Catania & the Cyclops Islands · Italy · Reef
I Panettoni
Big morays in the cracked basalt of three rounded outcrops
Area photo: Castielli · CC BY-SA 3.0
Three rounded basalt outcrops rise from a sandy seabed about 150 m off Aci Trezza, between 14 and 24 m. One of the eight marked itineraries of the Isole Ciclopi marine protected area, rated easy by the reserve, with big moray eels and lobsters holding the deep crevices in the rock.
Also known as Panettoni.
Where it is and how deep
37.5639° N, 15.1649° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Shore or boat both work here — the reserve says the dive can be made either way. About 150 m off the small beach at Aci Trezza, the three rounded basalt outcrops that give the site its name rise from a seabed lying between 14 and 24 m. The reserve rates the route easy, the current is normally light and visibility is often excellent, so you can work around the rocks at an unhurried pace.
The interest is in the fractures. Deep cracks split the basalt, and large moray eels are the regulars here, holding the widest of the crevices. Look closely into the smaller openings and the long antennae of lobsters poke out from the shadows. Circle each outcrop in turn, checking the shaded faces, and finish the dive back over the sand between the rocks.
Marine life and season
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Catania & the Cyclops Islands: Dived year-round; late summer and autumn add pelagics at Capo Molini, and winter water drops to about 14°C.
Questions divers ask
How deep is I Panettoni?+
The three basalt outcrops sit on a sandy seabed between 14 and 24 m, and the reserve rates the itinerary easy.
Sources
- Panettoni — Scubago
- Gli itinerari subacquei — Area Marina Protetta Isole Ciclopi
More dive sites in Catania & the Cyclops Islands
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The Mediterranean's largest anemone, Alicia mirabilis, on a night-diveable shoal
Basalt platform dropping steeply to 40 m under the lighthouse
Pearly razorfish over the sand below the Norman castle
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Large cerianthids in four colours on night explorations of the sand
Eight ancient anchors on a fixed line, 1st century BC to admiralty types
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Shoal complex and summer drift on the reserve's southern boundary
Wreck
Capsized 50 m wreck at the foot of an underwater cliff, 38–42 m
Similar dives elsewhere
White gorgonians, nudibranchs and lobsters in the faults at 18 to 20 m
Gorgonians on the vertical north wall of a submerged island
A 40 m canyon at the end of a 5 to 20 m drop-off
Large congers on a rock seven minutes from Tamariu