Reefwander
A white limestone sea stack off a tall grey cliff headland, deep blue bay in front and red-brown scrub on the shore below — Buggerru & Pan di Zucchero

Buggerru & Pan di Zucchero · Italy · Cave & cavern

Grotta azzurra

Breathe fresh air in a bubble trapped inside the cave

Area photo: Mboesch · CC BY-SA 4.0

Grotta azzurra is a cavern with several entrances on the Costa delle Miniere, a cave within a cave where shafts of light fall between the rocks. It is an easy Open Water dive to 13 m that almost never loses contact with the surface, and divers can come up to breathe in a pocket of fresh air inside the rock.

Also known as Grotta Sardegna.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Grotta azzurra: typical dive to 13 m (to 43 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit13 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

39.3398° N, 8.3955° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The cavern is entered through one of several openings and stays close to the surface, weaving through passages between the rocks under falling light. A side entrance leads into a second, smaller cave through a wide passage, home to cowries, lobsters and shrimp. Divers can come up into a pocket of fresh air, and on the way up a halocline blurs the water where layers of different salinity meet.

Marine life and season

  • Macro critters
Month-by-month season rating for Grotta azzurra
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairFairPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeFairFair

Season follows Buggerru & Pan di Zucchero: Across Sardinia the seas are calm from May to October; each dive is planned around the state of the sea.

Questions divers ask

Which certification does Grotta azzurra require?+

Open Water is enough. The cavern is rated easy and stays within 13 m, with surface contact almost the whole way.

Sources

  1. Grotta azzurra - Ajoodive — Ajoodive
  2. OpenStreetMap: Grotta Sardegna — OpenStreetMap

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