Cap d'Agde · France · Reef
Gorgone City
White gorgonian at 35–40 m, dived on technical setups
Area photo: Christian Ferrer · CC BY-SA 3.0
Gorgone City is the deep end of the Cap d'Agde ground: rock at 35–40 m, usually dived on technical setups rather than as part of a two-tank morning. What grows down there is white gorgonian, Eunicella verrucosa, in quantity, with sea stars and basket stars among the fans.
Where it is and how deep
43.1847° N, 3.5790° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
This is a planned deep dive rather than a reef amble. Scubago describes the site as one usually used for technical dives around 35 to 40 m, which puts it below the profile the Cap d'Agde boats run on the coralligenous reefs and makes gas, bottom time and the ascent the shape of the dive rather than the route across the rock.
The reason to come is the white gorgonian. Eunicella verrucosa grows here in quantity — the name of the site is not decoration — and the rock carries sea stars and basket stars alongside it. Bottom time at 40 m is short, so most of a dive here is spent on one section of rock, looking at what is on it, before a slow and deliberate way back up.
Marine life and season
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Cap d'Agde: Abyss Plongée opens March to December; the sea averages 12 °C in February and 22 °C in August, and the Tramontane or Mistral can stop the boats in any month.
Sources
- Gorgone City — Scubago (SSI MyDiveGuide)
More dive sites in Cap d'Agde
Wreck
A 25 m cod boat lost in a storm in 1913, on 12 m of sand
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A sheltered 7 m dive beside the Deux Frères rocks
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Two 2 m blocks where a dive can count fifty spiny lobsters
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Coralligenous rocks at 18–19 m west of the Brescou rock
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Faults and overhangs in two coralligenous blocks at 21 m
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Nine coralligenous reefs at 20–24 m, linked by guide wires
A run of coralligenous rock on a 21 m bottom
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Black volcanic rock in 3–11 m, with octopus through the holes
Similar dives elsewhere
The biggest gorgonian forest Pongo claims for the Adriatic, at 40 m
A rocky slope, a long wall and a tiny cave to finish
Tunnels through the rock, a small wreck and a plane wing between 6 and 35 m
Tunnels and faults at 26–38 m, home to grouper and corb