Giglio Island: Diving Paradise

Besides being a natural heritage rich in flora and fauna on land, the island of Giglio guards its most precious and evocative treasures under the limpid waters of its crystal clear sea. Among caves, shoals of amberjack, large tuna some of which reach three meters, lobsters, moray eels, snappers, conger eels, groupers and many other species of smaller fish can be observed. From time to time it may happen to meet some schools of leaping dolphins, because let's not forget that we are also always inside the Tuscan Archipelago National Park the cetacean sanctuary.

The island of Giglio is now one of the most important dive sites in Italy also thanks to its underwater flora rich in posidonia meadows, wonderful sea fans and colorful sponges.

Dive Points at Giglio Island

The island's 28 kilometers of coastline are rich in inlets, caves, coves, reliefs, islets and shoals around which live various species of fish and underwater plants. Within a few kilometers you can find everything you want. 

Below are some of the most striking spots to dive into:

  1. Secca della Croce
  2. Punta Subbielli
  3.  Cove Cupa
  4.  Le Scole
  5. Cat's Paw
  6. Red Capel Point
  7.  Rock of Pietrabona
  8. Scoglio del Corvo
  9. Alum Cove
  10. Secca dei Pignocchi
  11. Point of the Shoals
  12. Punta del Fenaio
Map of the island of Giglio.
Secca della Croce

To reach Secca della Croce you start from Giglio Porto heading north, passing Punta Gabbianara and Punta della Campana. Once you set sail, the precise point is marked by a large rock with a characteristic cross-shaped carving. Moving away from the coast, and keeping the rock behind, after a few hundred meters the seabed reaches about 12 meters. But you can go even lower on the side facing the open sea; in fact, the depth reaches 45-50 meters, with an alternation of steep walls and gentler drops as you proceed in the direction of the island. At this point it is possible to come across bream, corvine, snappers e amberjack.

Morphology: dry : dry
Difficulty: medium
Depth: 12-45 m.
Recommended depth: -40
Orientation: challenging

Dry cliff sea.
Cala Cupa-Gabbianara

Cala Cupa can be reached starting from Giglio Porto heading north. It is one of the most popular coves for divers, fishermen and vessels of all kinds. It is located just off the Lazzaretto promontory, just before arriving at Cala dell'Arenella. Those responsible for so much love for this site are definitely the corals, including in particular the Gorgons that numerous populate the walls of this cove. Here the Gorgonias create octopus trees up to 1 m tall, one among them, the oldest (more than 25 years old) is the Gerardia, or "false black coral," which with its vivid yellow and majesty alone is worth the whole dive. A species that in all Italian seas has been greatly reduced due to fishing and pollution and an ecosystem-insensitive diving practice, but which is responsible for the biodiversity of the environments and seas it inhabits. 

Cala Cupa landscape
Le Scole

Located south of Giglio Porto from which it is a few hundred meters away, the Scole site consists of a group of rocks "decorated" by numerous varieties of sponges and walls of red gorgonians. The reference point for diving is the largest islet from which one descends in the direction of the smallest rock to a depth of 40 meters, while halfway down lies the submerged statue of the Our Lady Stella Maris. This area, made famous by the tragedy of the Costa Concordia that the January 13, 2012 wrecked here after impacting the smaller boulder, which embedded itself in the ship's hull, preserves its memory through the installation of a plaque commemorating the victims of the disaster. 

Morphology: landslide
Difficulty: medium
Depth:
Recommended depth: -40
Orientation: challenging

Coast and blue sea.
Cat's Paw

We are located on the southeastern slope of theGiglio Island between Punta Torricella a Punta Corbaia, a short distance from the beautiful Beach of "The Caldane", here the seabed has an extensive ridge formed by a long line of buttresses running parallel to the coast. The shoal is separated from the coast by a kind of sand valley, and is reached by taking a small rock outcropping from the water as a reference point. From here you dive on the perpendicular of the shoal, which culminates at a depth of 27 meters, surrounded by gorgonians and sponges. Then descending to the open sea, the seabed plummets over 50 meters, forming a series of peaks and walls in which are hidden lobsters, redfish e big moray eels.

Morphology: dry : dry
Difficulty:
Depth: 27-45 m.
Recommended depth:
Orientation:

Red Capel Point

We are at the southern end of Giglio Island, in one of its most picturesque spots. This area includes two slopes, the western and the eastern. While the former does not offer much in the way of spectacular sights, the latter is home to the largest arborescent formation of gorgonians in all of Giglio. The starting point is a cove under the Red Capel Lighthouse where the seabed touches 15-20 meters. Toward the open sea the underwater life begins to teem with fish, mollusks, seaweed, etc., until it reaches 30 meters where the deep red of real prairies of Paramuricea. Among these plants and wonderful cliffs, one can also frequently spot skipjack, amberjack e pelagics.

Morphology: landslide
Difficulty: easy : easy
Depth: 0-35 m.
Recommended depth: -35
Orientation: easy : easy

Lighthouse on hill
Rock of Pietrabona

At the cove of the same name is the Pietrabona rock whose walls descend steeply to about 50 meters depths. Here the deep blue is broken by yellow gorgonians with bushes of spirographs and tunicates, while resident fish dwell between walls and inlets, lobsters, specimens of sunfish, e pelagics.

Morphology:
Difficulty:
Depth: 0-45 m.
Recommended depth:
Orientation:

Scoglio del Corvo

Following the western slope of the rock that gives its name to the famous cove leads to a granite wall that stands out toward the open sea and descends to a depth of 35 meters. These high walls give rise to spectacular canyons, which from the first meters appear covered with sponges and large yellow gorgonians, while numerous ravines offer shelter to scorpionfish, moray eels and lobsters. Over 35 meters one encounters real forests of Red gorgons, as well as a few orange candelabra sponges. It is not uncommon to witness the passage of amberjack, skipjack, snapper and, in the spring months, large sunfish. Although the current is sometimes strong in this area, the dive is also suitable for less experienced divers who, staying at low altitudes, will be able to admire some of the most beautiful scenery in Giglio. 

Morphology: landslide
Difficulty: average
Depth: 0-40 m.
Recommended depth: -35
Orientation: challenging

Alum Cove

The characteristic feature of this cove is the presence of two caves approximately deep 10-12 meters. In the smaller one was placed a statue of the Virgin Mary, while the other, half-open, gives extraordinary play of light. To enter the second one, the use of lamps is recommended.

Secca dei Pignocchi (Secca I )

The Pignocchi shoal is enclosed in the wide bay of Giglio Campese, a short distance from the coast and rises to within a few meters of the surface. The morphology of the shoal is slightly elongated and is positioned parallel to the shoreline, with large granite boulders descending to elevations close to 40 meters. Throughout the entire stretch of seabed included within a 20-meter perimeter, one can admire a very lively and colorful coralligenous, going deeper the rocks that plummet to the sand hide burrows of moray eels, mustelle and conger eels.

Morphology: dry : dry
Difficulty: easy : easy
Depth: 5-35 m.
Recommended depth: -30
Orientation easy:

Point of the Shallows (Shallows II)

Of this shoal, the western side, the side facing the open sea, which descends more than 40 meters with a spectacular landslide of reefs colonized by gorgonians and sessile animal species, such as sponges, tunicates e anemones.
Diving at night will surprise and admire the elegant Alicia mirabilis or theOctopus macropus, an octopus with a reddish livery speckled with white, you will be able to make out gronchi Inside their burrows, moray eels e big mustelles.

Morphology: dry : dry
Difficulty: average
Depth: 10-45 m.
Recommended depth: -30
Orientation : easy : easy

Diving Center Giglio Island

by Andrea Criscito
Tower Street
58012 Giglio Campese (GR)

zeromenodivingcenter@gmail.com
+39 340 7538630 (Andrew)
+39 373 7226957 (Francesca)
+39 335 6824680 (Luke)
 www.zeromenodivingcenter.com

of Carrier Gianmaria
Via del Saraceno 60
58012 Giglio Porto (GR)
Tel: +39 333 1042242 (Gianni)
Tel: +39 339 2813076 (Claudia)
E-mail: tecnica@internationaldiving.it

by Reiner Krumbach

Via di Mezzo Franco, 14,

58012 Giglio Campese (GR)

Tel.: +49 173 7433929

Email.: info@cdc.giglio.de

Web.: www.cdc-giglio.de

of Mattera A. & C.

Refilling Cylinders

Umberto I Street, 66

58012 Giglio Porto (GR)

Tel: 0564809506

by Massimiliano Marsalli

Cardinal Oreglia Street, 6

58012 Giglio Porto (GR)

Cell. : +393298022737

Cell. : +393493509999

Email: massimiliano.marsalli@gmail.com

Web: www.divingisoladelgiglio.net

by Roberto Scotto

East Pier, Red Lantern Side.

58012 Giglio Porto (GR)

Cell.: +393283797038

Email.: roberto@divingisoladelgiglio.it

Web.: www.divingisoladelgiglio.it

Refilling Cylinders

V. Provincial,

58012 Giglio Campese (GR)

Tel.: +39 0564 804078

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