Tremiti, Apulia, Italy

Punta del Diamante

Punta del Diamante on the southwestern face of San Domino is one of the Tremiti Islands' most acclaimed wall dives, prized for the rare colony of yellow false black coral (Gerardia savaglia) attached to the wall around 30 metres. The dive descends from a shallow rocky platform near 8 metres along a vertical limestone wall to about 35 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 red and yellow sponges, with patches of red gorgonian (Paramuricea clavata) in the deeper sections. The Gerardia savaglia colonies, identified locally and in published surveys, are slow-growing and protected. Resident species include dusky groupers, brown meagre, conger eels, octopus, moray eels and scorpionfish; barracuda and amberjack pass occasionally. Visibility is typically 15–25 metres in summer; currents are moderate.