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Certification required
AOW
Canaloni
Italy · reef · intermediate
10–26 mintermediateAOWboat entry
Canaloni
Rock gullies south of Civitavecchia where a torch in the clefts finds red coral, corvina and lobster within recreational depths.
Max depth10–26 m
Required levelintermediate
Entry typeboat
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
Canaloni is a boat dive on the rocky coast between Civitavecchia and Santa Marinella, worked out of the Porto Turistico di Riva di Traiano, which sits roughly halfway between the two. It takes its name from the shape of the ground: the rock is cut into channels, canaloni, separated by short walls, and the dive is a traverse of those rather than a descent of a single feature. Dive centres and Rome clubs run it year-round on a short RIB ride from the marina.
The route is well established. You come down the anchor line onto a wide rocky plateau at 10 to 12 m, which is shallow enough that beginners are taken there to settle, and then follow the walls from one side to the other, passing a small grotto on the way, before dropping down the far side to around 25 m where a particular rock is known for holding lobsters. Published maximum depths for the site differ: the resident Civitavecchia centre gives 24 m, a Rome school gives about 25 m, and a Rome club that has run it as a first dive of the day gives 26 m, with a 2024 outing quoting up to 27 m depending on the route chosen. Plan for the deeper end of that.
The reason people book it is what is inside the clefts. The Civitavecchia centre that runs the site describes it as the dive where an Open Water diver gets to see red coral in flower, and says that is a feature of this stretch of coast specifically; the fissures are deep enough that a torch is what turns the dive from grey rock into something worth the trip. Behind the light come brown meagre, spiny lobster, conger and moray. Along the walls the reports add small groupers, white and common two-banded sea bream, salema, damselfish, cardinalfish, scorpionfish, and nudibranchs in quantity, the dotted sea slug and the flabellinas among them.
The seabed here lies inside the Natura 2000 special conservation area IT6000006, Fondali tra Punta Pecoraro e Capo Linaro, 1,096 hectares across the waters of Civitavecchia and Santa Marinella. That is a conservation designation rather than a marine park: there is no fee, no permit and no quota for diving, and the site is not inside any protected area under the Italian framework law on protected areas. What the conservation measures do impose is a ban on anchoring on Posidonia meadow and on reef habitat within the site, and a ban on removing or disturbing the seabed sediment. Since the standard dive here starts with a descent down an anchor line, where the boat drops its hook is not a trivial detail.
- Rock gullies and short walls rather than one single feature
- Red coral within recreational depth, which the local centre calls specific to this stretch of coast
- A rock at around 25 m known for its lobsters
- A wide plateau at 10 to 12 m that beginners are taken to first
- Diving run year-round from a marina between Civitavecchia and Santa Marinella
Please note before you go
- Variable and sometimes poor visibility; both operators treat a torch as necessary
- A small grotto on the standard route, brief but an overhead
- The far side of the traverse runs to 25 m or more, well below the 10 to 12 m plateau where the dive begins
- The descent is normally made on the boat's anchor line, and anchoring on Posidonia or reef habitat is prohibited inside the conservation area that covers this seabed
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Boat only, out of the Porto Turistico di Riva di Traiano on the coast between Civitavecchia and Santa Marinella; the marina has a darsena set up for kitting up and dressing before boarding, and the run out is a few minutes in a RIB. The site is run both by the resident Civitavecchia centre based in the marina and by Rome schools and clubs that come out for the weekend. The descent is normally made down the anchor line.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Restrictions
No permit, fee or quota applies to diving here; the site is not inside a marine protected area under the Italian protected-areas law. It is inside a Natura 2000 special conservation area, which restricts anchoring rather than diving.
Rules and permits
The seabed lies within the Natura 2000 site IT6000006, Fondali tra Punta Pecoraro e Capo Linaro, 1,096 hectares in the waters of the municipalities of Civitavecchia and Santa Marinella, whose conservation measures were adopted by the Lazio regional government in 2016. The site is expressly not inside any protected area under law 394/1991. The binding measures include a prohibition on anchoring over Posidonia oceanica meadow (habitat 1120*) and over reef habitat (1170), a prohibition on removing or moving seabed sediment anywhere in the site, and a ban on trawls, dredges and similar gear over seagrass meadow and coralligenous habitat. Red coral is a regulated species in Italian waters and is not something to take a branch of, whatever a boat neighbour tells you.
Season
Both the local centre and the Rome schools run this coast year-round, and no source singles out a best month. Water temperature moves between roughly 14 C and 24 C across the seasons, so the practical difference is thermal protection rather than access. Club outings to the site cluster from spring through early autumn.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentnot sourced
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range10–26 m
Environmentreef
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsnot sourced
A short RIB run from the marina at Riva di Traiano onto rocky ground in 10 to 26 m. Visibility is the variable everyone plans around and can be poor; the guide chooses the route on the day accordingly. Water temperature runs between about 14 C and 24 C over the year, and the centres dive the site through all of it.
On current: No source reports current as a factor at Canaloni. What every source does flag is that visibility is variable, and both the Rome clubs and the local centre plan around it: the instructor picks the route according to the visibility on the day and the certifications in the group, and a torch is treated as standard kit rather than an extra. Water temperature over the year runs from about 14 C to about 24 C. Published maximum depths disagree between 24 and 27 m; the shallower figures come from the resident centre and the deeper ones from Rome clubs describing a longer route, so treat 25 to 27 m as the realistic bottom.
Questions & answers
How deep is Canaloni?
The dive starts on a plateau at 10 to 12 m and the far side of the traverse runs to about 25 m. Published maxima disagree: the Civitavecchia centre that runs the site gives 24 m, a Rome diving school gives around 25 m, and Rome clubs that have booked it as the deep dive of the day give 26 and up to 27 m depending on the route. Plan for the deeper end.
How do you get to Canaloni?
By boat from the Porto Turistico di Riva di Traiano, on the coast roughly halfway between Civitavecchia and Santa Marinella. It is a few minutes out in a RIB, and the marina has a darsena where you kit up and dress before boarding. Both the resident Civitavecchia centre and visiting Rome clubs run it, year-round.
Is Canaloni suitable for beginners?
Partly. The dive begins on a wide plateau at 10 to 12 m that a local school describes as exactly where you take beginners to build confidence, and it runs the site as a dive for all levels on that basis. The full traverse to the far wall at 25 m or more is a different proposition, and a Rome club that offers that version asks for an Advanced certification. Ask which route you are booking.
What will you see at Canaloni?
The interest is inside the rock rather than in the water column. The resident centre describes red coral in flower within recreational depth and dens found by torchlight holding brown meagre, spiny lobster, conger and moray, plus a rock at around 25 m known for lobsters. Along the walls, divers report small groupers, sea bream, salema, damselfish, cardinalfish, scorpionfish and a lot of nudibranchs, including the dotted sea slug and flabellinas.
Do you need a torch at Canaloni?
Yes, take one. The site's character is deep fissures between rock channels, and the local operator's own description makes the point that a lamp is what reveals the dens and the colour in them. Visibility here is variable and can be poor, which is the second reason: with a torch a bad-visibility day is still a good dive on this ground.
When is the best time to dive Canaloni?
There is no closed season. The centres on this coast dive it through the year, and the water moves between roughly 14 C and 24 C, so the real difference between January and August is your exposure protection. Rome club outings to the site cluster from spring into early autumn. No source singles out a best month.
Do you need a permit to dive Canaloni?
No. There is no fee, permit or quota, and the site is not inside a marine protected area under Italy's protected-areas law. The seabed does lie within the Natura 2000 special conservation area Fondali tra Punta Pecoraro e Capo Linaro, whose measures prohibit anchoring over Posidonia meadow and reef habitat and prohibit removing or disturbing seabed sediment. That is worth knowing on a dive whose standard start is a descent down the anchor line.
Is Canaloni the same dive as the Pirgi wall?
They are neighbours on the same stretch of rock and are sometimes worked from the same anchorage, with the guide choosing one or the other on the day; a Rome club advertises exactly that. But the operators list them as separate dives with separate profiles, and on a normal day out you would do the Canaloni as the deeper dive and the Pirgi wall as the second, shallower one.
Life recorded at Canaloni
44 species within 1.5 km · OBISSphaerechinus granularisrare · 4 records
Halocynthia papillosarare · 3 records
Echinaster (Echinaster) sepositusrare · 3 records
Muraena helenarare · 3 records
Serranus scribarare · 3 records
Percnon gibbesirare · 2 records
All 44 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Sphaerechinus granularis | rare | 4 |
| Halocynthia papillosa | rare | 3 |
| Echinaster (Echinaster) sepositus | rare | 3 |
| Muraena helena | rare | 3 |
| Serranus scriba | rare | 3 |
| Percnon gibbesi | rare | 2 |
| Ophidiaster ophidianus | rare | 2 |
| Coris julis | rare | 2 |
| Chromis chromis | rare | 2 |
| Diplodus vulgaris | rare | 2 |
| Flabellina affinis | rare | 2 |
| Atherina boyeri | rare | 2 |
| Apogon imberbis | rare | 2 |
| Symphodus tinca | rare | 2 |
| Peltodoris atromaculata | rare | 2 |
| Tripterygion tripteronotum | rare | 2 |
| Acanthonyx lunulatus | rare | 1 |
| Velella velella | rare | 1 |
| Coscinasterias tenuispina | rare | 1 |
| Conger conger | rare | 1 |
| Parablennius incognitus | rare | 1 |
| Parablennius pilicornis | rare | 1 |
| Parablennius sanguinolentus | rare | 1 |
| Parablennius zvonimiri | rare | 1 |
| Gobius paganellus | rare | 1 |
| Thalassoma pavo | rare | 1 |
| Oedalechilus labeo | rare | 1 |
| Serranus cabrilla | rare | 1 |
| Diplodus puntazzo | rare | 1 |
| Sarpa salpa | rare | 1 |
| Tripterygion delaisi | rare | 1 |
| Scorpaena porcus | rare | 1 |
| Axinella cannabina | rare | 1 |
| Cotylorhiza tuberculata | rare | 1 |
| Rhizostoma pulmo | rare | 1 |
| Pelagia noctiluca | rare | 1 |
| Pisania striata | rare | 1 |
| Hexaplex trunculus | rare | 1 |
| Phyllidia flava | rare | 1 |
| Umbraculum umbraculum | rare | 1 |
| Symphodus mediterraneus | rare | 1 |
| Symphodus rostratus | rare | 1 |
| Semicassis undulata | rare | 1 |
| Rhyssoplax olivacea | rare | 1 |
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