Stintino, Sardinia, Italy

Punta Don Diego

Punta Don Diego is a remote headland on the western coast of Asinara, the wild island national park off northwestern Sardinia. The dive site is a stepped reef of granite and schist that descends from a shallow rocky platform near 8 metres to about 40 metres on a rocky and sandy base. The walls and terraces below 24 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 Asinara National Park's strict protection status keeps fish biomass exceptionally high; resident species include large dusky groupers, brown meagre, conger eels, big octopus, moray eels and scorpionfish, with barracuda and amberjack schools and occasional tuna in the open water. Visibility regularly exceeds 25 metres in summer; currents are moderate. Boat access only, from Stintino.