Diving at Salina
The Aeolians, the 7 pearls of the volcanic origin situated in deep waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea a few miles away from the Sicilian coast. The archipelago has always attracted sailors and tourists from all over the world, for its unique landscape, for its historical evidence, and for its crystalline waters full of life, and of contrasts, and for its sea beds which keep a tumultuous history made of eruptions, seaquakes, invasions, and pirates. Despite the touristic vocation that this destination has developed in the last 50 years, it was able to preserve a wild nature, and a pristine sea. White pumice sea beds, contrasting with those black of volcanic origin, a coast full of creeks, stacks, and caves, have made of it the favourite destination for all the underwater fans. Various are the sites where to immerge in Salina, each of it encloses a unique fashion, and always different emotions. Sea beds, populated by numerous ichthyic species, like groupers, morays, octopus, squids, barracudas, and shoals of occhiate, have a diversified holographic structure. There are ravines, walls, creeks, caves, stacks, and old collapsed craters, where the colonies of sponges and gorgonians, which colour the walls.
Shoal of Pollara
- Difficulty: Easy
- Depth: max 35 meters.
- Visibility: excellent
The full immersion takes place along the bay of Pollara, a place of enormous suggestion for its morphological characteristics, the bay was created after the collapse of a crater’s part, upon which the whole residential zone is situated.
The immersion takes place 100m from the coast, near to the stack, a clear evidence of the volcanic origin of the bay. The underwater vision of this reef is really unique, the walls are inhabited by morays, octopuses, and small groupers. Once arrived to the depth of 25 meters, the shallow starts, characterized by a sandy sea bed, alternated to small rocks covered with Poseidonia. The immersion goes on sloping down along the rocky walls of the shallow, which are full of ravines, creeks, caves, and canyons, an optimal environment for starfishes , Astroides, gorgonians, and numerous ichthyic species, like turbots, groupers, breams, and cuttlefishes.
Shoal of Capo
- Difficulty: high
- Depth: 40-45m
- Visibility: excellent
The shallow is used by skin-divers with advanced patent, for strong marine flowing, and depths round 45m; for this reason it is advised to practise it only during optimal atmospheric conditions. The immersion starts round 10m of depth, where a white rocky wall collapses up to 45m. Between gaps and ravines of the shallow it is not hard to see big fishes as groupers, congers, and morays, who found a perfect habitat because of the existence of luxuriant marine flora. The wall composing the shallow goes down almost vertically, and creates a suggestive landscape which collapses into the dark blue waters. The basement shows different characteristics, and thanks to a great number of ravines, it is possible to see numerous species of burrow fishes.
Tre Pietre
- Difficoltà: media
- Profondità: da 20 a 40m
- Visibilità: buona
On the south-east of Rinella port, three little outcropping rocks indicate the exact immersion point. From here, through a step, you arrive to a rocky sea bed, full of Clavelina, Astroides, Pentagon Stars, and Poseidonia. This immersion can be practised by both beginners, and expert scuba-divers; the target is a rocky pyramid, situated at the end of a dorsal, which from the 40m seabed rises up beyond 20m of height. The pyramid, full of ravines, is a burrow for morays and congers, and the mostly exposed to the streams part, distinguishes itself for a great presence of yellow gorgonians and some spirographs.
