La Maddalena, Sardinia, Italy

Spargi

Spargi is one of the main islands of the La Maddalena Archipelago National Park, off northeast Sardinia. The granite coast offers a wide range of dives, from sheltered shallow coves with Posidonia oceanica meadows to offshore reefs and pinnacles descending to about 35 metres on a granite and sandy base. The walls and boulders below 18 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. 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, with barracuda and amberjack passing in the open water. Visibility regularly exceeds 25 metres in summer; currents are moderate. Dives are run only with operators authorised by the National Park.