Pomonte, Tuscany, Italy

Picchi di Pablo

Picchi di Pablo are three rocky pinnacles rising offshore from Pomonte on the southwestern coast of Elba. The pinnacles peak around 18 metres and drop to roughly 50 metres on a sandy and rocky base, forming one of the Tuscan Archipelago's classic deep dives. The walls between 28 and 45 metres are covered with red gorgonian (Paramuricea clavata) fans, frequently in the unusual red-and-white form characteristic of Elba, alongside yellow Eunicella cavolini, encrusting red sponges and orange Astroides calycularis. Schools of barracuda and amberjack circle the summits in summer; large dusky groupers (Epinephelus marginatus), brown meagre, dentex, conger eel, moray eels and octopus inhabit the cracks; nudibranchs are abundant on the gorgonian forests. Currents around the pinnacles can be moderate and visibility regularly exceeds 25 metres in summer. Reserved for advanced divers due to depth, the site sits within the Tuscan Archipelago National Park, the largest marine park in the Mediterranean.