Mediterranean · Italy
Punta Campanella & the Sorrento Coast
Gorgonian walls on islets that top submarine mountains in a marine reserve
Punta Campanella, the tip of the Sorrento peninsula that divides the Gulf of Naples from the Gulf of Salerno, has been a marine protected area since 1997. Boats work sea-fan walls, air-filled caves and offshore rocks: Scoglio del Vervece off Massa Lubrense, the top of a submarine mountain; the three Li Galli islands; Scoglio Penna on the south side of Ieranto bay; and the five rock pinnacles of Banco di Santa Croce in the Gulf of Naples.
About diving in Punta Campanella & the Sorrento Coast
Diving here is by boat. In Sorrento the centre sits in the old Marina Grande harbour and runs boat dives from there; another centre is in Nerano, the bay between the Sorrento and Amalfi coasts. Boat rides to the reserve sites take from 3 to 20 minutes. The reserve sites are islets, points and caves along the cape, and the centres also take divers to Capri and along the Amalfi coast.
Below the surface the cape is rock: steep walls hung with red and yellow gorgonians and yellow sponges, red coral, and numerous caves and ravines. Groupers, bream and lobsters live on the wall at Montalto, and stingrays turn up. Far from shore, around the islet of Vetara, large passing tuna and amberjack are easy to meet, sometimes in large groups.
The mix suits certified divers who like walls and caverns. Conditions are often very different from one side of Punta Campanella to the other because of strong winds and currents: on the Gulf of Naples side the bottom drops quickly past 100 m, while on the Gulf of Salerno side it slopes slowly to less than 50 m. Li Galli can run with current, and those dives are a bit more challenging depending on the side chosen.
Best time to dive Punta Campanella & the Sorrento Coast
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Spring and autumn bring the most tuna and yellowtail to Li Galli; the sea warms from 14 °C (57 °F) in February to 26 °C (79 °F) in August.
Dive types & marine life
Tuna and amberjack can turn up off Scoglio Penna. At Li Galli, tuna, palamita and yellowtail are easiest to meet in autumn and spring, around cliffs hung with large yellow and deep red sea fans.
- Wall
- Cave & cavern
- Seamount
- Wreck
- Tuna
- Trevally & jacks
- Groupers
- Stingrays
Best dive sites in Punta Campanella & the Sorrento Coast
- 1
Banco di Santa Croce
Five large rock pinnacles, a biological protection zone since 1993, with walls to about 50 m
- 2
Scoglio del Vervece
Islet half a mile off Massa Lubrense that tops a submarine mountain, with an old 30 m cargo ship wrecked nearby
- 3
Li Galli
Three islets almost opposite Positano, each a separate dive, at times subject to current
- 4
Scoglio Penna
Narrow rock pierced by an arch, its seaward wall dropping past 45 m under red and yellow sea fans
- 5
Punta di Montalto
Wall below a cliff-top tower, rich in life from the surface to 55 m, with gorgonians starting below 30 m
- 6
Grotta di Mitigliano
Cavern about 80 m long in the north wall of Mitigliano bay, no deeper than 15 m
- 7
Grotta dell'Isca
Cave in Isca islet entered by a crevice only 7 m deep, rising to an air-filled room of stalactites
Site guides
Pinnacle
Five large rock pinnacles under protection since 1993
Cave & cavern
Surfacing inside the islet in a large chamber full of breathable air
A vertical shaft with a breathable air pocket inside the cavern
White gorgonians on a plateau, yellow sea fans down the wall below
Gorgonians in shades through to bright yellow below a tower cliff
A bronze Madonna placed by devout divers stands on the rock at 12 m
Pinnacle
A crack lined with colourful cup corals on the swim back to the boat
How to get to Punta Campanella & the Sorrento Coast
From Naples Capodichino airport, buses run to Sorrento six times a day. The Circumvesuviana train runs along the coast from Naples to Sorrento in about 1 hr 20 min.
Photos from Punta Campanella & the Sorrento Coast
Arnoldius · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
Scuba Diving off the Amalfi Coast - Punta Campanella Diving Centre · Darrell Oakden Photography on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can beginners dive at Punta Campanella?+
Yes. The Sorrento centres run Discover Scuba Diving for people who have never dived, while the reefs, caves, walls and Banco di Santa Croce are for certified divers.
What level is needed for the Vervece wreck?+
The 30 m cargo ship cannot be reached from the rock. Divers descend into the blue along a rope to 40 m, so the dive is reserved for experienced divers.
Is Punta Campanella a protected area?+
Yes. The waters off the cape became a marine protected area in 1997, and Banco di Santa Croce has been a biological protection zone since 1993.
Sources
- Sorrento Diving – Nettuno Residence Diving — Diving Nettuno
- Punta Campanella Diving — Punta Campanella Diving
- Punti di immersione AMP Punta Campanella, Banco Santa Croce e Capri — Punta Campanella Diving
- Barracuda Diving Italy — Barracuda Diving
- Sorrento average sea temperature — seatemperature.org
- Sorrento – Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Punta Campanella – Area Marina Protetta — AMP Punta Campanella
- Punta Campanella – Wikipedia (it) — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- A steel lattice light tower and a square stone watchtower stand on a craggy limestone headland above dark blue water by Arnoldius, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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