Christ of the Abyss

Christ of the Abyss is a bronze statue of Christ submerged off San Fruttuoso, on the Portofino promontory in the Metropolitan City of Genoa. It was placed on the seabed in 1954, created by sculptor Guido Galletti, and marks a spot associated with an earlier diving accident and with divers generally. The statue sits at a max depth of around 17.5 metres within the Portofino Marine Protected Area, and the dive is rated beginner, making it accessible to a wide range of divers and snorkelers on calm days. It draws attention as much for its symbolism as for the marine growth that has developed on the bronze over the decades. Boats to the site typically depart from San Fruttuoso, Camogli, or Portofino itself.

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

• Violescent Sea-whipParamuricea clavataReported here · unconfirmed
• Mediterranean Red CoralCorallium rubrumReported here · unconfirmed
• Yellow GorgonianEunicella cavoliniReported here · unconfirmed
• Mediterranean DamselfishChromis chromisReported here · unconfirmed
• Yellow Cluster AnemoneParazoanthus axinellaeReported here · unconfirmed
• Sunset Cup CoralLeptopsammia pruvotiReported here · unconfirmed