole Archipelago.
Scoglio del Pilastrino
In the canal that separates the La Maddalena Island from Sardinia, numerous granite rocks peep out among the waves (one of them is characterized by the presence of a signaling pillar for mariners). Around them, a granite bottom with ravines and deep cracks slopes down to 25m and is characterized by extraordinary biodiversity.Among the seaweeds that cover the rocks it’s possible to observe the branched formations of Aplysina aerophoba (protected sponge) and Aplysina cavernicola. Ravines and crevices favor the passage of sea currents and are the perfect habitat for sponges, bryozoans, ascidians, yellow sea daisies, red sea fans and Caulerpa prolifera.
Scoglio di Spargiottino
On the island of Spargiotto’s south side, a gully, marked by the mooring buoys, slopes down to a sandy bottom at a depth of 26m. Large granite boulders alternate with Posidonia and debris, a wild glance of tafoni, gorges and underwater landslides.Shoals of salps, bream and chestnuts are present throughout the dive between games of light and shadow on the tafone rocks, the widespread lessepsian seaweed Caulerpa racemosa and gorgonaceae. The discontinuous Posidonia prairie settled among the rocks and protected by the Park Authority is the ideal place to meet some specimens of brown grouper.
Secca di Spargi
Located on the island of Spargi’s north side, the shoal of Spargi (also known as Washington Shoal) is a vast rocky relief whose hat reaches up to 6m from the surface. Huge granite blocks, boulders, depressions, tafoni and landslides guide us towards the 25m bottom. All routes start from the four buoys anchored at 4m from the surface. Illuminated areas are populated mostly by photophilic seaweeds, while the shaded areas are rich of multicolored organisms.The abundant presence and variety of endemic fishes characterize this diving spots. It isn’t unusual at all to meet large groupers, ravens, bream, snappers and barracudas that follow the sea currents between the yellow sponges of Aplysina cavernicola and the red sea fans at greater depths.
