Diving Excursions
The shore includes a surprising variety of shapes: to the south of the port you can admire a long gilded beach whith sandy depth. It spreads as far as the nature reserve on the river Simeto. In the northern part, the coast changes its appearance completely; it is made up of volcanic basalts with the typical black coulor of solid lava.
In the heart of Catania, going along the promenade, we arrive at an old fishing village “S. Giovanni LìCuti”, where there is a small port and also a nice little black-sandy beach. This rocky shore reaches to Aci Castello, where we find the ancient maritime village of Ognina, sprung from a natural inlet. Today, it is a small landing port for small boats and fishermen and here it is also possible to visit an interesting sea museum.
“Al Caìto”
We begin to immerse into the water where we find a big landslide of lava stone. At 20-25 mt., scubadivers can see tongues of volcanic rock and black sand, where ceriantus, torpedo and pinne nobilis live.There are also shoals of salpa, castagnole, sargo, octopuses, some lobsters and big, coloured nudibranchi.
“S. Giovanni li Cuti”
From the little beach of S. Giovanni li Cuti our descent into the sea begins. Going out from the little port we find an expanse of black sand; the characteristic of this dive are many little islands of lava rock called “panettoni”. They are rich in flora and fauna and they rise from the sand. You can also see moray, octopuses and seahorses between brown seaweeds.
“Tavernetta”
This is an interesting route: we can see a beautiful landslide that goes down to a sandy expanse. At 30 mt. there is ruin of a fishing boat, il “vascelluzzo”, covered with marine organisms. During this dive it is possible to meet spirografi, echini, grouper and coloured starfish. Rising from the wall, at 24 mt. we find a statue of Madonna, settled in a natural cave by devoted scubadivers.
“ Ognina”
Ognina was the ancient port of Catania before many earthquakes and lava flows changed the morphology of the area. From the beach you can begin the dive at 7 mt. where you can admire a natural arch of lava rich in astroides. Artefacts of amphoras, pitchers, ruins of wrecked ships in ancient times lie in the depth. Between the rocks octopuses, sarpe and shellfishes like magnoselle and crayfishes live.
“ Le Grottazze”
We can see beautiful and small lava caves rich in fish and marine vegetation. Turning north you can make a deep dive and you can meet grouper, salpa, sargo, lobster, octopuses and moray.
“ La Scogliera”
Wonderful immersion at 18 mt. where you can reach a sandy expanse. At 35 mt. there is a wide area with red spikey cral where a small shark, the dogfish, lives.
I Faraglioni di Acitrezza
In the legendary “Cyclops Islands”, the depth is covered with grasslands of oceanic posedonia and a large amount of spikey coral ( species of funicella) non which the crinoids, or sea lies cling.
Il Relitto di Capomulini
In the depth we can find the wreck of the Italian merchant ship “ Terni”, sunk during a storm it has two tears where it’s possible to enter. Moreover , there is a coloured wall, several moray and sargo.
In the village of Ognina there is the
Sea Museum that continues to collect many artefacts of sea faring culture where you can admire the traces of an ancient art: fishing nets, tools, objects linked with sea life, model of ships make this museum a laboratory of popular tradition of the sea world. Besides the expositive halls dedicated to specific subjects ( sea archaeology, story of sea tools and fishing techniques) the museum also includes a library and all dedicated to projection of didactic documentaries about the sea world.