Mediterranean · Italy
Egadi Islands
Roman amphorae and gorgonian caves in the Mediterranean's largest marine reserve
Favignana, Levanzo and Marettimo, a ferry ride from Trapani, sit inside the Egadi Islands Marine Protected Area, the largest marine reserve in the Mediterranean. Boats leave from Favignana and Marettimo for shoals, walls, caves and archaeological sites: Roman wine amphorae scattered off Cala Minnola on Levanzo, caves such as the gorgonian-lined Grotta con il Camino and Grotta Perciata on Marettimo, and a slim chance of a monk seal in the caves where the species has returned.
About diving in Egadi Islands
Dives run from boats. One boat is based in Favignana's port and runs unhurried, low-stress dives to sites around all three islands, while on Marettimo a centre sits a few steps from the harbour. Guided dives run for all levels, and the reserve's zoning shapes the plan: in zone A boats may not anchor, so those sites are dived without a mooring. Ferry crossings depend on the weather, and with them the days a diver arrives on or leaves the islands.
Underwater the islands offer shoals, walls, canyons, caves and archaeological sites. Gorgonians cover the drop-offs, canyons and caves, and large rocks carry Axinella sponges. Dentex, groupers and amberjacks turn up on many dives, along with lobsters, slipper lobsters and galatheas, and forkbeards hide in the caves. Favignana adds basket stars, European lobsters and a long list of nudibranchs and worms, and Levanzo holds the cargo of a Roman ship from the 1st century BC.
The Egadi suit divers who come for caves, gorgonian-covered rock and archaeology. The reserve dates from 1991 and covers nearly 54,000 hectares of sea. Newer divers find guided dives at their level: at Barracuda Point the large rocks between 15 and 27 m suit all levels. The drop-off at Cala Bianca, from 20 to 42 m, is a dive for experienced divers, and cave diving and technical courses are taught on Marettimo.
Best time to dive Egadi Islands
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
March and April are already warm, but the ferry connections to the islands need a little luck. In May and June the water around Marettimo sits at about 16–17 °C with almost no thermocline, and from May to October that island is at its best. June to September is the prime stretch across the whole archipelago. The sea keeps warming to 24–25 °C in August, when the first thermocline settles at about 20 m, so deeper dives drop into cooler water. October is the last month of Marettimo's best period.
Dive types & marine life
Mediterranean monk seals have returned to colonise the caves around Marettimo, but the species remains extremely rare and an encounter is luck. In September, when the water is warm, torpedo rays lie on the sand off Marettimo. Loggerhead turtles also live in the reserve.
- Cave & cavern
- Wreck
- Wall
- Groupers
- Trevally & jacks
- Nudibranchs
- Seals & sea lions
Best dive sites in Egadi Islands
- 1
Cala Minnola
Roman cargo wreck off Levanzo with 1st-century BC wine amphorae at around 27 m
- 2
Grotta con il Camino
Canyons and caves at 16–24 m, dense with yellow, red and orange gorgonians
- 3
Scoglio Esterno
Rock 200 m off Marettimo dropping from 28 to 45 m among gorgonians and Axinella
- 4
Grotta Perciata
Cave in a drop-off, its opening at 18–22 m and its ceiling alive with tiny shrimps
- 5
Grotta con le due camere
Two-chamber cave dive for divers who enjoy cave diving
Site guides
Wreck
Roman wine amphorae from the 1st century BC on sand and seagrass
Wall
A sloping plateau that tips over into a curving wall
Wreck
A salt freighter lying in the lee of a rock that breaks the surface
Reef
A shoal whose seabed is cut into canyons
How to get to Egadi Islands
Fly into Trapani or Palermo, then take a ferry or hydrofoil from Trapani's port to any of the three islands; the crossing to Favignana takes as little as 30 minutes. From Trapani-Birgi airport an AST shuttle reaches the port in 45 minutes. Dive centres work from the ports of Favignana and Marettimo.
Photos from Egadi Islands
Little Jo · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
#Favignana con Egadi Scuba Diving · egadi scuba diving Favignana on YouTube
Isole Egadi, Favignana - Scoglio Corrente - Agosto 2022 · Into the Blue Dream on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can boats anchor at every dive site in the Egadi marine reserve?+
No. Zone A covers the sea west of Marettimo from Punta Mugnone to Punta Libeccio and bans anchoring, so at Grotta Perciata the boat comes in under the cliff only for divers to jump into the water.
What lies on the Roman wreck site at Cala Minnola?+
Dressel 1 wine amphorae from a Roman cargo ship of the 1st century BC lie with fragments of black-painted pottery at around 27 m, between Cala Minnola and Punta Altarella on Levanzo.
Is there scuba diving in Lo Stagnone lagoon near Marsala?+
Lo Stagnone is a shallow, island-dotted lagoon and a separate nature reserve near Marsala. The boat dives of the Egadi marine reserve leave from the ports of Favignana and Marettimo.
Sources
- Egadi Scuba Diving — egadiscubadiving.it
- Egadi Scuba Diving: Favignana — egadiscubadiving.it
- Egadi Scuba Diving: Levanzo — egadiscubadiving.it
- Egadi Scuba Diving: getting here — egadiscubadiving.it
- Marettimo Diving Center — marettimodivingcenter.it
- Marettimo Diving Center: Marettimo — marettimodivingcenter.it
- Aegadian Islands — Wikivoyage
- Favignana average sea temperature — seatemperature.org
- Europe's largest marine park, in Marettimo — divingaway.com
- The Egadi Islands marine park — divingaway.com
- Blu Tek Diving — PADI
- Egadi: Favignana, Levanzo, Marettimo — visitsicily.info
Photo credits
- A rocky islet with a jagged crest sits off a scrubby limestone shore, with clear turquoise shallows and a distant island on the horizon by Little Jo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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