Elba & the Tuscan Archipelago, the area around Morcone Bay

Elba & the Tuscan Archipelago · Italy · Reef

Morcone Bay

Walk-in shore bay near Capoliveri in 2–10 m, with turtles since 2021

Area photo: CTHOE · CC BY-SA 3.0

Morcone Bay is a small bay directly on Morcone beach near Capoliveri, a shore site suited to novice divers and training dives. You walk straight into the water from the beach and the depth runs from 2 to 10 m. Octopus, starfish and barracuda live here, and since 2021 turtles have been seen in the bay as well.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Morcone Bay: typical dive 2–10 m (7–33 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit2 m10 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

42.7316° N, 10.3727° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

The dive starts from the sand of Morcone beach: you walk into the water and descend within the small bay in front of it. The depth ranges from 2 to 10 m, so there is no drop-off to find and no boat schedule; the whole dive is a slow tour of the bay at a depth where a novice can concentrate on buoyancy and on what is living on the bottom.

The animals the source lists for the bay are octopus and starfish on the bottom, barracuda that come through, and turtles, which have been seen here since 2021, so keep looking around and above you as well as at the sand. Turn when you reach the far side of the bay and follow the bottom back to the beach, surfacing where you walked in.

Marine life and season

  • Octopus & cuttlefish
  • Barracuda
  • Sea turtles
Month-by-month season rating for Morcone Bay
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairFairGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodFairFair

Season follows Elba & the Tuscan Archipelago: The season runs May–September with a warm October; the sea bottoms out near 14 °C in February–March, spring and autumn winds push boats to sheltered sites, and Pianosa's buoys open April–November.

Questions divers ask

Is Morcone Bay good for beginners?+

Yes. It is a small bay walked into from Morcone beach with depths from 2 to 10 m, described as excellent for novice divers learning about Elba's underwater life.

Sources

  1. Morcone Bay — Scubago

More dive sites in Elba & the Tuscan Archipelago

A protected carbonate wall from 40 m to 4 m, dived only on guided park visits

4–40 madvanced

A vertical wall from a 6 m anchorage to a shrimp-filled cave at 30 m

6–30 m · max 33 mintermediate

Pinnacle

Solitary boulders from 12 m to 40 m in strong current, for experienced divers

20–40 madvanced

A plaque of Christ at 39 m on a red-gorgonian wall in a 1971 no-fishing zone

to 39 madvanced

Similar dives elsewhere

Reef

Preza

Paros & Naxos · Greece

An 8 to 12 m plateau where big barracuda schools pass over nudibranch-rich rock

8–12 m · max 16 mbeginner

Reef

El Acuario

Cabo de Gata-Níjar · Spain

Small octopus on the anchorage rock at 5 m

to 14 mbeginner

Reef

La Conque

Cap d'Agde · France

A sheltered 7 m dive beside the Deux Frères rocks

to 7 mbeginner