Bergeggi, Noli, Spotorno & Finale Ligure · Italy · Sand slope
Capo Noli
A wall of sand falling from 20 m to a debris-strewn 40 m
Area photo: Franciop · CC BY-SA 3.0
A sand esplanade off the Noli headland that slopes from about 20 m down to 40 m, set with rocks and boulders and with scattered debris collecting on the deeper bottom. Wannadive lists it for all divers at an average of 20 m, but the steep lower slope — almost a wall of sand — belongs to deeper-rated cards.
Where it is and how deep
44.1992° N, 8.4213° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive starts on the upper esplanade at around 20 m, a gradual sandy slope interspersed with rocks and boulders. Pick a line down through the rock: past the initial gradual section the esplanade steepens sharply, descending almost like a wall of sand toward the bottom at 40 m, where scattered debris collects among the last of the boulders.
How deep to take it is the whole question of the site. The average dive runs at 20 m and suits any certified diver; the full descent to 40 m is a different dive and needs the depth rating to match. Either way the return is back up the same slope, shallowing gradually for a comfortable ascent.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Bergeggi, Noli, Spotorno & Finale Ligure: No closed season — the cutoff is wind, with grecale above roughly 15–18 knots stopping diving. Water falls to 13°C in February and peaks near 24°C in August.
Sources
- Capo Noli (scubago) — Scubago
- wannadive.net — Liguria region index — Wannadive.net
- Divenjoy — home — Divenjoy SAS (dive centre, Noli)
More dive sites in Bergeggi, Noli, Spotorno & Finale Ligure
Pinnacle
Twin rocks at 16–32 m with an outside chance of ocean sunfish
Boulder dens at 24–30 m walled in yellow sea daisies
A false black coral colony at the deep end of a gorgonian plateau
A 1911 transatlantic liner torpedoed in 1918, on sand at 29 m
Herbs growing in transparent biospheres at 8 m
Pinnacle
A crack that sometimes hides an oversized conger on the 24 m shoal
A rock pyramid entirely covered in Parazoanthus
Reef
Alicia mirabilis anemones out on the boulders at night
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Submerged fragments of ancient Myndus in snorkel-depth water
Sand bank, seagrass and rock under the Chiappa light
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