Dives in Ustica

The sea surrounding Ustica is perfect to perform amazing dives always different and fitting to divers of every level.
Taking a look to the map, you will get an idea of the position of diving sites... and, clicking on flags… read a description of the most famous sites.

Click on the map your favoured dive

GROTTA DEI GAMBERI

Depth: 15 mt. to 42 mt.

Definitely one of the best known caves in the Mediterranean Sea.
What makes this dive interesting is the indescribable quantity of crayfish populating this cave; they are thousands and thousands, and the light of underwater lamps, reaching the crustacean wall, reflects an intense orange colour, given by the mass of Parapandalus narval (the scientific name of these crayfish).
The cave is also interesting thanks to the presence not only of crayfish but also of squillas, always rarer in the Italian sea soundings.

SECCA DELLA COLOMBARA

Depth: 3 to 50mt. ;-)

The shoal stretches offshore the North-Eastern coast of Ustica and starts just 3 m under the surface of the water. The most fascinating dive sites are along the West walls.
Under the first wall, we will find a 24 meters deep sea bottom, and then, after having crossed a plateau around 50 meters wide, we will go down following the second wall which leads to another sea bottom around 45-50 m deep. At the “Secca della Colombara”, during only one dive, it is possible to see around 30 groupers, big wreck fish of 40 kilos, amberjacks, Mediterranean barracudas, dentex, enormous white breams and crayfish. Spectacular red Gorganias open their fans both on the wall at a depth of over 35 meters and on the rocky banks called "panettoni" dotting the bottom.

SCOGLIO DEL MEDICO

Depth: 30 mt. to 40 mt.

The West side of Ustica is overlooked by the marvellous Scoglio del Medico, visited by the most famous scuba divers in the world.
Five or six dives are necessary to see it all. It is characteristic for an underwater passage, 20 meters deep, which goes right through all its 70 meters of length.
This canal is at least 25 meters large and is enlightened enough: from the large access you can see the end, formed by a number of orifices with amazing light reflexes.
All along the rock and most of all at the west edge, even a few meters deep, you can be quite sure to meet big groupers and Mediterranean barracudas!
For the less-advanced-level divers we recommend the area facing Ustica, which does not overcome 30 m of depth.

SICCHITELLO

Depth: 40 mt.

Sicchitello is a not very popular shoal, recommended to the most specialised scuba divers.
Among the wrinkles of its rocks, prevalently adorned with thick bushes of wonderful Gorgonias, it shelters the “Gerardia savaglia”, which is the black coral of our seas.
At Sicchitello you can meet such pelagic fish as tuna and amberjacks. Moon fish and turtles pass by here, and it not so rare to see Mediterranean barracudas “flying” compact over the majestic rocks
of the shoal.