The most famous dive in this area, and rightly considered to be among the most beautiful in the Mediterranean, as much for its morphology as for its marine life. It is possible to see the majority of the bentonic and nectonic species to be found in the Mediterranean. It is a challenging dive due to the depth and frequent currents, with a series of limestone pinnacles, aligned from north-east to south-west, rising from a depth of 40-42 metres. The highest pinnacle reaches around 15 metres; others vary between 24 and 32. The northwest side of these pinnacles is composed of a vertical wall, completely covered with a dense field of large red sea fans (Paramuricea clavata). The rare and beautiful yellow or red and yellow variety of sea fans may also be found. The southern side, on the other hand, descends gradually with numerous cracks and gorges that shelter moray eels, often in pairs, as well as greater forkbeards and crustaceans such as squill, spider crab and Spiny Squat Lobster. Continuing towards the deeper gorges, we meet countless groupers, some of remarkable dimensions, and if we are lucky, we can admire great majestic examples of dentex, shyly maintaining a certain distance. A pair of golden groupers, who seem to have taken up residence in these shallows are just as shy. In September and October it is not rare to meet tuna, greater amberjacks and Atlantic bonitos. Over the last few years, a considerable shoal of barracuda has become a permanent feature. Resurfacing is usually performed in a spiral around the highest pinnacle, exploring every crack in the rock, glancing now and then into the view below, teaming with life. Sargassum grow at the tip of the pinacle, enveloped in a cloud of damselfish and anthias, and it is often possible to see sea urchins (Centrostephanus longispinus), ready to point their long spines towards any possible aggressor. Numerous shoals graze on the hydrozoa. And finally, while waiting to ascend safely, as you gaze into the blue, you may happen to see some large pelagic or ocean sunfish, or perhaps even a blue shark!

At about a hundred metres north east of “ PAPA 1” there is a granite elevation rising from a seabed of 40-42 metres depth, housing marine life quite similar to that found around the principle PAPA 1 pinnacle. The main difference is that the shallows lie at a greater depth, here of around 24 metres. We can see a bit of everything here too: from great red sea fans, to their red and yellow variety, or small shoals of sea slugs (Flabellina affinis and cratena peregnina), numerous silver barracuda and large dentex that parade quickly along the edges of the shallows. Many groupers may also be seen, some of considerable dimensions, curious and shy at the same time they seem to play hide and seek with the divers. The show offered by the elegant movements of a shoal of large black-umber is not to be missed. A brief dive, given the depth, but full of intense emotions that will be remembered at length.

Another naturalistically rich dive is offered by this large cavity, it opens up from under the regal limestone cliff of the Tavolara, at a depth of 12-14 metres. From the buoy it is necessary to continue for 20-40 metres with the wall on the left to reach the cave. The outside of the cave is covered with a mantle of green algae, sciafile and red algae, while inside, where the light rarely penetrates, bryozoa and coelenterates fight for every centimetre of available surface, creating an incredible variety of colours that only the light of a torch may discover. It is easy to see dotted sea slugs grazing on sponges and hydrozoa, or ceriantus scattered here and there along the sandy, sediment bottom of the cave. For those who love greater depths and larger fish, going down to 30metres to look for “Nerone”, a large example of brown grouper is “a must”.

This is the most classic of the Tavolara wall dives. It is possible to follow several different routes, all equally interesting given the richness of life, therefore the dive is suitable for all levels of diving experience. Here the limestone cliff falls vertically from the surface down to 8-10 metres depth, where we find a softly descending table, scattered with limestone masses giving shelter to magnoses, that gather numerously during the spring in the deeper depths to mate. Here and there anemone stand out, with their tiny camouflaged inhabitants: spider crabs and transparent shrimp. Already within the first 10 metres, we will be surrounded by an environment teaming with life, damselfish, saddled seabream, shoals of common two-banded seabream as well as numerous large white seabream, one of which seems to have befriended divers, to the point of following them for most of their dive, generously posing for close ups. Leaving the wall of the Tavolara, large rocks alternate with landslides full of gorges, tunnels and passageways. Grazing on a thin layer of algae in the illuminated areas, it is possible to see numerous astree (Astraea rugosa) as well as ever present Salemas, and large red starfish( Ophidiaster ophidianus),while the shady areas are covered with Leptosammia provato, sea daisies (Parazoanthus axinellae) and coloured sponges. Going east you encounter a beautiful precoralligenous environment that shelters black-umber and a couple of large groupers, who happily allow you to come close, demonstrating the optimum results achieved by marine conservation.

There is a long fracture along one side of the Tavolara, a few metrres under the surface, which forms a triangular cave with a rock right in its centre: resembeling the classic figure of the eye of god. The fracture continues up to 15 metres depth under water, terminating in a long stretch of fine white sand. The walls of the fracture are covered with red alghe, bryozoa sponges and spirografi. We find ourselves in a tipical coralline environment, such as is usually found in deeper water. At the beginning of the summer large squill take up residence for mating before returning to the greater depths. To the east and west of the fracture, a landslide of rocks shelters large groupers, moray eels and a mutitude of yellow sea fans. At the foot of the landslide, around 25-27 metres depth, there are a couple of large limestone blocks in the shape of a mushroom, their shaded walls covered with colours like a painter’s palate.

Another great dive of the Tavolara, offering a unique show: in a sunken cavity in the wall it is possible to count 10-11 examples of magnoses, some of considrable dimensions, that find the ideal place for reproduction. From which the name of the location. The limestone cliff in this part of the island descends vertically to a rocky plateau, covered here and there with posidonia, at an average depth of 12-14 metres. Visibility is usually very good , and the current, if present is weak, consequently the dive is suitable for everyone. From the mooring buoy it is necessary to continue for 20-40 metres* with the wall on the right to reach the “grottino delle cicale” swimming among damselfish, Saddled seabream and Common two-banded seabream. It is easy to see the slim silvery profiles of baracuda or some young groupers looking curiously out from befind a rock.

An interesting dive because it winds through sediments of detritus, piles of stones, passages under the immense boulders that collapsed from the overlying cliff. A dense prairie of Posidonia covers the whole slope, here can be observed numbers of fish that hide in these ravines. Although the maximum depth that is reached does not exceed -20 meters, and that the average altitude of navigation is between the -8 meters and -14 meters, there are many points of interest and the forms of animal and plant life that can be encountered in this dive.

To the north of the strip of land of Spalmatore, at a depth varying between 3 and 14 metres, great slabs of granite indicate the ancient fosilised coast line. At one time mistaken for a submersed roman road, the wide flat granite slabs lie on a sea bed at times rocky, at times of ample stretches of white sand, offering shelter to seabream and black umber. Half way down it is possible to see black seabream and saddled seabream, and above all in the springtime you may see dentex or greater amberjack. Visibility and light are usually exceptional, making the location a great place also for snorkelling.

The mmoring buoy is to the south of the island, sheltered from maestral winds. It is a simple dive because it is between 5 and 15 metres depth, but none less interesting than the others because of this. On the contrary, the limited depth and the variety of habitats found close together (rock, sand and meadows of posidonia) make this location particualrly rich in a variety of species. We will be able to see numerous miniscule shoals grazing on Hydrozoa or sponges, hermit crabs moving from one ravine to another, protected by the darkness, curious groupers poping out of their lairs, hunting detex and above all a shoal of baracuda, a resident feature which is more numerous every year, swimming circles in the water, allowing the divers to come close, undisturbed in any why by their air bubbles.

In the continuation of the ridge that starts from the rock of the fig tree, there is an amazing rock formation that represents an enormous elephant head, complete with an ear and a trunk resting on the stone. The immersion is a swim, between – 14 and -35 meters, between large granite boulders resting on the sand and surrounded by a beautiful grassland of Posidonia; in the numerous fissures dromie and galatee, two types of crab can be observed, the mechanical prawns, the musdee, moray eels and conger eels, scarves and castagnole that frame the bream, the glances and the brown groupers that swim mid-water.