Santa Maria di Leuca · Italy · Seamount · Coral garden
Paseddhu
A forest of red and yellow gorgonians on the flanks of a sunken dome
Paseddhu is a submerged dome off the Capo di Santa Maria di Leuca and the most demanding dive in the area. Its sloping flanks carry a forest of red and yellow gorgonians, and divers come for the life that moves through the fans: anthias in great numbers, moray eels, large groupers and lobsters.
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
The top of the bank lies at 24 m, but the dive comes alive further down, around 30 m, where the dome's sloping flanks are covered in red and yellow gorgonians. Huge numbers of anthias drift among the fans, with moray eels, large groupers, spiny lobsters and European lobsters. In the migration seasons, above all in spring, it is not rare to see amberjack diving into vast schools of small blue fish over the bank.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Trevally & jacks
- 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.
Questions divers ask
When are amberjack seen at Paseddhu?+
Mostly in the spring migration season, when they hunt through the large schools of small fish over the bank.
Sources
- Immersioni - Diving Service — Diving Service
More dive sites in Santa Maria di Leuca
Cave & cavern
Mushroom-shaped boulders leading into the submerged part of a sea cave
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
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
A rock needle to 3 m, with a conger cave at 22 m on its east side
A ridge crest at 14 m with a statue on the seabed below
A seamount circled at the edge of the northern reserve
A submerged mountain from 55 m to 3 m, four hulls on its flanks