Santa Maria di Leuca · Italy · Cave & cavern · Reef
La Cattedrale
Mushroom-shaped boulders leading into the submerged part of a sea cave
La Cattedrale is an easy cliff dive at Santa Maria di Leuca, run beneath a great rock overhang of the sea cliff. Two canyons, a field of eroded boulders and the submerged part of the Cattedrale cave make up the route, with dense schools of anthias along the way.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Santa Maria di Leuca and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
Two canyons about 30 m long cut into a bottom that reaches no more than 18 m, and dense schools of anthias keep divers company along the route. At around 12 m the route crosses a zone of eroded, mushroom-shaped boulders and reaches the submerged part of the Cattedrale cave. Some dives go deeper first, down the wall to sand at about 35 m.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good |
Season follows Santa Maria di Leuca: Early summer brings sunfish and July and August the warmest sea; February is the coldest month.
Dive videos
S.M. Di Leuca immersione loc. Cattedrale parte 1/3 · FrancescoRizzello on YouTube
Sources
- Immersioni nel Salento - Salento Diving Leuca — Salento Diving
- Immersioni - Diving Service — Diving Service
More dive sites in Santa Maria di Leuca
Coral garden
Gardens of large yellow and red gorgonians on sand, and a sunken anchor
Artificial reef
A statue of the Madonna on the seabed below the Leuca lighthouse
Seamount
A forest of red and yellow gorgonians on the flanks of a sunken dome
Coral garden
Broad rock steps thick with gorgonians on a bank swept by current
Wreck
A Turkish freighter sitting upright as if still under way
Similar dives elsewhere
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A 50 m training cavern at 17 m, 15 minutes from Moraira port
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