Dive a Place That
Still Feels Wild

The Environment

One of the last wild coastlines in the Mediterranean.

The Gulf of Orosei and its forty kilometres of coastline are one of the last areas of the Italian coast without buildings or roads. Behind it lies the Supramonte limestone plateau — wild terrain, difficult to penetrate even on foot. High white limestone cliffs drop into turquoise water, carved over geological eras by wind and sea. In this interface there are hundreds of caverns and caves, both dry and flooded, with some of the longest underwater cave systems in Europe.

These springs are freshwater rivers with saltwater intrusion from the sea. Multiple decorations and speleothems testify to varying water levels during different ice ages and prove such environments were once dry. Branching passages, sumps, and long shallow galleries make these caves the premier cave diving destination in Europe and a maze still being discovered. Average depth across most systems is extremely shallow — around nine metres — with water temperatures of 22°C in salt water and 15°C in fresh. These conditions allow long bottom times and very limited decompression. Other systems are deeper, requiring advanced planning, longer exposure, and decompression: ideal for rebreather cave dives.