Portofino Marine Reserve · Italy · Wall · Reef
Punta dell'Indiano
Green ball algae at 12–20 m, nudibranchs on the deep wall
Area photo: Stefan Schäfer, Lich · CC BY-SA 4.0
The promontory's easy dive: 12 to 20 metres, used for practice and for days when nobody wants a demanding profile. The seabed is carpeted with green ball algae, and the wall west of the descent point runs on to about 45 metres for divers who want the depth. The name comes from a rock face above the water that resembles a face.
Where it is and how deep
44.3022° N, 9.1672° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
This is the straightforward dive on the promontory: limited depth, 12 to 20 metres, and enough to look at that nobody is bored. The ground under you is covered in green balls, a round alga flattened in the middle that carpets the seabed here and gives the site its texture. It is the site operators use for practice and for undemanding dives, which also makes it a calm place to run the first dive of a trip.
From the descent point the dive can be extended west along the wall, which drops to around 45 metres. The stretch from 25 metres down is the richest part of the site for biodiversity and the reason nudibranch hunters come here: slow, close work with a torch rather than distance swimming. Taking the extension turns an easy dive into a deep one and has to be planned as such; otherwise stay shallow and finish over the algae.
The point is named for the rock face standing above the surface, which — with some imagination — looks like the profile of a face. It is the kind of detail that gets pointed out on the boat rather than underwater, but it is how the site is identified, and it carries a number of its own on the reserve's dive-site map alongside the rest of the promontory sites.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Portofino Marine Reserve: May–Oct is the settled season; visibility is often best in late autumn, and winter storms close the exposed southern walls.
Questions divers ask
Is Punta dell'Indiano good for new divers?+
Yes. It is described as a simple dive, ideal for practice and for undemanding profiles, because the depth is limited to between 12 and 20 metres. The deeper wall west of the descent point runs to about 45 metres and is planned as a separate, advanced dive.
Sources
- Area naturale marina protetta Portofino — Wikivoyage (IT)
- Punta dell'Indiano dive site — Scubago
In The Logbook
- Nudibranchs: species, habits and where to diveMacro & muck · 13 min read
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