Mediterranean · Italy
Stintino & the Asinara National Park
Barracuda schools crossing the seagrass in a marine protected area
Off Sardinia's north-west tip, the island of Asinara sits inside a marine protected area of about 108 km², where only authorised centres may run dives. The sites include Punta Salippi, where a wall drops away beside a small grotto, Punta Agnadda's field of pinnacles and Punta Sabina, where big schools of barracuda cross the seagrass. Several sites are rated easy dives, and the rocky bottom is rich in fish.
About diving in Stintino & the Asinara National Park
Dives inside the Asinara marine protected area may only be run by authorised centres, and only in the park's B and C zones. Anchoring is banned, so every site has its own submerged mooring buoy and boats tie on rather than drop a hook; touching marine life or taking anything from the seabed is forbidden as well. A centre in Stintino holds a park authorisation, and Cala d'Oliva Diving Center is the only diving centre on Asinara itself. Wind shapes the day: sea state and visibility can change a lot with it.
Several sites are broken rock, cut into canyons, holes and boulder piles at Punta Tumbarino and Costone dei Tamburi, with pinnacles at Punta Agnadda and a wall at Punta Salippi. Meadows of posidonia seagrass lie between the rocks: at Punta Trabuccato they alternate with rock and dens where white and saddled seabream and the odd moray live, and at Punta Sabina the seagrass patches sit on bright granite.
The sites suit different experience levels. Costone dei Tamburi is best between 16 and 18 m and Punta Salippi has a shallow route no deeper than 18 m, while the Salippi wall and Punta Tumbarino go to 30 m and the lobster route at Punta Agnadda to 33 m. Three zone A stretches around the island, about 5% of the protected area, are closed to all access, including the water between Punta Pedra Bianca and Punta Agnadda.
Best time to dive Stintino & the Asinara National Park
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Winter water is the coldest of the year, with February averaging about 13 °C (56 °F). The sea starts to warm in late May, and June brings warm water before the summer crowds. July and August are the hottest and busiest months, with La Pelosa and parking booked well ahead, and the sea peaks near 24 °C (75 °F) in August. September keeps the warm water and long days while the crowds thin out.
Dive types & marine life
Big schools of barracuda cross Punta Sabina often, though not on every dive. Morays and corb shelter in the rock at Costone dei Tamburi, Punta Grabara adds grouper and sea bream, and spiny lobster are plentiful there and along the deeper route at Punta Agnadda.
- Reef
- Wall
- Barracuda
- Groupers
Best dive sites in Stintino & the Asinara National Park
- 1
Punta Salippi
A wall to 30 m, with a shallow gully and small grotto no deeper than 18 m as a second route.
- 2
Punta Sabina
Bright granite and seagrass patches that big schools of barracuda cross often.
- 3
Punta Agnadda
Pinnacles and passages at 18 to 20 m, with a lobster route down to 33 m.
- 4
Costone dei Tamburi
Canyons, gullies and boulders holding corb and morays, best between 16 and 18 m.
- 5
Punta Grabara
A rarely dived, broken bottom full of lobster, morays, grouper, corb and bream.
- 6
Punta Tumbarino
A shoal circled through small canyons, holes and boulders, to 30 m if wanted.
Site guides
Huge barracuda schools circling over canyons and boulders
Reef
Barracuda crossing salema and damselfish only 8 to 10 m down
Reef
A seldom-visited jagged bottom crowded with spiny lobsters
Reef
Octopuses mating on the granite each May
Wall
Large brown meagre in a shallow gully beside a small grotto
Pinnacle
An offshore shoal whose head rises to within a few metres of the surface
How to get to Stintino & the Asinara National Park
Alghero is about 54 km from Stintino, and the trip can be made by car, by bus or on an organised tour. From June to September a direct bus runs from Alghero and its Fertilia Airport to Stintino, stopping at La Pelosa beach, Via Lepanto and Cala Lupo; in other months the trip needs a change in Porto Torres.
Questions divers ask
Can divers dive Asinara without a local centre?+
No. Dives inside the marine protected area may only be led by authorised centres, and only in the park's B and C zones; the three zone A stretches are closed to all access.
Can someone with no certification dive at Asinara?+
Yes. The diving centre at Cala d'Oliva runs introductory dives for complete beginners, as well as certification courses for those who want to continue.
Why do boats tie to buoys at Asinara?+
Anchoring is banned in the protected area, so each dive site has its own submerged mooring buoy for the boats to use.
What can spoil a dive day at Asinara?+
Wind. Sea state and visibility change a lot with it, so the water is not always as calm and clear as the photographs suggest.
Sources
- Roccaruja Diving Center – Immersioni — Roccaruja Diving Center
- Cala d'Oliva Diving Center — Cala d'Oliva Diving Center
- Asinara Scuba Diving — Asinara Scuba Diving
- Stintino average sea temperature — SeaTemperature.org
- Stintino: La Pelosa Access, Beaches & Asinara Day Trips — Holiday Visit Italy
- From Alghero to Stintino: how to get there? — bluAlghero
- Visiting Asinara National Park — Strictly Sardinia
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