The seabed off the Sorrento peninsula is among the finest in the Tyrrhenian, and the reason is administrative before it is natural: since 1997 much of this stretch of coast has fallen within the Punta Campanella Marine Protected Area, with fishing and anchoring bans that over thirty years have let regrow what has vanished elsewhere.
What you see underwater
- Posidonia meadows, the sea plant that oxygenates the water and nurses young fish. They are the most reliable indicator of a healthy sea.
- Walls and boulder slopes dropping steeply away, covered in gorgonians, sponges and yellow cup corals.
- Submerged and half-submerged caves, plentiful all along the point.
- Varied fauna, used to divers: grouper, sea bream, octopus, moray eels, and in summer shoals of Mediterranean barracuda. Sea turtles turn up occasionally.
- A few wrecks and the remains of submerged Roman structures, particularly around Punta Campanella and Capri.
The best areas
The tip of the peninsula and the channel towards Capri hold the finest dives: the Bay of Ieranto, the walls at Punta Campanella, the rocks off Marina del Cantone, and on the Capri side the Faraglioni and the Grotta Bianca.
The rules: read them before you book
This is what separates a good day from a wasted one. The Marine Protected Area is divided into zones A, B and C, with decreasing levels of protection.
In zone A, swimming and diving are prohibited or subject to authorisation. In zones B and C diving is allowed, but in many cases only accompanied by centres authorised by the park authority.
In practice: you do not just drop in wherever you like. You go through an accredited dive centre that knows the zones, holds the permits and manages the buoys. Current rules and the list of authorised operators are on the Marine Protected Area website.
When to dive
May to October. Visibility is best from June to September, peaking in September, when the water is still warm but the summer blooms have passed.
In July and August the sea is crowded with boats and trips need booking days ahead. September and early October are the best window of all: good water temperature, few pleasure craft, high visibility.
From November to March you can still dive with the right suit, but trips depend heavily on the weather.
If you are not certified
You do not need a certification to see this sea. The centres along the coast run try-dives in shallow, sheltered water, and guided snorkelling along the coast works beautifully: most of the interesting life is in the first five metres.
How to arrange it
We can put you in touch with the centres we know directly and have feedback on from our guests. Write to us with your certification level, your number of logged dives and your dates, and we will book the right trip for you.
If you have no equipment, that is not a problem: the centres rent everything. Just bring your certification card and, if you have one, your logbook.