Portofino Marine Reserve · Italy · Wall · Reef
Targa Gonzatti
Red gorgonians and moray eels from 20 m down to 34 m
Area photo: Stefan Schäfer, Lich · CC BY-SA 4.0
A wall named, like the shoal a short distance away, for Dario Gonzatti, one of the pioneers of Italian scuba diving. The dive runs to 20 metres on the side towards the coast and 34 metres on the other, over alternating rock and posidonia. The rock is thick with red gorgonians, with coral and a good population of moray eels along it.
Where it is and how deep
44.3014° N, 9.1688° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive is a wall, and which version of it you get depends on the side you take. Towards the coast the ground stays around 20 metres, a profile you can spend a whole tank on; on the other side it runs to 34, which is a dive to watch the no-stop clock on rather than a relaxed one. The rock alternates with posidonia as you go, so the cover changes along the route — bare rock in one stretch, seagrass in the next.
Red gorgonians are the reason to be here, along with coral on the rock, and moray eels are common enough that you should be checking the holes as you pass. The site is named for Dario Gonzatti, one of the pioneers of Italian diving, whose name also attaches to the shoal nearby. Work one side of the wall out and back rather than trying to take in both faces on a single dive.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| 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.
Sources
- Area naturale marina protetta Portofino — Wikivoyage (IT)
- Targa Gonzatti dive site — Scubago
- Dario Gonzatti — Wikipedia (IT)
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