Syracuse, Sicily, Italy

Riserva del Plemmirio Capo Murro

Capo Murro di Porco is the southern tip of the Maddalena peninsula southeast of Syracuse, marking one of the most exposed and richest dive sites of the Plemmirio Marine Protected Area. The cape forms a submarine wall that drops in steps from a shallow rocky platform near 8 metres to about 38 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 and a varied sponge community, with 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. The exposed cape generates moderate currents and the dive is usually run as a multi-level. Visibility is typically 15–25 metres in summer.