Reefwander
Turquoise bay at Capo Carbonara seen from the air, with a catamaran anchored off the rocky shore

Capo Carbonara · Italy · Pinnacle · Reef

Secca dei Bermuda

A circuit of the boulders around an offshore beacon

Area photo: dronepicr · CC BY 2.0

An offshore rock north-east of the cape, marked by a beacon and dived as a circuit of the boulders piled around it. Barracuda and dentex turn up seasonally rather than living here. A second marine-park point on the same reef, listed to 16 m, is dived for the amphora sherds and two anchors lying on the bottom.

Also known as Secca dei Berni, Sa Campana - Secca dei Berni.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Secca dei Bermuda: typical dive to 16 m (to 52 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit16 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

39.1144° N, 9.5446° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

The route is a circle. You drop onto the boulders that surround the beacon marking the reef and work your way around them until you come back to the light, which makes orientation about as simple as it gets on an offshore rock. The marine park's own listing puts the site within a first-level certification. Barracuda and dentex are the fish to watch for, both seasonal visitors rather than residents.

The same reef carries a second marine-park point, Le ancore secca dei Berni, and it is dived for archaeology rather than nature. The park's description says as much: the value of that immersion lies in the sherds of amphorae and the two anchors on the bottom, more than in the natural qualities of the site. The park gives that point a maximum of 16 m and leaves the depth field blank for the circuit around the beacon, so 16 m is the only figure on record for this reef. Worth asking the centre which of the two you are being taken to.

Marine life and season

  • Barracuda
Month-by-month season rating for Secca dei Bermuda
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodFairFair

Season follows Capo Carbonara: May–Oct is the settled season with the warmest water; the mistral and easterlies close the exposed seccas in winter.

Questions divers ask

How deep is Secca dei Bermuda?+

The marine park publishes a maximum of 16 m for Le ancore secca dei Berni, the archaeology point on this reef, and leaves the depth blank for the circuit around the beacon.

Sources

  1. Sa Campana - Secca dei Berni – Immersioni in AMP — Area Marina Protetta Capo Carbonara
  2. Le ancore secca dei Berni – Immersioni in AMP — Area Marina Protetta Capo Carbonara
  3. Immersioni in AMP – itinerari consigliati — Area Marina Protetta Capo Carbonara

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