Mediterranean · Italy
Cala Gonone & the Gulf of Orosei
Two Second World War wrecks and a limestone coast full of caves
Cala Gonone is a small village on Sardinia's east coast, facing the Gulf of Orosei, where limestone cliffs run for 40 kilometres inside the Gennargentu National Park and the rock near the surface is full of caves and tunnels. More than 20 sites lie within an hour's boat ride: the KT12 and the Nasello, two Second World War ships sunk by the same British submarine, the tunnels of La Galleria, the gorgonian walls of Vela Seamount and the wall at Acituan Cave.
About diving in Cala Gonone & the Gulf of Orosei
Diving here is by boat from Cala Gonone, on guided dives to sites beneath the cliffs that line the Gulf of Orosei. The Nasello wreck, Vela Seamount and Bue Marino Cave sit about 15 minutes out, the KT12 about 40 minutes, and the Levantino wreck in the Portu Quau fjord about an hour. Many of the cavities in the cliffs have an above-ground portion that continues underwater.
The coast is riddled with caves, tunnels and enclosures close to the surface. Bue Marino, a vast cavern system, was once a refuge for the Mediterranean monk seal. Brooklyn Bridge is a pile of huge overlapping boulders shaped like a bridge, its crevices sheltering fish, invertebrates and barracuda. The Levantino, an Italian merchant ship lost in a storm, lies on sand at 12 m in the fjord.
Most dives suit an Open Water diver, starting from about 6 m, and visibility runs to more than 20 m. The wrecks, Vela Seamount and Osalla Bank need Advanced Open Water, so a newly certified diver sees only part of the coast. Technical divers have deeper targets in the gulf: a canyon of gorgonians on sheer walls between 45 and 70 m, and the Ugo Bassi wreck at 87 m.
Best time to dive Cala Gonone & the Gulf of Orosei
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
The sea is coldest in February, at about 14 °C. The main season opens in mid-May, when the water is about 17 °C, and the sea warms through June and July. August is the warmest month, at about 27 °C, and September stays close to it at about 25 °C. The season runs to the end of October, when the sea averages about 22 °C, and the water then cools towards its winter low.
Dive types & marine life
The mid-May to October season is the best time for barracuda, triggerfish, groupers, amberjacks and octopus. Stingrays, tuna and even mola mola turn up more rarely in the same months. Schools of barracuda and anchovies gather over the Posidonia seagrass at Basalt Canyon.
- Cave & cavern
- Wreck
- Wall
- Seamount
- Drift
- Barracuda
- Groupers
- Trevally & jacks
- Octopus & cuttlefish
Best dive sites in Cala Gonone & the Gulf of Orosei
- 1
KT12 Wreck
Armed German cargo ship at about 35 m, with a deck and cargo holds to explore
- 2
Nasello Wreck
Italian steamship sunk in 1943, its bow and stern well defined on sand at 30–34 m
- 3
La Galleria
Tunnels within 14 m, the main one 25 m long and 10 m wide
- 4
Vela Seamount
Sail-shaped rock rising from a sandy seabed at 25–40 m, its walls covered in gorgonians
- 5
Acituan Cave
The gulf's only true wall, climbing from 22 m to three cave entrances
- 6
Osalla Bank
Drift dive at 15–25 m over rock formations off Osalla Beach
- 7
Bel Torrente Cave
Entrance at 8 m opening into a tunnel and three air-filled chambers
- 8
Basalt Canyon
Volcanic rock with wide fissures and large sandy basins
Site guides
Reef
A shore dive among large, colourful rock formations
Cave & cavern
Surfacing inside air chambers in the rock
White sand and turquoise water in front of Cala Luna
Wreck
The stern gun of a wartime German cargo ship, still in place
Cave & cavern
A fully submerged tunnel 25 m long and 10 m wide
Wreck
An opened-up steamship hull with its engine parts exposed
Drift
A drift over rock formations off Osalla Beach
How to get to Cala Gonone & the Gulf of Orosei
Olbia has the nearest airport and ferry port, about an hour and a half from Cala Gonone by car. The dive centres are in the village itself, and the dive sites are reached by boat from there.
Photos from Cala Gonone & the Gulf of Orosei
Gianni Careddu · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
Cavern Diving in Cala Gonone Sardinia | Mediterranean Sea Caves · IdahoDiving on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What certification do the KT12 and Nasello wrecks need?+
Advanced Open Water or equivalent. The KT12 lies at about 35 m and the Nasello at 30–34 m, so both are deep dives, while most dives on the coast can be done on an Open Water certification.
Can Bue Marino Cave be dived on a recreational certification?+
No. It is a purely technical dive through a vast cavern system, and it needs TDI Full Cave Diver or equivalent.
What wetsuit is needed in the Gulf of Orosei?+
A 5 mm wetsuit is enough for dives of at least 40 minutes through the main season, with the water at about 17 °C in May.
How often does weather stop the boats?+
Rarely. Bad sea adds up to about two weeks over the whole mid-May to October season, so few diving days are lost to weather.
Sources
- Scuba Diving Sardinia - Cala Gonone — Argonauta Diving Center
- Diving Sardinia - Cala Gonone - Argonauta — Argonauta Diving Center
- Bluforia: Diving Center Cala Gonone — Bluforia Diving Center
- Diving in Cala Gonone — PADI
- Cala Gonone — Wikivoyage
- Cala Gonone water temperature by month — seatemperature.info
Photo credits
- Calm blue sea below a wooded slope, with a rocky headland across the bay under a clear sky by Gianni Careddu, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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