Capo Testa D'Aquila

Capo Testa D'Aquila is a dive site off Santo Stefano, a small island near Ventotene in the Pontine archipelago, part of the Province of Latina in Italy's Lazio region. The island sits in the Tyrrhenian Sea and is better known on the surface for its former prison building, with a volcanic coastline typical of this chain. Underwater, divers have reported European spiny lobster and ornate wrasse moving among gorgonian growth, including pink sea fans, violescent sea whips, and both yellow and white gorgonians, along with patches of Mediterranean red coral and yellow cluster anemone. These reports point to a rocky, gorgonian-covered seascape rather than a sandy or wreck site, though the fuller picture of depth and conditions here isn't part of the record.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• Yellow Cluster AnemoneParazoanthus axinellaeReported here · unconfirmed
• European Spiny LobsterPalinurus elephasReported here · unconfirmed
• Yellow GorgonianEunicella cavoliniReported here · unconfirmed
• white gorgonianEunicella singularisReported here · unconfirmed
• Pink Sea FanEunicella verrucosaReported here · unconfirmed
• Violescent Sea-whipParamuricea clavataReported here · unconfirmed
• Mediterranean Red CoralCorallium rubrumReported here · unconfirmed
• Ornate WrasseThalassoma pavoReported here · unconfirmed