Catania & the Cyclops Islands · Italy · Reef · Sand slope
Percorso Archeologico
Eight ancient anchors on a fixed line, 1st century BC to admiralty types
Area photo: Castielli · CC BY-SA 3.0
A guided underwater archaeology trail inside the Isole Ciclopi marine protected area: a fixed line leads over sand and rock between 10 and 23 m, past eight ancient anchors spanning the 1st century BC to admiralty types. Dives run only with the reserve's own staff.
Also known as Archaeology Trail, Ancore.
Where it is and how deep
37.5723° N, 15.1733° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive starts with a descent along the line down to 20 m, and from there the route winds through sand and rock, with the bottom ranging between 22 and 15 m. The current is light and the trail follows a fixed guideline, so navigation is done for you — the guide from the reserve leads, and your job is to look.
Spaced along the line lie eight ancient anchors from several historical periods, from the 1st century BC through to admiralty-type anchors. Each sits where it was laid out on the mixed bottom, and the guide moves the group from one to the next until the trail ends and you ascend.
Background
The trail was laid out by the Isole Ciclopi marine protected area as one of its eight marked itineraries: eight ancient anchors from several historical periods, from the 1st century BC through to admiralty types, arranged along a fixed guideline and shown only on dives led by reserve personnel.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| 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
Can you dive the Percorso Archeologico without a guide?+
No. The reserve requires guided tours — you dive the anchor trail with the marine protected area's own staff, following a fixed line between 10 and 23 m.
Sources
- Archeology Trail — Scubago
- Gli itinerari subacquei — Area Marina Protetta Isole Ciclopi
More dive sites in Catania & the Cyclops Islands
Resident groupers, morays and large octopus below a prince's old residence
The Mediterranean's largest anemone, Alicia mirabilis, on a night-diveable shoal
Basalt platform dropping steeply to 40 m under the lighthouse
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Big morays in the cracked basalt of three rounded outcrops
Pearly razorfish over the sand below the Norman castle
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Large cerianthids in four colours on night explorations of the sand
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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
Gorgonians on the vertical north wall of a submerged island
Steps from the lighthouse car park into the cape's main shore dive
Large congers on a rock seven minutes from Tamariu
A giant anchor and its chain links lying at 21 m