Positano, Campania, Italy

Li Galli

Li Galli are a small group of three islets off Positano on the Amalfi Coast, traditionally identified in classical mythology as the home of the Sirens encountered by Odysseus. Underwater, the islets continue as limestone walls and stepped reefs descending from a shallow rocky platform near 6 metres to about 35 metres on a sandy and rocky base. The walls below 18 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, scorpionfish, salema and damselfish schools, sea breams and ornate wrasses; barracuda and amberjack pass occasionally in the open water. Visibility is typically 12–22 metres; currents are moderate. The site is reached by boat from Positano, Praiano or Amalfi.