Ustica · Italy · Pinnacle
Secchitello
Seamount off 50 m sand, summit at 26 m
Area photo: I viaggi della Van · CC BY-SA 4.0
Two miles south-west of Ustica's harbour, Secchitello rises from a sandy bottom at 50 metres to a top at 26 metres. Its own catalogue entry rates it one of the top dive spots on the island, with corals and fish in numbers across the summit and upper flanks. Everything about it is deep, which keeps the dive short and tightly planned.
Where it is and how deep
38.6872° N, 13.1682° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The boat runs two miles south-west of the harbour and puts you in over the summit, which sits at 26 metres — deep enough that the descent is the first thing to get right. Aim for the top rather than the flank: the seamount falls away to a sandy bottom at 50 metres, and it is easy to run deeper than intended by drifting off the crown on the way down.
Once you are on it, the dive works the summit and the upper flanks, which carry corals and hold fish in numbers — the reason the site is counted among the island's best. Keep the profile on the shallow side and let the seamount do the rest, then come back to the top for the ascent so the safety stop is made above the structure rather than out over the 50-metre sand.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
- The summit at 26 m is the shallowest point of the site, so no-stop time is limited from the moment you arrive and any excursion down the flanks eats it quickly.
- The sandy bottom is at 50 m: a missed summit on descent puts you well past recreational depth, so descend on a line or a marked reference.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the dive at Secchitello?+
The seamount rises from a sandy bottom at 50 metres to a summit at 26 metres, so 26 m is the shallowest depth on the site. That makes it an Advanced-level dive with limited no-stop time, dived from the boat two miles south-west of Ustica's harbour.
Sources
- Secchitello dive site — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide
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