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Shimmering water rising past a pale rock crusted with bright green algae and dark red weed, underwater — Pantelleria

Pantelleria · Italy · Pinnacle

Faraglione di Punta Tracino

Multicoloured gorgonians on white sand beneath a towering sea stack

Area photo: Waielbi · CC BY-SA 3.0

The Faraglione di Punta Tracino is a sea stack between Cala Levante and Cala Tramontana that rises 35 m out of the sea. Underwater the water is unusually clear, and a lap of the stack meets large schools of fish before the deep gorgonian fans among fallen boulders below.

Also known as Punta Tracino, Il Faraglione.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Faraglione di Punta Tracino: typical dive to 40 m (to 130 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit40 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 50 m (164 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

36.7997° N, 12.0514° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The dive circles the stack, and the rare clarity of the water makes it easy to watch schools of white seabream, groupers, dentex and amberjack of considerable size along the way.

Deeper, at about 38 to 40 m, multicoloured gorgonians stand out between boulders that have fallen from the stack and a bottom of very white sand. This is the deepest part of the dive.

Marine life and season

  • Groupers
  • Trevally & jacks
Month-by-month season rating for Faraglione di Punta Tracino
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairFairFairGoodPrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodFair

Season follows Pantelleria: The sea feels quite warm from June to October and cool from December to May; dives can be booked all year.

Dive videos

Aquarius · Pois on YouTube

Sources

  1. Immersioni a Pantelleria — Green Divers
  2. A silent universe, full of surprises — Abitare Pantelleria

More dive sites in Pantelleria

Reef

Cala Gadir

A Roman anchor and Punic amphorae in an ancient harbour cove

16–30 mintermediate

Wall

Punta Li Marsi

A Second World War mine at 32 m on a gently sloping wall

to 32 m · max 40 madvanced

Wall

Punta Rubasacchi

Tuna and skipjacks off a deep wall on the east coast

to 35 madvanced

Seamount

Secca di Campobello

Groupers and big moray eels on a current-swept shoal

12–38 madvanced

Similar dives elsewhere

Pinnacle

Le Sec du Toro

Corsica · France

Two rock plateaus at 3 m with 36 m of water around them

3–36 madvanced

Pinnacle

Sec du Sarranier

Port-Cros & Îles d'Hyères · France

Gorgonian drop-off from an 18 m rock head to 40 m

18–40 madvanced

Pinnacle

Secca della Colombara

Ustica · Italy

Barracuda over a 2.5 m summit, gorgonians and a 2005 wreck below

5–40 m · max 50 madvanced

Pinnacle

Secca di Fonza

Elba & the Tuscan Archipelago · Italy

A shoal 100 m off Fonza beach: cap at 4 m, east wall straight to sand at 40 m

4–40 madvanced