Ustica · Italy · Wall · Cave & cavern · Reef
Scoglio del Medico
Tunnels, canyons and walls down to a plateau facing open water
Photo: Giorgio Minguzzi from Italy · CC BY-SA 2.0
A rock breaking the surface about a mile off Ustica on the boundary of the reserve's fully protected zone, with a seabed of 4 to 5 metres at its base and a tangle of tunnels, caves, canyons and walls below it. Routes run from shallow and straightforward down to a plateau that looks out on open water, where grouper, barracuda, tuna and large amberjack gather.
Where it is and how deep
38.7158° N, 13.1560° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The rock breaks the surface a mile out, and the ground around its base is only 4 to 5 metres deep and teeming with life, which makes it a useful shallow finish whichever way you have gone. From there the site fans out into tangles of tunnel, cave and canyon on one side and sheer wall on another, with several ways down to a plateau that faces open water. Which of them you dive depends on the conditions and on your certification, and the same rock can be dived repeatedly without repeating a dive.
Around the plateau the fish stack up: shoals of grouper, brown, red and golden, along with barracuda and tuna and amberjack of real size passing along the edge. Watch the blue as well as the rock, because mobula and eagle rays turn up here on occasion. Closer in, the walls and overhangs carry gorgonians and unusually shaped sponges, and the small subjects run from nudibranchs to slipper lobsters tucked under the ledges.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Tuna
- Eagle rays
- Mobula rays
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Season follows Ustica: May–Oct brings the warmest water, around 18–26°C, and the best visibility; many dive centers close over winter.
Know before you go
- Parts of the site run through tunnels and caves; take a torch, follow the guide's route, and turn back rather than push into any passage whose end you cannot see.
- The rock stands a mile offshore and the deeper routes bottom out at 40 metres, which cuts bottom time short and leaves little margin for drifting off the planned profile.
Photos from Scoglio del Medico
gminguzzi · CC BY-SA 2.0
gminguzzi · CC BY-SA 2.0
Dive videos
Immersione allo Scoglio del Medico - Linea Blu 10/08/2019 · Rai on YouTube
Scoglio del Medico Canyon - Diving in Ustica · Axurro on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Scoglio del Medico?+
The site runs from 10 to 40 metres. The seabed at the base of the rock is only 4 to 5 metres deep, and the routes drop from there through tunnels, canyons and walls to a plateau at depth that looks out on open water.
Is Scoglio del Medico suitable for less experienced divers?+
Partly. The dive centre grades the site low to high difficulty depending on the route taken: the shallow ground around the base of the rock is straightforward, while the deeper walls and the overhead sections need Advanced-level experience.
Sources
- Immersione allo Scoglio del Medico — Ustica Diving Center
- List of islands of Italy — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Small rocky islet breaking the surface off the Ustica coast, seen from a cliff above turquoise water by Giorgio Minguzzi from Italy, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Silhouette of the isolated Scoglio del Medico rock at sunset, seen from open water by gminguzzi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Openverse
- View across open water toward the small rock of Scoglio del Medico from the Ustica shoreline by gminguzzi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Openverse
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