Mediterranean · Italy
Taranto & the Gulf of Taranto
A third-century cargo of marble sarcophagi a short swim from the beach
Taranto's dive centres run guided RIB and shore dives on the Ionian coast around the city and the Cheradi islands, from walls of ravines and small caves to a deep ridge, the mussel gardens of the Mar Piccolo and a freshwater spring. At San Pietro in Bevagna, a third-century cargo of marble sarcophagi rests in shallow water beside the mouth of the Chidro river.
About diving in Taranto & the Gulf of Taranto
Guided dives here either leave by RIB, which carries the group straight to the site, or start from the shore. The program covers recreational dives for every level of certification, divided by type and degree of difficulty, and the plan is posted as a calendar of the sites to be dived in the coming weeks. Each daytime dive also runs as a night dive.
Porto Pirrone and Capo San Vito are long walls cut by ravines and small caves, and Torre Sgarrata is a rock face over a rocky bottom. Inside the Mar Piccolo, a RIB dive explores the mussel gardens. The Chidro source near San Pietro in Bevagna is a freshwater dive that starts against a current, with visibility comparable to an aquarium, and the Chidro river area around it is a protected nature area.
The beach dive from the shore suits every certification level and serves for training dives and for a return after a long break. The Fossilized Forest at Torre Ovo, a geological formation only 6 m deep, can easily be enjoyed by beginners. Deeper dives, the ridge at Conca delle monache among them, are open only to divers with the appropriate certification and experience.
Best time to dive Taranto & the Gulf of Taranto
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good |
The sea feels quite warm from June to September and cold in January and February; October is mild.
Dive types & marine life
Lobsters, morays, groupers and barracudas are sighted on the Porto Pirrone wall, and groupers and lobsters on the Conca delle monache ridge. The Mar Piccolo mussel gardens hold a high concentration of nudibranchs and seahorse colonies. Large numbers of dolphins and other cetaceans live near the Cheradi islands.
- Wall
- Wreck
- Night
- Freshwater
- Groupers
- Barracuda
- Nudibranchs
- Dolphins
Best dive sites in Taranto & the Gulf of Taranto
- 1
Porto Pirrone
Long wall of ravines and small caves from 18 to 33 m
- 2
Sarcophagi of San Pietro in Bevagna
Third-century AD shipwreck cargo of marble sarcophagi in about 5 m, 100 m off the beach
- 3
Torre Sgarrata
Rocky bottom from 14 to 22 m, reached by RIB
- 4
Conca delle monache
Challenging ridge dive starting at 33 m and running to 50 m
- 5
Punta la Forca
Rock mounds west of San Pietro island in the Cheradi, a favoured habitat of many Mediterranean fish
Site guides
Freshwater
A spring-fed crater with aquarium-clear water
A deep ridge where groupers patrol below 33 m
Ravines and small caves split a long wall down to 33 m
Roman marble sarcophagi on the seabed close to the beach
Reef
A rock face full of morays below a ruined watchtower
How to get to Taranto & the Gulf of Taranto
Brindisi airport is the closest, about 70 km (43 mi) from Taranto by freeway, with shuttle services and car hire. One centre works from a holiday village on the Ionian coast road.
Photos from Taranto & the Gulf of Taranto
Mastrocom · CC BY-SA 4.0
Questions divers ask
Can new divers join the dives at Taranto?+
Yes. The dive program covers every certification level, and the sarcophagi site lies in about 5 m roughly 100 m from shore.
What does the Conca delle monache dive require?+
Appropriate certification and experience. The ridge runs from 33 m to 50 m and is dived as a sports dive rather than a technical one, with a reserve tank of nitrox set up.
Are there night dives?+
Yes. The daytime sites also run as night dives, and the night version of Porto Pirrone can show Alicia mirabilis.
How old is the San Pietro in Bevagna wreck?+
The marble sarcophagi come from a cargo ship wrecked around the first half of the third century AD, and were probably bound for Rome.
Sources
- scuba diving taranto - Taras Sub Diving Center — Taras Sub
- Deep dives - Taras Sub Diving Center — Taras Sub
- Sub Murena Diving Center — Sub Murena
- Taranto average sea temperature — seatemperature.org
- Taranto - Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Taranto - Wikipedia — Wikipedia
- Dive in History: San Pietro in Bevagna sarcophagi — Dive in History
Photo credits
- A pale concrete quay in front of a turquoise bay, an empty sandy beach and a pine-covered shoreline under a clear blue sky by Mastrocom, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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