Capri, Campania, Italy

Punta Carena

Punta Carena is the southwestern cape of Capri, beneath the iconic red-and-yellow lighthouse that marks the entrance to the Bay of Naples from the south. The cape forms a stepped reef descending in terraces 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 and a varied sponge community, with patches of red gorgonian (Paramuricea clavata) in the deeper sections. The exposed cape generates moderate currents and attracts pelagic species: barracuda and amberjack schools, dentex and the occasional tuna. Resident species include dusky groupers, brown meagre, conger eels, octopus, moray eels and scorpionfish. The Regno di Nettuno Marine Protected Area covers the entire south coast of Capri. Visibility regularly reaches 15–25 metres in summer.