la spaccatura delle gorgonie
Romito sassoscritto - Livorno
This dive is particularly interesting because of the unusual quantity of gorgonians, nudibranchs and coral found there. From a plateau at about 12 metres, you quickly come to the edge of the wall which bottoms out at 40/43 metres. Along the way you will come across the whole range of organisms common to this area: yellow and red gorgonians, red coral, lobsters and sometimes even monkfish. Inside the gully, the ceiling is an efflorescence of red coral. Back at the top of the wall, there are a number of specimens of pen shell ( pinna nobilis). Keep an eye on instrument readings (air/time). The depths reached mean that you can quickly get to decompression limits. Visibility is reduced near the sea bed because of mud which creates an almost constant suspension.
route:
Leave the boat anchored on the plateau at a depth of around 12 metres. (See note) Head directly south, to the right with your back to the sea (180° on the compass) and begin to drop down along the wall. Having reached the desired depth (about 40 metres), you will find a boulder encrusted with red gorgonians worthy of attention. Leaving the boulder on your left, and proceeding with the wall on your right, you can ‘waltz’ around the boulders through this sort of canyon, and then continue on your original route. Further ahead you will find a gully in the main wall. This is where the dive gets its name from. Proceed until you have used half of your air supply, then turn round and ascend along the wall until you get back to the plateau. From here, return to the anchor.
interest: naturalistic / biological
type of sea floor: rocky wall, mud
current: light / medium
level of difficulty: media, alta
depth: min 12° - max 40°
summer temperature: 24°
winter temperature: 13°
access: by boat
recommended equipment: standard equipment, compass and torch
note:
once on the sea bed, it is a good idea to make a note of your initial depth and "memorise" the spot. This will be useful later when you need to relocate the anchor.
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