The wreck of Lazzaro was a cargo ship, probably German, sunk during a storm at the end of World War II. It is a shore dive. We will swim to the bow of the wreck, located at -36m. We will then follow the body until we reach the stern, which is set at -45m, parallel to the coast. The wreck is complete , set along its shipping line, and it is possible to recognise the different components of the ship, still in a perfect state (engine, chains, porthole, bitt, winch). Despite the relative depth of the site, this dive is not very difficult, considering the lack of current, and moderate dimension of the ship. It is possible to visit it entirely, from bow to stern, in a reasonable amount of time. There are beautiful pictures to be taken, especially around the bow.

This night dive is absolutely unique in the Mediterranean. Being located in the middle of the Messina Straits, it is possible to see and take pictures at a shallow depth, of very rare species, typical of greater depths. The dive starts from the shore on a bottom of rubble and quickly reaches very deep. But even when staying at shallower depths, we will discover an amazing variety of species: crustacea, trumpet fish, echinoderms, molluscs, annelids, coelenterates and a lot more. A unique playground for photographers, underwater videographers, and anybody interested in marine biology!!!

Thousands of spirograph worms in a square meter. A forest of corollas, an explosion of colors in the beam of your torch. All of this within reach of the shore, at a shallow depth, for a unique dive. And you can imagine how many other animals you will meet when in the middle of this underwater forest. Tens of different species live among the stems of these colorful annelids : fish, echinoderms, crustacea, but best of all: Sea Horses. It is possible to meet more sea horses on one single dive, sometime s even of different colors. Beware not to damage anything when taking pictures, but don't worry... the spirograph worms won't close themselves !!

The steamer of Cannitello is a wreck from the beginning of the century, sunk probably because of an explosion of the boiler. It lies, broken in two, on a pebbly bottom, with the bow towards the shore. It is a shore dive. We will follow a rope that will lead us to the bow of the ship. The different parts of the wreck are almost completely destroyed now but the large body is still intact and allows a complete penetration for divers of different levels of experience. The openings are wide and luminous, which, while providing good pictures for photographers also guarantee safety. We will see the forms of life typical of darker environments, with a proliferation of huge white sponges and yellow coelenterates. You may meet large groopers, conger eels, and greater forkbeards, whereas clouds of Anthias surround the wreck. Because of the depth, the strong currents in that location and the penetration in the body of the wreck, this dive is not recommended for beginners. The Diving Center will ask an advanced certificate for this dive, as well as some experience in wreck diving.

This is a very relaxing dive. After a 15min boat trip, we will reach the dive site: surfacing rocks set in a delightful stretch of sea off the Viola coast. And underwater...plenty of time to wallow among coloured wrasses, parrot fishes and benthic animals that cover the rocks from -15m up to the surface. A beautiful start for newly certified divers, a long bottom time for photographers and a bit of relaxation for the more stressed out tek divers!!!

Have you ever been in a current of 4 knots and more ? Exciting!!! The dive site is 10 min away by boat. Once in the water, we will only need to stay together and let ourselves get carried by the current, while the zodiac will follow the divemaster's buoy. We will fly accross the bottom, parallel to the coast, sometimes even for a couple of kilometers, along with all the fishes of the area, big or small, going mad in their search for food.. As far as we know, we are the only Diving Center in the Mediterranean to offer drift dives, although it is widespread in the Maldives or Caribbean. It is undoubtedly the best way of seeing the fish while they are hunting, and it is a thrilling experience !! For obvious safety reasons, the dive will not exceed -20m.

The spines of Punta Paci' are on the south side of the bay of Scilla, 10 min from the Diving Center by boat. The bottom slopes down quite decisively, and at a depth of -20m two parallel spines of rocks rise. The rocks, of a height of about 15m, are covered in a multitude of life forms. At a further depth, we will find "our" famous two-tone soft corals, surrounded by schools of Anthias. In the winter months, it is common to meet the San Pietro fish (Zeus Faber), while in the summer, you may be sure to see schools of Barracudas!! It is a thrill to watch them glide a few feet away from you. Usually the school will stay with us for the duration of the dive. Remember to cast a glance at the sandy bottom once in a while, because it is a favourite spot for sting rays. For the underwater photographer, the dilemma remains : macro or wide angle lenses ? Just bear in mind that the divemasters will be glad to carry a second camera for you, solving your problem... Doubilet style !!

At 5 min by boat from the Diving Center, beneath Scilla's Castle, lies a rocky bottom that sinks towards the sea, forming a big area that can be discovered in several different ways. This is the dive during which you will meet fishes of all types and sizes. The parrot fish, groopers, schools of sadled breams and Boops Salpa crowd this site in spring and summer, while in the winter we will meet pelagic fishes. On the rocks we will discover an abundance of small species, from the nudibranch to the orange Madreporas, making this site ideal for a closer observation as well as from further away, to look at the fish, maybe carried by a little current. In the shallower area, there are several pass-through caves, easily accessible, and offering very suggestive light effects. This dive is open to all levels of certification, as it does not present any particular difficulty, if not a good buoyancy control considering the rapid change of depths. We highly recommend a night dive to photographers and keen observers of marine life!!!

If you have never read anything about this dive site you must either be a newly certified diver or not have read the Italian scuba magazines in years. La Montagna (the mountain) is considered by the hundreds of divers that have seen it in the past years as the best spot in the Mediterranean. The dive site is at just 5min by boat from the Diving, and within a few kick cycles... it is an explosion of colours. You will all of a sudden be facing a monolith 20 m high, completely covered in two-tones Paramuricee, huge Ceriantus, anthias, black coral, soft corals, Madreporas, grapes of sea squirts, nudibranches...
It is useless to carry on with this description, you have to see it for yourself. Notwithstanding the depth, this dive is not particularly difficult. Divers with an advanced certificate may want to see it by night. There is not much to add for the photog raphers and underwater videographers, except maybe that 90% of the pictures of two-tone Paramuricee you may have seen in books, magazines or videos were taken here...

Loads of shrimp! This is how you could summarise this dive. In a few minutes, the zodiac will take you behind the port to some surfacing rocks. At a depth of -30 meters, the first two-tone soft corals appear, to become denser towards the sea. There we will find a small pass-through cave, inside of which live a large family of shrimps, of the Parapandalus type. Sometimes we will find large fish (grooper or greater forkbeard) taking advantage of the situation. This site offers very nice light effects, due to the sun shining through the two large openings through which we will easily enter and exit the cave. We will swim back accross the rocks and it is there that we will see the large groopers out hunting. We advise photographers to use wide angle lenses to capture the atmosphere of this beautiful and easy site at its best.

Near to the Grotticella, but towards the open sea lies the shoal of the Umbrines. We will reach it at -20 meters and , depending on the chosen itinerary, we will either see the colonies of fan corals located beneath 30 meters or stay within 25 to 30 meters and explore the numerous cracks. If you are directed towards the corals, there is a colony of the Lophogorgia type that is worth mentioning. It hosts several caurie shells of the Simnia type, not a common sight. There also is a beautiful snow-white Cerianthus on the sandy bottom. The shallow depth of the top of the shoal and the exceptional visibility make this dive site accessible to everybody. Finally, don't forget to look around you when surfacing, you might see some pelagic fishes.

The big Mpaddata!!! Undoubtedly the biggest and most varied shoal of Scilla. The shoal rises at only 5 minutes by boat from the Diving Center. The side towards the shore forms a wall that sinks down to 40 meters, whereas on the other side, it sinks in the big blue... This site offers several routes, all of which will show you the diversity of corals of Scilla. Particular of this site is the sheer size and number of two-tone Paramuricee as well as of the fishes. You will basically not know where to look in this big site. A dive away from the coast should never be underestimated, so independently of the degree of difficulty of the chosen route, you should never loose sight of the underwater guide. It certainly is a demanding dive, but with a minimum of precautions you will see a Mediterranean that will not suffer the comparison with your previous tropical destinations !!

For those captivated by the big blue. Located directly in front of the Diving Center, the Wall sinks down vertically from a depth of -30 meters up to a depth of -70 meters! Watch your buoyancy! It is densely populated by two-tone Paramuricee and schools of Anthias. At -39 meters you will be able to admire a beautiful basket star ( Astrospartus), and towards South, a nice black coral. The route is very straightforward and the water crystal-clear, but keep a close eye on your buoyancy, otherwhise, you might feel a bit dizzy!!!

'Cipolle' means Scorpion fish in the local dialect. And that is mainly what you will see on this site: large red scorpion fishes. This is a beautiful shoal, on top of it you will see a lot of tunicates, and often large predators. A bit deeper you will find a spectacular garden of Paramuricee and on the west side a nice cave, usually populated by greater forkbeards. The shoal is not very large, and it is therefore easy to circle it completely. It is there, in the various splits and cracks that you wil find the largest moray eels of the area. The external side reaches great depths, which means, once again, that you should take particular care of your buoyancy.!!!

After the thrills of Scilla's shoals, this is just what you need, a relaxing dive at the Pietra Aloia. A few meters away from the Diving Center's terrace, two twin pinnacles rise from a depth of 15 meters. You will be able to enjoy this site for as long as your air lasts. You will see a lot of colorful wrasses, and you will be surprised at the amount of life you will discover after a close observation. You should not neglect the white, sandy bottom, where you will find soles and anemones with transparent shrimps caught in their tentacles. We recommend it as a night dive for photographers.