Golfe de Valinco · France · Pinnacle
La Petite Vallée
A boulder mass from 35 m to 9 m, thick with large grouper
Area photo: Valinco Drone · CC BY-SA 4.0
La Petite Vallée is a large boulder mass — a patate rocheuse, in the local phrase — set on the bottom at 35 m and rising to 9 m below the surface. Three parallel bands of rock lead away from the head of it. Propriano Plongée calls the site particularly rich in large grouper and moray, and corb, dentex and nudibranchs are named on it as well.
Also known as Patate Rocheuse (Petite Vallée).
Where it is and how deep
41.6974° N, 8.7849° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The top of the mass sits 9 m under the surface, and the descent runs down its flank to the sand at 35 m. From the rock head three parallel bands of rock lead off, and following one of them out and another one back is the simplest way to dive the site without crossing your own track.
The grouper here are the reason the site is dived: Propriano Plongée singles out the large ones, along with moray tucked into the boulders and corb over them. Dentex pass through and nudibranchs are on the rock at any depth you care to look. Coming back up the mass leaves the last part of the dive on its shallow top at 9 m, so the safety stop is spent on rock rather than in the blue.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Season follows Golfe de Valinco: Both centres run April to November and close for the winter; the water is 18 °C at the edges of that season and 23 °C at its height.
Sources
- La petite Vallée — Scubago (SSI)
- Spot plongée Corse - Propriano (archived) — Propriano Plongée via Wayback Machine
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Rock towers rising from 50 m to 6 m below the surface
Reef
Protected training water at the dive centre's own beach
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