Capo Caccia & Nereo Cave · Italy · Cave & cavern
Grotta del Cabirol
Two entrances, at 5 m and 12 m, below the 654-step Cabirol stair
Area photo: Teresa Grau Ros from Barcelona · CC BY-SA 2.0
Grotta del Cabirol takes its name from the Cabirol staircase, the 654-step stair cut down the cliff of Capo Caccia to the entrance of the Grotte di Nettuno. The cave entrance lies exactly below that staircase and is on two levels, one at 12 m and the other at 5 m, so the dive is worked between two doorways rather than run as a single descent.
Also known as Cabirol Cave.
Where it is and how deep
40.5635° N, 8.1618° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The geography is the briefing. The entrance sits exactly below the Cabirol staircase and is on two levels — one opening at 12 m, the other at 5 m — so the site has a deep door and a shallow one, and the water between them is the dive. Both are on the same stretch of cliff, directly under the stair that carries walkers down to the Grotte di Nettuno.
Past the entrances it is overhead diving, and it is the overhead rather than the depth that sets the requirements: a light each, a guide who knows the cave, and buoyancy good enough to move through a passage without touching the walls or stirring the floor. The published figures cover only the two openings, at 12 m and 5 m, so treat the interior as unmeasured and dive it on local knowledge.
Background
The site is named for the Cabirol staircase, the 654-step stair that descends the cliff of Capo Caccia to the entrance of the Grotte di Nettuno. The stair was completed in 1959; before that the grotto could only be reached from the sea, and only in calm conditions. The dive entrance lies directly beneath it and opens on two levels, at 12 m and at 5 m, which is how the cave is described and how it is dived.
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 Capo Caccia & Nereo Cave: May–Oct is the settled season; winter mistral and north-westerlies make the exposed cape unworkable for weeks at a time.
Know before you go
- The passages are a true overhead, where a lost route matters more than depth — dive it behind a guide who knows the cave, with a primary torch and a backup.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Grotta del Cabirol?+
The cave entrance is on two levels, at 12 m and at 5 m, and the dive is worked between them. Those are the only depths published for the site, so no figure covers the interior.
Sources
- Grotta del Cabirol - Alghero — Scubago
- Grotte di Nettuno — Wikipedia (Italian)
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