Portofino Marine Reserve · Italy · Pinnacle · Seamount · Wall
Secca dell'Isuela
Gorgonians and red coral on a pinnacle topping out at 13 m
Area photo: Stefan Schäfer, Lich · CC BY-SA 4.0
A submerged mountain off Camogli whose peak — the cappello — tops out at about 13 m while its flanks fall to 40 m. The reserve calls it one of the finest sites in the Mediterranean: red and yellow gorgonians, red coral colonies and false black coral cover the deep rock, and pelagic fish come in against the walls. Strong current over the peak makes it a demanding dive.
Where it is and how deep
44.3214° N, 9.1460° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The descent is on the mooring line, which lands at about 14 m on the pinnacle, a few metres below the cappello. Strong current runs over the top, so the shape of the dive is settled at the buoy: the route is chosen by current direction and the group drops onto whichever flank is sheltered. From the peak the rock falls away on every side to 40 m, and the ground the site is known for starts as soon as you leave the line.
The deep rock is what the site is known for. Red and yellow gorgonians grow thickly on the flanks, with red coral colonies and false black coral in the shaded parts, and some routes hold divers at 35 to 38 m to work along them. Small benthic fish, groupers, brown damselfish and sea bream live on the pinnacle itself, and larger pelagic fish come in periodically against the walls before dropping back into the blue.
Everything happens inside a circle of 50 m radius around the mooring, so the dive is a loop rather than a traverse: you work the deep flank while gas and time allow, then come back up the slope towards the peak and finish in the current above the cappello, ascending on the line. Depth and current together mean this one is planned tightly rather than extended.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Reef fish swarms
| 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.
Know before you go
- Strong currents affect the peak: the route has to be picked by current direction at the buoy, and some lines keep divers at 35 to 38 m rather than letting them ride up over the top.
Dive videos
"Secca dell'Isuela " promontorio di portofino · Mondo Subacqueo on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Secca dell'Isuela?+
The peak is at about 13 m and the mooring line lands at roughly 14 m, while the flanks drop to 40 m. The reserve publishes the site as 14 to 40 m and rates it elevated difficulty because of the current.
Sources
- Secca dell'Isuela (19) — dive site — Area Marina Protetta di Portofino
- Secca dell'Isuela (OSM node) — OpenStreetMap
More dive sites in Portofino Marine Reserve
Wall
Probably the finest red coral colony in the reserve
Wall
Rare false black coral on the points at 50 m
Cave & cavern
Three caves, the deepest at 30–35 m ringed with red coral
A 2.5 m bronze Christ standing on the seabed at 17 m
Wall
A submerged tunnel through the rock at 18 m
Red coral and lobster on the rocks out towards open water
Wall
A shrimp-filled cave at 37 m under a rock headland
Large red gorgonians on the slope under the lighthouse
Similar dives elsewhere
Maze-like rock stacks full of red sea fans to 40 m
Barracuda over a 2.5 m summit, gorgonians and a 2005 wreck below
A shoal 100 m off Fonza beach: cap at 4 m, east wall straight to sand at 40 m
Rock towers rising from 50 m to 6 m below the surface