Secca Della Maddalena

Secca della Maddalena sits off Monte Argentario, the rocky promontory on the coast of Tuscany's Grosseto province, in the Tyrrhenian Sea. The site is a wall dive, typically reached by boat from the small harbours around the promontory such as Porto Santo Stefano or Porto Ercole. It reaches a maximum depth of around 40 metres and is rated an intermediate dive. The wall itself carries a good spread of Mediterranean gorgonian growth, with divers reporting yellow and white gorgonians, violescent sea-whips, and red coral along its face, alongside cushion coral and yellow cluster anemones. Mediterranean damselfish and European spiny lobster have also been spotted tucked into the rock, rounding out a wall better known for its encrusted structure than for open-water life.

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
• white gorgonianEunicella singularisReported here · unconfirmed
• Cushion CoralCladocora caespitosaReported here · unconfirmed
• European Spiny LobsterPalinurus elephasReported here · unconfirmed
• Yellow GorgonianEunicella cavoliniReported here · unconfirmed
• Mediterranean DamselfishChromis chromisReported here · unconfirmed
• Yellow Cluster AnemoneParazoanthus axinellaeReported here · unconfirmed