The marine protected area off Villasimius, at Sardinia's south-eastern corner, covers a set of granite seamounts that rise to within a few metres of the surface from 40 m of water. Secca di Cavoli is the best of them, a boulder field crusted with yellow cup coral and patrolled by dentex and big groupers, with a submerged statue of the Madonna at 12 m. A scuttled tug and the shallow granite around Isola dei Cavoli fill out the rest.
About diving in Capo Carbonara
Diving here is straightforward and boat-based: a short run out of Villasimius to a seamount or an island shore, two dives in a morning, all of it inside the Capo Carbonara marine protected area and guided by an authorised centre. The granite shapes everything, rounded boulders stacked into canyons, cracks and swim-throughs, with pale sand channels running between them that keep the light bright well down the rock.
The seccas are the real draw. Secca di Cavoli rises from 40 m to within a few metres of the surface, with a Madonna statue standing at 12 m, and the fish stack up over the top, so a typical dive drops down one flank, works along the rock and finishes on the summit with gas to spare. Lower down, the boulders are crusted with yellow cup coral. The island ground around Isola dei Cavoli and Serpentara is calmer and shallower, and tends to be used for the second dive or for training.
It is an easy destination to dive and a good one to learn in, with forgiving shallow granite and light current on most days. What it asks for is patience with the weather, because the seamounts are exposed and boats move inshore whenever the wind gets up. Divers who like rock architecture and a decent chance of large grouper get the most from it; anyone chasing wrecks will find the list short, a scuttled tug and little else, and there is no dependable pelagic action.
Best time to dive Capo Carbonara
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
| Sea surface | 15°C59°F | 14°C57°F | 14°C57°F | 16°C61°F | 18°C64°F | 22°C72°F | 26°C79°F | 27°C81°F | 25°C77°F | 23°C73°F | 20°C68°F | 17°C63°F |
| Daytime high | 17°C63°F | 16°C61°F | 17°C63°F | 20°C68°F | 24°C75°F | 28°C82°F | 31°C88°F | 31°C88°F | 29°C84°F | 26°C79°F | 22°C72°F | 18°C64°F |
| Rain | 51 mm2.0 in | 48 mm1.9 in | 58 mm2.3 in | 49 mm1.9 in | 46 mm1.8 in | 21 mm0.8 in | 87 mm3.4 in | 18 mm0.7 in | 47 mm1.9 in | 92 mm3.6 in | 161 mm6.3 in | 115 mm4.5 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 15°C59°F | 14°C57°F | 14°C57°F | 16°C61°F | 18°C64°F | 22°C72°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 17°C63°F | 16°C61°F | 17°C63°F | 20°C68°F | 24°C75°F | 28°C82°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 51 mm2.0 in | 48 mm1.9 in | 58 mm2.3 in | 49 mm1.9 in | 46 mm1.8 in | 21 mm0.8 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 26°C79°F | 27°C81°F | 25°C77°F | 23°C73°F | 20°C68°F | 17°C63°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 31°C88°F | 31°C88°F | 29°C84°F | 26°C79°F | 22°C72°F | 18°C64°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 87 mm3.4 in | 18 mm0.7 in | 47 mm1.9 in | 92 mm3.6 in | 161 mm6.3 in | 115 mm4.5 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
May–Oct is the settled season with the warmest water; the mistral and easterlies close the exposed seccas in winter.
Best months: June, July, August, September
Capo Carbonara water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface runs from 14 °C (57 °F) in February to 27 °C (81 °F) in August. It is 24 °C (75 °F) or warmer from July to September. Most rain falls from October to December, peaking at about 160 mm (6.3 in) in November; August is the driest. Daytime highs reach 31 °C (88 °F) in August and drop to 16 °C (61 °F) in February. The coldest water here is about 14 °C (57 °F), so pack a 7 mm suit with a hood, or a semi-dry.
Dive types & marine life
Grouper are resident on the seccas and often large, with dentex and barracuda passing through, heaviest in the prime June to September stretch. Octopus, cuttlefish and nudibranchs work the shallow granite from spring onwards, and turtles cross the sand and seagrass in summer, though never on schedule.
- Reef
- Wall
- Wreck
- Cave & cavern
- Drift
- Groupers
- Barracuda
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Nudibranchs
- Reef fish swarms
- Macro critters
- Sea turtles
Best dive sites in Capo Carbonara
A lighthouse islet with granite ground on every side
Reef
Granite weathered into a ship's bow above a Posidonia meadow
Sea fans on the boulder at the foot of the wall
Reef
A named point off Isola dei Cavoli, granite rather than steel
Wreck
A 1943 torpedo casualty lying in trim at about 35 m
Entry-level rock west of Isola dei Cavoli
Reef
One circuit around an emergent boulder in 15 m
Pinnacle
A circuit of the boulders around an offshore beacon
Reef
Gorgonian fans thick enough to block the channels
Seamount
Sardinia's underwater Madonna, set down here in 1979
Roman anchors on the last secca of the granite chain
A Roman lead anchor stock among the boulder falls
Serpent stars that turn from black to red under a torch
How to get to Capo Carbonara
Cagliari is the gateway, its airport just outside the city, and the road transfer east to Villasimius takes about an hour. Everything runs as day boats from the marina and centres do not run shore dives, so a car mainly helps for reaching the town and the beaches.
Photos from Capo Carbonara
dronepicr · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Isola dei Cavoli Madonna del naufrago · Edoardo Valentini on YouTube
Photo credits
- Turquoise bay at Capo Carbonara seen from the air, with a catamaran anchored off the rocky shore by dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Isola dei Cavoli and its lighthouse seen across calm blue water from the Sardinian shore by dronepicr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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