Portofino underwater
One of the richest marine environments in the Mediterranean.
The Portofino Marine Reserve was established in 1999 and protects the coastal waters of Santa Margherita Ligure, Portofino and Camogli. It’s one of the richest marine environments in the Mediterranean, a concentration of biodiversity offering vertical walls, posidonia meadows, caverns, siphons and wrecks within a few kilometres of coast.
The promontory’s submerged cliffs drop rapidly to depth, creating a variety of microhabitats that elsewhere would need hundreds of kilometres of coastline. Red and yellow gorgonians, red coral, sizeable groupers, barracuda, dentex, lobsters, moray eels, octopuses — life is everywhere.
The zoning
The reserve is divided into three zones. Zone A (Cala dell’Oro) is a fully protected reserve: no activity is allowed except scientific research. Zone B is where the most spectacular dive sites are concentrated, accessible with authorised dive centres or an individual permit. Zone C allows freer diving with some regulations.
Why Portofino for advanced diving
The promontory’s caverns and siphons are natural marine environments in the heart of the Mediterranean. Here you have siphons with red coral, passages between conglomerate boulders, and conditions that test every skill. All of it less than an hour from Genoa.
How to dive here
In Zone B guided dives are limited to 5 divers per guide, with a maximum of 24 at a site at once. Night dives are allowed only at specific sites and with authorised dive centres.