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Grotta di Falco
Italy · cave · intermediate
1–15 mintermediateAOWboat entry
Grotta di Falco
A cavern under the Punta Giglio cliff with two entrances from the surface to 15 m, red coral on the ceiling at 4 m, and an air chamber you can walk 50 m into.
Max depth1–15 m
Required levelintermediate
Entry typeboat
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
Grotta di Falco opens in the cliff on the south side of the Punta Giglio peninsula, between Capo Galera and the point itself, inside the Capo Caccia - Isola Piana marine protected area. The park's own dive-site table puts it at 40 deg 34.176 N, 8 deg 13.397 E. Its first name was Anfitrite, after the sea goddess; the divers who found it later set a marble plaque to Ennio Falco in the inner siphon and that name stuck. Adventure & Diving of Alghero, who published the description this page leans on, rank it the second cave of the whole area after Nereo.
It has two very wide entrances running from the surface down to a maximum of 15 m, so the cave is lit and you are never far from open water. The vaults are covered in encrusting growth and carry colonies of red coral from about 4 m down, which is unusually shallow for the species and is the thing the site is known for. Sponges are heavy throughout. Groupers of all sizes sit in the crevices along the cliff outside, with large congers; in winter sizeable sea bass and gilthead bream come in. Cave-adapted animals are recorded around this pin too, including the mediterranean cleaner shrimp Stenopus spinosus, leopard-spotted goby and the dotted sea slug Peltodoris atromaculata.
The feature that separates it from the other Punta Giglio caves is a dry chamber: you can surface inside and walk roughly 50 m through it, among stalactites and stalagmites. Adventure & Diving grade the dive itself as touristic with minimal difficulty and call it a good first cave, but it is an overhead environment and the park treats it as one.
It is a listed cave under article 7 of the AMP's disciplinare attuativo, which means you can only dive it with the managing body's authorisation. A guided visit needs a guide holding at least a Cavern Diver speciality and divers holding at least a second-level certification; the cap for this specific cave is 10 divers per dive and 3 dives per day. Diving it without a centre requires the Cavern Diver speciality yourself. Night diving on guided visits is not permitted anywhere in the AMP.
- Red coral colonies on the ceiling from about 4 m
- Two entrances running from the surface to 15 m, so the cavern stays lit
- A dry chamber walkable for roughly 50 m with stalactites and stalagmites
- Marble plaque to Ennio Falco in the inner siphon, which is where the name comes from
- Groupers and large congers on the cliff outside; sea bass and gilthead bream in winter
Please note before you go
- Overhead environment: the park requires a Cavern Diver speciality to enter unguided and a Cavern Diver guide on a guided visit
- An inner siphon runs beyond the lit cavern; the plaque to Ennio Falco is in it
- Silt-out and disorientation risk inherent to any cave, even a well-lit one
- Surfacing into the dry chamber means an unbreathed-for air space; treat it as part of the overhead, not as an exit
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
By boat, from Alghero or Porto Conte. The cave lies on the stretch of cliff between Capo Galera and Punta Giglio, which Capo Galera Diving Center describes as less than a mile west of their centre and which their dive-site map numbers as site 2. Park coordinates are 40 deg 34.176 N, 8 deg 13.397 E. Authorised centres moor on the park's own marked buoys and only for the length of the dive.
Operator
Access to the site runs through a local operator.
Restrictions
Prior authorisation from the AMP Capo Caccia - Isola Piana managing body is required for any dive here. Falco is one of fifteen submerged caves on the park's authorised list. Guided visits: guide with at least a Cavern Diver speciality, divers with at least a second-level certification, maximum 10 divers per dive and 3 dives per day for this cave. Unguided: you need the Cavern Diver speciality yourself, a maximum of four divers, never solo, and someone qualified in first aid. Daytime only; no night dives on guided visits. Teaching inside a cave is allowed only at Grotta del Pozzo, not here.
Rules and permits
Inside the AMP the authorisation carries a fee set by the park: 10 euro a day, 20 a week, 50 a month or 200 a year for private divers and freedivers, and 600 euro a year per boat for dive centres. Zone A is closed to diving entirely; Falco is in zone B.
Season
Diving in the AMP runs year round under a daily, weekly, monthly or annual authorisation, and no operator publishes a season for this cave. Adventure & Diving note one seasonal difference worth knowing: in winter, sizeable sea bass and gilthead bream move into the crevices around the cave that groupers and congers hold the rest of the year.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentnot sourced
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range1–15 m
Environmentcave
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsmoderate
Boat dive off a cliff face on the south side of Punta Giglio, in a marine protected area where the dive has to stay within 50 m of the mooring. Daylight only. The cavern is lit through both entrances; below and behind that, a torch is the difference between a cavern and a cave.
On current: No operator publishes a current figure for Falco itself. What the park regulation does fix is that the dive has to stay within 50 m of the vertical of the mooring buoy or the surface marker, which keeps you on the cave and the cliff immediately around it rather than drifting the wall. The two wide entrances mean the cavern is lit and the exit is visible from most of it, which is why Adventure & Diving grade the difficulty as minimal despite the overhead.
Questions & answers
How deep is Grotta di Falco?
Shallow for a cave. Adventure & Diving give the minimum as 0 m and the maximum as 15 m, because both entrances run from the surface down to that depth. Most of what people come for, the red coral on the vaults, sits at about 4 m.
Do I need a permit to dive Grotta di Falco?
Yes. Falco is one of fifteen submerged caves on the authorised list of the Capo Caccia - Isola Piana marine protected area, and every dive there needs prior authorisation from the park's managing body. Private divers pay 10 euro a day, 20 a week, 50 a month or 200 a year; dive centres pay 600 euro a year per boat. The park caps this cave at 10 divers per dive and three dives a day.
What certification do I need for Grotta di Falco?
On a guided visit with an authorised centre you need at least a second-level certification, roughly Advanced Open Water, and the guide has to hold a Cavern Diver speciality or equivalent. If you want to enter the cave without a centre, the park requires you to hold the Cavern Diver speciality yourself, dive in a group of no more than four, never alone, and have someone first-aid qualified with you.
Is Grotta di Falco good for a first cave dive?
Adventure & Diving specifically describe it as ideal for a first approach to caves and grade the difficulty as minimal. The two entrances are very wide and run to the surface, so daylight reaches most of the cavern and the way out stays visible. It is still an overhead environment and the park regulates it as one.
Can you snorkel or freedive Grotta di Falco?
The entrances start at the surface, so you can look into the mouth of the cave on a breath-hold. The red coral on the ceiling and the inner chamber need a tank and a torch. Freediving inside the AMP is itself a permitted activity only with authorisation, in daylight, never solo, and with a maximum of eight freedivers at any one site.
What will I see in Grotta di Falco?
Colonies of red coral on the vaults from about 4 m, which is exceptionally shallow for the species, and heavy sponge cover throughout. Along the cliff outside, groupers of all sizes in the crevices and large congers, with sea bass and gilthead bream arriving in winter. The water around this cave also has records of the mediterranean cleaner shrimp Stenopus spinosus, leopard-spotted goby, squat lobster and the dotted sea slug Peltodoris atromaculata.
Is it true there is an air chamber inside Grotta di Falco?
Yes, and it is the feature that sets this cave apart from the others along the Punta Giglio cliff. You can surface inside and walk about 50 m through a dry passage hung with stalactites and stalagmites. Treat it as part of the overhead rather than as an exit; nobody monitors the air in there.
How do I get to Grotta di Falco?
By boat, from Alghero or Porto Conte, to the south cliff of the Punta Giglio peninsula at 40 deg 34.176 N, 8 deg 13.397 E. Capo Galera Diving Center sits at the eastern end of the same stretch of cliff and puts the whole run of about a dozen caves within a mile west of it. Authorised boats moor on the park's own numbered buoys and only for the length of the dive.
Life recorded at Grotta di Falco
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISOctopus vulgarisrare · 3 records
Stenopus spinosusrare · 4 records
Spongia (Spongia) lamellarare · 4 records
Palaemon serratusrare · 3 records
Thorogobius ephippiatusrare · 3 records
Acanthella acutarare · 3 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Stenopus spinosus | rare | 4 |
| Spongia (Spongia) lamella | rare | 4 |
| Palaemon serratus | rare | 3 |
| Thorogobius ephippiatus | rare | 3 |
| Acanthella acuta | rare | 3 |
| Octopus vulgaris | rare | 3 |
| Felimare tricolor | rare | 3 |
| Halocynthia papillosa | rare | 2 |
| Galathea strigosa | rare | 2 |
| Lysmata seticaudata | rare | 2 |
| Hacelia attenuata | rare | 2 |
| Echinaster (Echinaster) sepositus | rare | 2 |
| Conger conger | rare | 2 |
| Coris julis | rare | 2 |
| Labrus merula | rare | 2 |
| Serranus cabrilla | rare | 2 |
| Diplodus puntazzo | rare | 2 |
| Diplodus sargus | rare | 2 |
| Tripterygion delaisi | rare | 2 |
| Dysidea fragilis | rare | 2 |
| Luria lurida | rare | 2 |
| Lithophaga lithophaga | rare | 2 |
| Petrosia (Petrosia) ficiformis | rare | 2 |
| Aciculites mediterranea | rare | 2 |
| Apogon imberbis | rare | 2 |
| Scorpaena maderensis | rare | 2 |
| Neophrissospongia nana | rare | 2 |
| Peltodoris atromaculata | rare | 2 |
| Felimare orsinii | rare | 2 |
| Edmundsella pedata | rare | 2 |
| Pseudodistoma cyrnusense | rare | 1 |
| Dromia personata | rare | 1 |
| Marthasterias glacialis | rare | 1 |
| Paracentrotus lividus | rare | 1 |
| Gobius vittatus | rare | 1 |
| Chromis chromis | rare | 1 |
| Epinephelus costae | rare | 1 |
| Diplodus vulgaris | rare | 1 |
| Tripterygion melanurus | rare | 1 |
| Pleraplysilla spinifera | rare | 1 |
| Ircinia oros | rare | 1 |
| Agelas oroides | rare | 1 |
| Dictyonella incisa | rare | 1 |
| Dendroxea lenis | rare | 1 |
| Haliclona (Halichoclona) fulva | rare | 1 |
| Crambe crambe | rare | 1 |
| Phorbas tenacior | rare | 1 |
| Spirastrella cunctatrix | rare | 1 |
| Pelagia noctiluca | rare | 1 |
| Bittium latreillii | rare | 1 |
| Flabellina affinis | rare | 1 |
| Haliotis tuberculata | rare | 1 |
| Hexaplex trunculus | rare | 1 |
| Labrus mixtus | rare | 1 |
| Sarcotragus fasciculatus | rare | 1 |
| Sarcotragus spinosulus | rare | 1 |
| Haliclona (Reniera) mediterranea | rare | 1 |
| Euthria cornea | rare | 1 |
| Symphodus mediterraneus | rare | 1 |
| Symphodus ocellatus | rare | 1 |
Nearby sites in Alghero
Explore all sitesFalco Cave0.0 km
AlgheroGrotta delle Stalattiti1.1 km
AlgheroA drowned karst passage under Punta Giglio: stalactites that formed in air, the old sea-level line just inside the entrance, and a breathable air bell at the end.
Grotta dei Fantasmi1.2 km
AlgheroA shallow, unlit karst cave under Punta Giglio — white alabaster, heavy silt, and the only cave in the Alghero park that a diver may not enter without a full cave certification.
Grotta dei Cervi1.3 km
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Cervi Cave1.4 km
AlgheroCapo Galera Diving Center House Reef1.9 km
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