Polignano a Mare & Monopoli · Italy · Wall · Cave & cavern · Night
Cala Paura
Grottoes and underwater passages reached straight from a beach
Cala Paura is a small cove north of Polignano a Mare, dived from the shore into grottoes and underwater passages over a 16 m bottom. It is a relaxed dive that suits night dives well, with plenty of life in the crevices and dens of its walls.
Where it is and how deep
40.9968° N, 17.2172° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Entry is from a pebble beach that slopes gently into the water. The right-hand wall starts at 3 m and runs down to 15 m, full of crevices and dens where fish of a fair size are easy to spot among algae, starfish, spirographs and nudibranchs. Several grottoes and underwater passages open in the cove over a bottom of 16 m.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Polignano a Mare & Monopoli: September is the pick, with the sea at 24–25 °C and the summer crowds gone; May and June are quiet too, and the water bottoms out near 14 °C in midwinter.
Dive videos
La Grotta di Cala Paura | Immersione in Grotta a Polignano a Mare | Dive on Cala Paura Cave · Acquelibere Sub on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is Cala Paura a shore dive?+
Yes. Divers walk in from a pebble beach that slopes gently into the water, and the cove is also suited to relaxed night dives.
Sources
- Immersioni - Diving Subinastinenza — Diving Subinastinenza
- La costa di Polignano a Mare — A.S.D. Immersion Bisceglie
More dive sites in Polignano a Mare & Monopoli
A statue of the Madonna placed inside a cave at 14 m
One cave with two wide mouths set in a coralligenous wall
Sponge-lined grottoes outside an old fishermen's cove
Wreck
An old cargo ship resting in deep water off Polignano
A long swim along the north wall to the islet's outer point
A deep offshore wall on a shoal off Monopoli
Similar dives elsewhere
Sea stacks five minutes from port: a wall from 4 m to 20 m, an arch and a swim-through
A walk-in wall at 3–22 m used for courses and night dives
A great arch under the white limestone stack off Masua
Towering rock walls and boulders reached down two cliff ladders