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Capo Noli
Italy · beginner
1–40 mbeginnerOWshore entry
Capo Noli
A shore-entry sand slope under the Noli cliffs that Italian photographers work for seahorses, anglerfish and John Dory rather than for scenery.
Max depth1–40 m
Required levelbeginner
Entry typeshore
Visibilitynot sourced
The dive
Capo Noli is the headland between Noli and Varigotti on the Ligurian riviera di ponente, in the province of Savona, where the Aurelia runs along the top of white limestone cliffs. The diving is at the foot of it, and it is unusual for Liguria in that you walk in: the dive centre on the Via Aurelia in Noli puts its clients into the water straight off the beach in front of the building. The bottom starts in a metre of water on pebbles, turns to sand within a few metres, and then descends as a broad sandy expanse broken by small collapsing rock, going on down to 32 m in front of the centre and to about 38 to 40 m out on the point of the cape itself. A Ligurian club that dives it regularly describes the drop at the point running down beside a large pipe that forks at around 40 m, and calls the whole place a training ground rather than a set-piece dive.
What it actually is, is a sand dive. Everything written about Capo Noli by the people who dive it makes the same argument: the seabed looks bare, and the reward is in what you find on it if you go slowly and do not kick up silt. One trip report calls it the Mediterranean's Lembeh. The published catches are anglerfish, John Dory, snake eels and snake blennies, flatfish, cuttlefish, scorpionfish, gobies, spider crabs, octopus and nudibranchs, plus spirographs, cerianthus, sea anemones and ascidians on the sand, with cormorants working anchovy shoals overhead and, further out, barracuda and amberjack. Divers who come here are mostly here with a macro lens, and they come from across northern Italy for it.
The single thing Capo Noli is best known for is seahorses. It holds the densest concentration in Liguria, and both Mediterranean species are present: Hippocampus guttulatus is the common one, with the shorter-snouted Hippocampus hippocampus also recorded. They hold onto clumps of algae in very shallow water; a Scubaportal account of the site reports the first animal of the day at 3 m. They breed from March to October, males carrying the eggs for three to five weeks. Both species have been on CITES Appendix II since 2004, and the same article is explicit that the pressure on them here is people taking them as souvenirs. Look, photograph from a distance, and leave them where they are.
The best of the dive is in the first 10 m and you can stop at any depth you like, but the sand keeps going and it is easy to drift deeper than intended. Two site-specific warnings come from the divers themselves: the sediment lifts at the slightest fin wash and ruins both the visibility and the photograph, and the cape carries a lot of monofilament from shore anglers, which is worth watching for on the rock. The seabed off Noli lies within the Natura 2000 special conservation area Fondali Noli-Bergeggi. The Nemo's Garden underwater greenhouse installation sits about 300 m away and is a separate, guided dive with its own arrangements, not part of this one.
- Shore entry straight off the beach, starting in a metre of water
- The densest seahorse population in Liguria, on algae in the shallows
- Anglerfish and John Dory reported through winter and spring
- A macro sand bottom with snake eels, cuttlefish, flatfish, gobies and nudibranchs
- A plateau shallow enough to run course skills on
Please note before you go
- Heavy monofilament and hooks left on the rock by shore anglers, specifically flagged by a local club
- Fine sand that silts out instantly, cutting visibility for whoever is behind you
- A sand slope with no natural stopping point that runs on past 30 m and reaches about 40 m at the point of the cape
Access & rules
Mandatory requirementsGetting there
Shore entry from the beach on the Noli seafront, off the Via Aurelia between Spotorno and Varigotti in Savona province, where the local dive centre is based; it is one of the few places in western Liguria set up to put divers in from the beach rather than from a boat. The three points the centre works are all in front of the building: the main sand slope, a second called 3 spiaggetta out on the cape itself where a rocky slide runs to about 15 m before the sand resumes, and the Nemo's Garden biospheres at 5 to 9 m, which are visited only on a guided dive.
Operator
You can reach the site independently.
Restrictions
No source describes a permit, quota or seasonal closure for shore diving at Capo Noli. The Nemo's Garden installation nearby is different: it is visited only on a guided dive arranged with the local centre, which is authorised by the project.
Rules and permits
The seabed off Noli falls within the Natura 2000 special conservation area Fondali Noli-Bergeggi (site code IT1323271), designated in October 2016 and covering about 380 hectares across three sub-sites, of which the southernmost fronts Noli with roughly 40 hectares of Posidonia oceanica meadow. It is managed by the Comune di Bergeggi alongside, but separately from, the Area Marina Protetta Isola di Bergeggi, which is a distinct area several kilometres up the coast with its own zone rules; no source places Capo Noli inside the AMP, and the local dive centre lists the two as different destinations. Both Mediterranean seahorses, Hippocampus guttulatus and Hippocampus hippocampus, have been listed on CITES Appendix II since 2004; taking them is not a grey area.
Season
Nothing about Capo Noli closes in winter, and the bay is sheltered year-round, but the subjects change with the season. Anglerfish are reported on the sand in the winter months, and one account puts plenty of fish including anglerfish and John Dory in spring. The seahorse breeding season runs from March to October. Autumn keeps the water warm with fewer people in the bay.
Conditions
Visibilitynot sourced
Currentlight
Surgenot sourced
WaterSalt water
Depth range1–40 m
Environmentnot sourced
Coralnot sourced
Crowdsmoderate
A sheltered bay under the cliffs, with an easy beach entry onto pebbles and then sand. Visibility is workable rather than open-water clear and depends mostly on how much silt has been stirred; the sources describe finning gently and staying off the bottom as the way to keep it. The dive is normally run as a slow shallow search in the first 10 m, with the option of continuing down the sand to 25 or 30 m.
On current: The bay is described by the people who dive it as sheltered from wind and sea through the year, which is why the centre can run shore entries from the beach in most conditions. No source reports current as a factor at Capo Noli. The condition that actually governs the dive is silt: the bottom is fine sand and it lifts on a careless fin kick, so visibility here is mostly something you do to yourself.
Best months: Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Sep, Oct, Nov
Questions & answers
How deep is Capo Noli?
It starts in a metre of water at the beach and there is no single maximum, because the sand keeps sloping. In front of the dive centre the slope runs down to about 32 m; on the point of the cape itself a rocky slide drops to around 15 m and the sand then continues to roughly 38 m, and a local club gives the site as 0 to 40 m. Almost everyone who writes about it says the interesting part is the first 10 m.
Can you dive Capo Noli from the shore?
Yes, and it is one of the reasons the site is used as much as it is. The dive centre on the Via Aurelia in Noli puts divers in directly from the beach in front of the building, which is unusual on this stretch of Liguria. All three of the points it works, including the shallow one out on the cape, are reached from that entry.
Is Capo Noli good for beginners?
It is used as a training site. The shallow end has a flat sandy plateau at a couple of metres that the local centre uses for course exercises, the bay is sheltered from wind and sea through the year, and there is no reported current. The one thing to manage is buoyancy: the bottom is fine sand and it silts out at the smallest fin kick, which spoils the visibility for everyone behind you.
Are there really seahorses at Capo Noli?
Yes, and it is the site's reputation. Capo Noli holds the highest concentration of seahorses in Liguria, with Hippocampus guttulatus the common species and the shorter-snouted Hippocampus hippocampus also present. They hold onto clumps of algae in shallow water and can be found from around 3 m. Both species are CITES Appendix II listed and the local pressure on them is people collecting them, so photograph without touching and leave them attached.
What will you see diving Capo Noli?
It is a macro site on sand rather than a wall or a reef. Divers report anglerfish, John Dory, snake eels, flatfish, cuttlefish, scorpionfish, gobies, nudibranchs, spider crabs and octopus, with spirographs, cerianthus and anemones on the sediment, plus seahorses in the shallow algae. Out from the cape there are cormorants hunting anchovy shoals, and barracuda and amberjack are reported. The bottom looks bare until you slow down.
When is the best time to dive Capo Noli?
The bay is sheltered all year, so the question is what you want to find. Anglerfish are reported on the sand in the winter months and again in spring, when one account also puts John Dory there. The seahorse breeding season runs March to October. Autumn gives you warm water and fewer people on the beach.
Is there anything to watch out for at Capo Noli?
Two things, both from divers who work the site. A Ligurian club warns specifically about the quantity of monofilament and tackle left along the cape by shore anglers, so keep clear of the rock edge and carry a cutting tool. And the sand slope has no natural stopping point: it runs past 30 m and reaches about 40 m off the point, so watch your depth while your eyes are on a 3 cm subject.
Do you need a permit to dive Capo Noli?
No source describes a permit, quota or closed season for shore diving here. The seabed off Noli does sit inside the Natura 2000 conservation area Fondali Noli-Bergeggi, designated in 2016, which protects the Posidonia meadow and coralligenous rock; this is a separate designation from the Area Marina Protetta Isola di Bergeggi further up the coast, which has its own zones and rules. The Nemo's Garden biospheres nearby are visited only on a guided dive arranged with the local centre.
Life recorded at Capo Noli
60 species within 1.5 km · OBISOctopus vulgarisrare · 3 records
Chromis chromisoccasional · 21 records
Pinna nobilisoccasional · 12 records
Sarpa salpaoccasional · 5 records
Diplodus vulgarisoccasional · 5 records
Thalassoma pavooccasional · 5 records
All 60 species recorded in this area
| Species | How often | Records |
|---|---|---|
| Chromis chromis | occasional | 21 |
| Pinna nobilis | occasional | 12 |
| Sarpa salpa | occasional | 5 |
| Diplodus vulgaris | occasional | 5 |
| Thalassoma pavo | occasional | 5 |
| Velella velella | rare | 4 |
| Centrostephanus longispinus | rare | 4 |
| Coris julis | rare | 4 |
| Mullus surmuletus | rare | 4 |
| Diplodus annularis | rare | 4 |
| Pelagia noctiluca | rare | 3 |
| Octopus vulgaris | rare | 3 |
| Apogon imberbis | rare | 3 |
| Oblada melanurus | rare | 3 |
| Bothus podas | rare | 3 |
| Lithognathus mormyrus | rare | 3 |
| Diplodus sargus | rare | 3 |
| Parablennius tentacularis | rare | 3 |
| Paracentrotus lividus | rare | 3 |
| Flabellina affinis | rare | 2 |
| Calliostoma conulus | rare | 2 |
| Calliostoma zizyphinum | rare | 2 |
| Fistularia commersonii | rare | 2 |
| Palinurus elephas | rare | 2 |
| Ophidiaster ophidianus | rare | 2 |
| Conger conger | rare | 2 |
| Parablennius gattorugine | rare | 2 |
| Serranus scriba | rare | 2 |
| Mytilus galloprovincialis | rare | 1 |
| Crisilla beniamina | rare | 1 |
| Calliostoma granulatum | rare | 1 |
| Calliostoma laugieri | rare | 1 |
| Gibbula magus | rare | 1 |
| Xantho poressa | rare | 1 |
| Pachygrapsus marmoratus | rare | 1 |
| Marthasterias glacialis | rare | 1 |
| Brissus unicolor | rare | 1 |
| Astrospartus mediterraneus | rare | 1 |
| Holothuria (Holothuria) tubulosa | rare | 1 |
| Synodus saurus | rare | 1 |
| Diplecogaster bimaculata | rare | 1 |
| Lophius piscatorius | rare | 1 |
| Parablennius sanguinolentus | rare | 1 |
| Gobius cruentatus | rare | 1 |
| Epinephelus marginatus | rare | 1 |
| Serranus cabrilla | rare | 1 |
| Boops boops | rare | 1 |
| Spondyliosoma cantharus | rare | 1 |
| Trachinus draco | rare | 1 |
| Scorpaena porcus | rare | 1 |
| Cotylorhiza tuberculata | rare | 1 |
| Rhizostoma pulmo | rare | 1 |
| Chrysaora hysoscella | rare | 1 |
| Eschrichtius robustus | rare | 1 |
| Arca noae | rare | 1 |
| Galeodea echinophora | rare | 1 |
| Dendrodoris limbata | rare | 1 |
| Diodora graeca | rare | 1 |
| Diodora italica | rare | 1 |
| Haliotis tuberculata | rare | 1 |
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