Corsica — Lavezzi & Bonifacio, the area around Les Aiguilles de la Vacca

Corsica · France · Pinnacle · Reef

Les Aiguilles de la Vacca

An arc of rock off Vacca, on a 13 m to 28 m seabed

Area photo: Reustli · CC BY-SA 4.0

Les Aiguilles de la Vacca is catalogued as an extension of the Vacca rock, dived over an arc-shaped rock on a seabed running from 13 m to 28 m. The published range has no shallow section at the top of it, so bottom time is genuinely limited and the dive is planned as one sweep of the arc and an ascent.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Les Aiguilles de la Vacca: typical dive 13–28 m (43–92 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit13 m28 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

41.5561° N, 9.3956° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

The entry describes an extension of the Vacca rock, with diving over an arc-shaped rock on a seabed between 13 m and 28 m and several routes available across it. There is no shallow ground inside that band to fall back on, so the whole dive is spent deep enough that bottom time is limited in practice and not just on paper.

Let the arc do the navigation. Take the deeper ground early, follow the curve, and let it bring you back towards the 13 m end so the profile climbs steadily through the dive instead of sawtoothing. Set the turn pressure high, because even the shallow end of this site is deep enough to burn gas quickly, and agree the route with the guide before you drop.

Plan the ascent off the structure rather than from open water, and be ready to hang a stop in the blue if the boat has drifted off the mark. If you want a second dive with a long shallow stretch, the Vacca rock itself is catalogued from 3 m to 25 m alongside it. No current, visibility or marine-life figures are published for either site.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Les Aiguilles de la Vacca
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Off-seasonFairFairGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodFairOff-season

Season follows Corsica: Operators run Apr–Oct with July and August warmest; the Bouches de Bonifacio funnel wind and can close the crossing at short notice.

Sources

  1. Les aiguilles de la Vacca — Scubago

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