SeaLog
Getting there
Boat. The marine protected area publishes the point at 40 34.162N 8 9.912E, on the Capo Caccia side of the reserve; our pin sits roughly 150 m from it. The regulation assumes a mooring or a surface marker buoy at the site.
Il delfino
Italy
boat entry
Il delfino
An officially authorised open-water dive point on the Capo Caccia cliffs that no operator or guide appears to have described in print.
Max depthnot sourced
Required levelnot sourced
Entry typeboat
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
Il Delfino is a real, legally recognised dive point: the Capo Caccia - Isola Piana marine protected area lists it as site 3 in its zone B table, at 40 34.162N 8 9.912E, under the Capo Caccia headland north-west of Alghero. Our catalogue pin sits about 150 m from that published position. The park groups it with the open-water sites -- Parete della Madonnina, Parete di Capo Bocato, Le ancore di Punta Giglio, I massi delle gorgonie, Scoglio Inferno, La Pettata di Capo Caccia, I dolmen della Foradada and the rest -- rather than with the submerged caves, which is the one substantive thing the sources say about what kind of dive it is.
Beyond that, honestly, nothing. None of the Alghero dive centres whose site lists we could read -- Capo Galera, Portoconte/Adventure & Diving, ArchiMete, Poseidon -- publishes a description of Il Delfino, and neither the park's website nor its rulebook gives a depth, a topography or a route. We are not going to invent one. The name means the dolphin and probably refers to a rock feature, but that is a guess and it is recorded here as a guess.
What is documented is the access regime, and that part matters. Because Il Delfino is an open-water point rather than a cave, it does not carry the cavern-certification requirement that Nereo and the other grotte do; a certified diver can arrange it directly with the park. Diving still needs prior authorisation from the managing body, in daylight only, with at least a second-level recreational certification, a maximum of four divers per dive, no solo diving, and the dive confined to a 50 m radius around the mooring or surface marker.
- One of the marine park's nine authorised zone B open-water dive points
- Does not carry the cavern-certification requirement that applies to the park's submerged caves
Please note before you go
- Position lies under the Capo Caccia cliffs, so surface support and boat traffic are the practical concerns
- No published depth profile, which means no way to plan the dive from a desk
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsOperator
You can reach the site independently.
Restrictions
Prior authorisation from the marine protected area is required. Daylight only, at least a second-level recreational certification, a maximum of four divers per dive, no solo diving, and the dive must stay within a 50 m radius of the mooring or surface marker. Guided visits by authorised centres may take up to six divers per guide, two guides and twelve divers per dive, and no more than four guided visits per day at each site. No night diving.
Rules and permits
Zone B of the Capo Caccia - Isola Piana marine protected area (Ministry of the Environment). Diving is banned in zone A. Under the 2025 tariff table private divers pay 10 EUR a day, 20 EUR a week, 50 EUR a month or 200 EUR a year, and diving centres 600 EUR a year per boat. Contact with the seabed and removing or damaging any geological, biological or archaeological material are prohibited.
Season
No source read fixes a season. Marine park authorisations run year round but daylight only.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentnot sourced
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth rangenot sourced
Environmentnot sourced
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsnot sourced
Unknown from the sources read. What can be said is that the park requires the dive to stay within 50 m of the mooring or surface marker buoy, which is how all its authorised points are worked.
On current: No source read gives a depth, visibility or current figure for this point. The park's occurrence data and its own classification place it among the open-water sites on the Capo Caccia cliffs, but nothing more specific is published.
Questions & answers
Where exactly is Il delfino?
The marine protected area publishes it as zone B site 3 at Capo Caccia, at 40 34.162N 8 9.912E, on the headland north-west of Alghero. Our catalogue pin sits about 150 m from that published position. It is worked from a boat, like the rest of the park's authorised points.
How deep is Il delfino?
Nobody publishes a figure. The marine park's rulebook and website give the position and the zone but no depth, and none of the Alghero diving centres whose site lists we could read describes this point at all. Ask the centre for the profile at the briefing rather than planning from anything you find online.
Do I need a permit to dive Il delfino?
Yes. Diving in zones B and C of the Capo Caccia - Isola Piana marine protected area requires prior authorisation from the managing body, in daylight only, with at least a second-level recreational certification. The 2025 tariff sets private diver fees at 10 EUR a day up to 200 EUR a year; diving centres pay 600 EUR a year per boat.
Do I need a cave certification for Il delfino?
No. The park classifies Il delfino as an open-water point, not a submerged cave, so the Cavern Diver requirement that applies to Nereo, Falco, Fantasmi and the other grotte does not apply here. A second-level recreational certification is the stated minimum.
Can I dive Il delfino without a diving centre?
In principle yes, unlike the park's caves. Private divers may apply for their own authorisation, but the rules still forbid solo diving, cap the group at four divers per dive, and confine the dive to a 50 m radius around the mooring or surface marker buoy. Guided visits through an authorised centre are the simpler route.
Can you freedive or snorkel Il delfino?
The park permits breath-hold diving in zones B and C with prior authorisation, in daylight, at named sites, with a maximum of eight freedivers per site and no solo sessions. Whether this particular point is shallow enough to be worth it is not something any source we found answers.
Life recorded at Il delfino
34 species within 1.5 km · OBISDiplodus sargusoccasional · 37 records
Mullus surmuletusoccasional · 20 records
Coris julisoccasional · 10 records
Oblada melanurusoccasional · 9 records
Gammarus subtypicusoccasional · 8 records
Parablennius incognitusoccasional · 7 records
All 34 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Diplodus sargus | occasional | 37 |
| Mullus surmuletus | occasional | 20 |
| Coris julis | occasional | 10 |
| Oblada melanurus | occasional | 9 |
| Gammarus subtypicus | occasional | 8 |
| Parablennius incognitus | occasional | 7 |
| Diplodus vulgaris | occasional | 6 |
| Symphodus roissali | rare | 4 |
| Symphodus tinca | rare | 4 |
| Gammarella fucicola | rare | 3 |
| Thalassoma pavo | rare | 3 |
| Sarpa salpa | rare | 3 |
| Echinaster (Echinaster) sepositus | rare | 2 |
| Aidablennius sphynx | rare | 2 |
| Aplysina aerophoba | rare | 2 |
| Cymadusa crassicornis | rare | 1 |
| Sunamphitoe pelagica | rare | 1 |
| Gammarus insensibilis | rare | 1 |
| Melita hergensis | rare | 1 |
| Melita palmata | rare | 1 |
| Calcinus tubularis | rare | 1 |
| Pachygrapsus marmoratus | rare | 1 |
| Muraena helena | rare | 1 |
| Serranus scriba | rare | 1 |
| Sphyraena viridensis | rare | 1 |
| Cotylorhiza tuberculata | rare | 1 |
| Pelagia noctiluca | rare | 1 |
| Melarhaphe neritoides | rare | 1 |
| Hexaplex trunculus | rare | 1 |
| Phyllidia flava | rare | 1 |
| Sepia officinalis | rare | 1 |
| Felimare orsinii | rare | 1 |
| Tripterygion tripteronotum | rare | 1 |
| Thericium vulgatum | rare | 1 |
Nearby sites in Alghero
Explore all sitesCala del Bollo0.4 km
AlgheroCala Verde0.6 km
AlgheroGrotta del Cabirol0.6 km
AlgheroA two-level sea cave under the Escala del Cabirol, worked between the surface and about 18 m, lit through holes in its roof.
The Tunnel & The Fjord0.6 km
AlgheroIl porticato0.7 km
AlgheroThe Punta Salinetto cave, pierced by so many openings on one side that the dive is done in backlight.
Il tunnel0.7 km
AlgheroNot a cave of its own: the pin sits on Nereo/tunnel, one of four separately authorised entries into the Grotta di Nereo at Capo Caccia.
Been here? Log it.
SeaLog imports your dives from your dive computer or Apple Watch, tracks every animal you see, and keeps your logbook safe forever.
Download SeaLog