Aguzza Point

Italy · wall · advanced

14–40 madvancedAOWboat entryGuide mandatory

Aguzza Point

Basalt spires and fissures at the southern boundary of the Isole Ciclopi marine park, 14 to 40 m, guided and by authorisation only.

wallpinnaclevolcanicboatmarine parkdeep

Max depth14–40 m

Required leveladvanced

Entry typeboat

Visibilitynot sourced

The dive

Punta Aguzza is the headland that marks the southern limit of the Area Marina Protetta Isole Ciclopi, on the Riviera dei Ciclopi between Aci Castello and Capo Mulini on Sicily's Ionian coast. The whole coast here is Etna's basalt run into the sea, and the site is the submerged continuation of the cliff: the marine park's own itinerary describes a rock face full of fissures and spires, most impressive at its deeper end.

The park publishes the dive as 14 to 40 m, intermediate to advanced, boat access, guide required. Its mooring buoy for the itinerary sits at 37 32 54.3 N / 15 08 47.1 E, a few hundred metres north of the point these coordinates fall on. Remains of old fishing nets snagged on the rock are the visual signature of the site and the reason it turns up so often in underwater video from Catania.

The rules are the other half of the page. Punta Aguzza is inside the MPA but outside zone A, which covers only the water around Isola Lachea and the Faraglione Grande and is closed to diving entirely. In zones B and C, diving is allowed only with prior authorisation from the managing body, in daylight hours, within 50 m of the vertical of the mooring or of the surface marker, and never solo. Guided diving may only be run by centres the park has authorised, with a maximum of ten divers per site at a time plus guides, and every single dive has to be notified to the park office and to the Catania Capitaneria di Porto at least twelve hours in advance. Mooring is on the park's buoys only, two vessels maximum per buoy.

We have no OBIS occurrence rows for this exact point, so we do not list species. Neighbouring park itineraries give an idea of the habitat: basaltic platforms and domes at 14 to 24 m with morays, boulder scree with grouper and octopus, and an archaeological route at 10 to 23 m with eight ancient anchors.

Submerged basalt cliff broken into fissures and spires
Southern boundary marker of the Isole Ciclopi marine park
Old fishing nets snagged on the rock, a favourite subject for underwater video
Park mooring buoy on the itinerary; no anchoring

Please note before you go

40 m maximum depth on a wall that keeps going; easy to overrun a plan
Old fishing nets snagged on the rock: entanglement risk, carry a cutting tool
Exposed headland at the open edge of the marine park
Boat traffic; dives must stay within 50 m of the mooring or surface marker

Access & rules

Mandatory requirements

Certification required

AOW

Guide

A guide is mandatory in the water.

Getting there

Boat dive on the marine park's mooring buoy for the itinerary, at 37 32 54.3 N / 15 08 47.1 E. Anchoring is not permitted; maximum two vessels per buoy, and the dive must stay within 50 m of the vertical of the mooring or of the surface marker.

Operator

Access to the site runs through a local operator.

Restrictions

Prior authorisation from the marine park's managing body is required for every dive, guided dives may only be run by park-authorised centres, and each dive must be notified to the park and to the Catania Capitaneria di Porto at least 12 hours in advance.

Rules and permits

Area Marina Protetta Isole Ciclopi, established by decree of 9 November 2004 (GU 16 of 21 January 2005), 623 ha running from Punta Aguzza to Capo Mulini. Zone A, around Isola Lachea and the Faraglione Grande, is closed to scuba and freediving except for research and service; Punta Aguzza lies well south of it. In zones B and C diving requires prior authorisation from the managing body, is limited to 08:30-19:30, must stay within 50 m of the mooring or surface buoy, and solo diving is prohibited. Individual non-guided dives are capped at two divers per site with at least one holding an advanced certification named in the authorisation. Guided diving is restricted to centres authorised by the park and registered in the Sicilian regional lists, requires a guide of at least divemaster grade, two guides for groups of 2 to 10, a maximum of 10 divers per site, 12 hours' advance notification to the park and the Capitaneria, and a stamped dive register kept on the support boat. Spearfishing is prohibited throughout the MPA, nothing geological, biological or archaeological may be taken or damaged, and there is no contact with the bottom. Authorisation carries an administrative fee whose amount the park publishes separately; we do not quote a figure.

Conditions

Visibilitynot sourced

Currentnot sourced

Surgenot sourced

WaterSalt water

Depth range14–40 m

Environmentwall

Coralnot sourced

Crowdsnot sourced

A basalt cliff continuing underwater into fissures and spires, worked between 14 and 40 m, with the most striking ground at the deep end. No official source publishes visibility or current figures for the site, so none are given.

On current: Neither the marine park nor any authorised centre publishes a current figure for Punta Aguzza, so none is recorded. The 40 m bottom end puts the deep part of the dive outside recreational no-decompression comfort for many divers regardless.

Questions & answers

How deep is Punta Aguzza?

The marine park's own itinerary sheet gives 14 to 40 m and rates the dive intermediate to advanced. The deep end is where the fissures and spires are most impressive, which is exactly what makes the profile easy to overrun.

Do I need a permit to dive it?

Yes. Punta Aguzza is inside the Area Marina Protetta Isole Ciclopi, and in zones B and C diving is allowed only with prior authorisation from the managing body. Guided dives may only be run by park-authorised centres, and every single dive has to be notified to the park office and the Catania Capitaneria di Porto at least twelve hours in advance.

Is a guide required?

The park's itinerary sheet lists Punta Aguzza as requiring a guide. Individual non-guided dives in zones B and C are capped at two divers per site with at least one holding an advanced certification named on the authorisation, and solo diving is prohibited outright.

Is it in the no-diving zone A?

No. Zone A covers only the water around Isola Lachea and the Faraglione Grande, marked by five yellow buoys, and is closed to scuba and freediving. Punta Aguzza is the southern boundary of the whole marine park, well south of zone A.

How do you get in?

By boat, on the park's mooring buoy for the itinerary at 37 32 54.3 N / 15 08 47.1 E. Anchoring is not allowed, no more than two vessels may use one buoy, and the dive must stay within 50 m of the vertical of the mooring or of the surface marker.

What does it look like down there?

Etna's basalt run into the sea and then underwater: the cliff continues below the surface as a mass of fissures and spires, described by the park as forming a complex of rare beauty at its deepest part. Old fishing nets snagged on the rock are the site's visual signature and a large part of why it is filmed so often.

Can I snorkel or freedive it?

Freediving is legal in zones B and C under the same authorisation rules as scuba, with a maximum of two freedivers per site, daylight only and never solo. But the described dive starts at 14 m, so there is little for a snorkeller and nothing published in the shallows.

How many divers can be there at once?

Guided groups are capped at ten divers per site at any one time, plus guides, with two guides required for groups of two to ten. Non-guided authorised dives are limited to two divers per site.

Life recorded at Aguzza Point

60 species within 1.5 km · OBIS

Tursiops truncatusoccasional · 12 records Octopus vulgarisrare · 2 records

Pelagia noctilucaoccasional · 11 records

Rhizostoma pulmooccasional · 6 records

Sarpa salpaoccasional · 5 records

Cotylorhiza tuberculataoccasional · 5 records

All 60 species recorded in this area

Species	How often	Records
Tursiops truncatus	occasional	12
Pelagia noctiluca	occasional	11
Rhizostoma pulmo	occasional	6
Sarpa salpa	occasional	5
Cotylorhiza tuberculata	occasional	5
Stenella coeruleoalba	occasional	5
Gnathophyllum elegans	rare	4
Tripterygion delaisi	rare	3
Macroramphosus scolopax	rare	3
Apogon imberbis	rare	3
Sepia officinalis	rare	3
Stenopus spinosus	rare	3
Monoplex parthenopeus	rare	3
Pachygrapsus marmoratus	rare	3
Saurida undosquamis	rare	3
Thalassoma pavo	rare	3
Chromis chromis	rare	3
Scorpaena porcus	rare	2
Dardanus calidus	rare	2
Eriphia verrucosa	rare	2
Percnon gibbesi	rare	2
Parablennius gattorugine	rare	2
Sphoeroides pachygaster	rare	2
Delphinus delphis	rare	2
Aplysia fasciata	rare	2
Stramonita haemastoma	rare	2
Octopus vulgaris	rare	2
Bolma rugosa	rare	2
Umbraculum umbraculum	rare	2
Mimachlamys varia	rare	2
Symphodus tinca	rare	2
Ophioderma longicaudum	rare	2
Tenellia morrowae	rare	2
Aplysia dactylomela	rare	2
Ophidiaster ophidianus	rare	2
Clavelina lepadiformis	rare	1
Phallusia mammillata	rare	1
Dromia personata	rare	1
Maja crispata	rare	1
Lysmata seticaudata	rare	1
Plesionika narval	rare	1
Scyllarus arctus	rare	1
Coscinasterias tenuispina	rare	1
Sphaerechinus granularis	rare	1
Marthasterias glacialis	rare	1
Asterina gibbosa	rare	1
Chaetaster longipes	rare	1
Peltaster placenta	rare	1
Arbacia lixula	rare	1
Hacelia attenuata	rare	1
Holothuria (Platyperona) sanctori	rare	1
Ophiocomina nigra	rare	1
Ophiothrix fragilis	rare	1
Echinaster (Echinaster) sepositus	rare	1
Holothuria (Holothuria) tubulosa	rare	1
Conger conger	rare	1
Enchelycore anatina	rare	1
Scyllarides latus	rare	1
Brachycarpus biunguiculatus	rare	1
Galathea strigosa	rare	1