Tremiti, Apulia, Italy

Secca di San Domino

Secca di San Domino is an offshore limestone shoal in the channel between San Domino and San Nicola, the two main islands of the Tremiti archipelago in the Adriatic. The shoal rises from a base around 35 metres to a top near 18 metres and is one of the most representative dives of the Tremiti Marine Protected Area. 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 occasional patches of red gorgonian (Paramuricea clavata) in the deeper Adriatic light. Resident species include dusky groupers, brown meagre, conger eels, octopus, moray eels and scorpionfish; salema and damselfish schools, sea breams and ornate wrasses are common; barracuda and amberjack pass occasionally. The protected status keeps fish biomass high. Visibility is typically 15–25 metres in summer; currents are usually weak in the protected channel. Suitable for intermediate divers.