Dive-site story
Grottino di San Francesco sits off the granite promontory of Punta San Francesco on Santo Stefano Island within the La Maddalena Archipelago. The route explores fractured granite boulders that give way to a shallow cavern system lined with yellow cluster anemones and encrusting sponges. Divers navigating the twilight zone inside the cave will find resting forkbeards and creeping crustacean species before emerging back into the open sea grass beds.
Granite cavern walls blanketed by dense colonies of yellow encrusting anemones
Frequent encounters with brown morays and conger eels sheltering in deep fissures
Clear ambient light filtering through the cavern entrance creating striking silhouettes
Location
Use the map to plan with your operator and confirm the exact entry point on the day.
Seasonality
Late spring through autumn brings optimal visibility and calm sea states across the archipelago.
Marine life
| Species | Likelihood | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow cluster anemoneParazoanthus axinellae | Common | ||||||||||||
| ForkbeardPhycis phycis | Common | ||||||||||||
| Mediterranean morayMuraena helena | Common | ||||||||||||
| European spiny lobsterPalinurus elephas | Seasonal | ||||||||||||
| Dusky grouperEpinephelus marginatus | Common |
Marine forecast
