WHERE: Villasimius, on the south-east coast, 50 km from Cagliari
DIVING DETAILS:
location: this massive granite cliff rises out of the water like an enormous “Panettone” (traditional Italian Christmas cake), on the south-west side of the Cavoli Island. It is approx. 150 m from the island. It is easy to distinguish the cliff, because of a layer of seagull and sea crows guano, due to the fact that the birds often rest there.
It is sheltered from the south-east winds.
seabed: granite, scattered rocks, with Posidonia on the low side.
difficulty: easy
depth: 5-25 m.
current: after strong Mistral winds. Sometimes strong on/near the surface
visibility: excellent every season
summer temperature: 22° C
winter temperature: 13° C
Interesting elements: there are small caves and gorges on the west side, at about 18 m underwater, that are home to fauna and a colony of small Paramuricee and Eunicella
Fauna: shellfish and big colonies of Parazoanthus can be found inside the dark gorges.
Dive description
Anchor the ship on the north side, which faces Capo Boi.
The seabed is flat enough to be used for skin diver training.
Turn clockwise, first go through a canal with big granite rocks, to a depth of 12 m. Keep the cliff to your right at all times.
After 1/4 of the route, the seabed gradually slopes down. The underwater seascape is characterised by increasing large granite rocks.
Further on, there are some granite ridges, home to Eunicelle and Paramuricee.
At this point there are some large gorges. As you cross them you can admire squills (Scyllarides latus).
The darkness has led to the colonisation of this environment by Parazoanthus axinellae and is a very popular place for taking photos.
Going up, with the cliff on your right, you will come to a slightly inclined granite shelf, which is where boats usually anchor.
summer houses from Rent Sardinia
photo: Efisio Pinna