Conca dei Marini, Campania, Italy

Capo di Conca

Capo di Conca is a limestone cape on the Amalfi Coast between Praiano and Amalfi, close to the famous Grotta dello Smeraldo emerald cave. The dive site is a stepped reef with vertical walls and large boulders descending from a shallow rocky platform near 8 metres to about 40 metres on a rocky and sandy base. The walls below 22 metres support yellow Eunicella cavolini fans, encrusting orange Astroides calycularis on shaded faces, yellow Parazoanthus axinellae, red and yellow sponges and patches of red gorgonian (Paramuricea clavata) in the deeper sections. Resident species include dusky groupers, brown meagre, conger eels, octopus, moray eels and scorpionfish; salema and damselfish schools, sea breams and ornate wrasses are common, and barracuda and amberjack pass occasionally. Visibility is typically 12–22 metres; currents along the coast can be moderate. Boat access from Amalfi, Praiano or Maiori.