Reefwander
Reefwander
Full calendar

Destinations at their peak each month

  1. Jan167
  2. Feb183
  3. Mar192
  4. Apr216
  5. May186
  6. Jun272
  7. Jul307
  8. Aug313
  9. Sep296
  10. Oct180
  11. Nov119
  12. Dec145

Americas

Europe, Africa & Middle East

Indo-Pacific

Stintino & the Asinara National Park · Italy · Reef

Costone dei Tamburi

Huge barracuda schools circling over canyons and boulders

Costone dei Tamburi is a rocky ridge a few metres off the coast just past Punta Tumbarino, among the most spectacular dives on Asinara. It is an easy, shallow dive for all, with big barracuda schools and groupers of every size over a bottom that works as a nursery.

0

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Costone dei Tamburi: typical dive 16–18 m (52–60 ft), deepest point 25 m (82 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit16 m18 m25 m maxtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

41.0392° N, 8.2287° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The dive runs between 16 and 18 m through canyons, small gorges, wells and boulders that hold brown meagre and morays. It can go to 25 m, but the best of the site is higher up.

Huge schools of barracuda wheel around the ridge, and clouds of white seabream and salema mix with damselfish. Dusky groupers of every size live on a bottom that seems made for restocking the sea.

Marine life and season

  • Barracuda
  • Groupers
  • Reef fish swarms
Month-by-month season rating for Costone dei Tamburi
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairFairGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodFairFair

Season follows Stintino & the Asinara National Park: June to September has the warmest water; July and August are also the busiest months on this coast.

Sources

  1. Immersioni all'Asinara — Roccaruja Diving Center
  2. Asinara Scuba Diving — Asinara Scuba Diving
  3. OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap

More dive sites in Stintino & the Asinara National Park

Reef

Punta Agnadda

Barracuda crossing salema and damselfish only 8 to 10 m down

to 20 m · max 33 mbeginner

Reef

Punta Grabara

A seldom-visited jagged bottom crowded with spiny lobsters

to 36 mintermediate

Reef

Punta Sabina

Octopuses mating on the granite each May

to 18 mbeginner

Wall

Punta Salippi

Large brown meagre in a shallow gully beside a small grotto

to 30 mintermediate

Pinnacle

Punta Tumbarino

An offshore shoal whose head rises to within a few metres of the surface

to 30 m · max 38 mintermediate

Similar dives elsewhere

Reef

Es Cargol

Menorca · Spain

A whitewater reef to 21 m that has taken ships for centuries

to 21 mintermediate

Reef

Formentor Island

Mallorca · Spain

An arch and a cave with barracuda schools, over sand and posidonia

to 22 mintermediate

Reef

Acuario 2

Cabo de Gata-Níjar · Spain

Try-dive shallows at 3-5 m, groupers on the way to 16 m

to 16 mbeginner

Reef

Bajo de la Testa

Cabo de Palos & Islas Hormigas · Spain

Blocks, caves and furrows in the south face that took ships' anchors

8–22 mintermediate