Palinuro and Cilento · about 1 km from Palinuro
Grotta Azzurra di Palinuro
- Max depth30 m
- CertificationCavern
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- Fill stationPalinuro Sub Diving CenterCylinder fills and rental; gases not stated — ask about nitrox, trimix and O₂Route ↗
- Fill stationDiving Continente BluNot stated — askRoute ↗
What it looks like
Diving Grotta Azzurra Palinuro (Blue Cave of Palinuro) Gopro Hero 6 Black Immersione a Capo Palinuro "Grotta Azzurra Pozzo Sala della Neve" Immersione alla Grotta Azzurra di Palinuro - 14.08.2007 Grotta Azzurra Palinuro(SA) - Vista dal Team DiveLike
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Videos and posts
From other divers, via YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. They only load when you click; after that, Google's or Meta's privacy rules apply.
Diving Grotta Azzurra Palinuro (Blue Cave of Palinuro) Gopro Hero 6 Black Immersione a Capo Palinuro "Grotta Azzurra Pozzo Sala della Neve" Immersione alla Grotta Azzurra di Palinuro - 14.08.2007 Grotta Azzurra Palinuro(SA) - Vista dal Team DiveLike
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Other people's footage, not advice: how someone else dives here says nothing about what suits your team. Dive within your training.
The dive
The blue light enters through the underwater siphon; a second underwater entrance has bright turquoise water. Formations and columns up to >3 m are now submerged, and there are red coral, sponges and gorgonians.
1 earlier accident or incident has been reported at this cave. Read what happened ↓
Profile and sections
The blue light enters through the underwater siphon; a second underwater entrance has bright turquoise water. Formations and columns up to >3 m are now submerged, and there are red coral, sponges and gorgonians.
In the Sala della Neve, on the south-east side of the main chamber, sulphur springs of ~24 °C emerge; white bacterial mats give a 'snow' effect. It is dark, with a muddy floor. The warm sulphidic water stays as a layer above the seawater in a chamber. Measurements in 1996: spring water <25 °C against seawater 17–17.6 °C, rich in H₂S.
The Grotta Azzurra is the largest and best-known of Capo Palinuro's ~35 sea caves.
- Depth and profile
- Above-water entrance 6 m high × 10 m wide; underwater siphon at ~-20 m to the other side of Punta della Quaglia; main chamber to ~-26 m (2018 dive report); cadastre: -30 m. Cave ~85 m long and ~90 m wide.
- Configuration
- All configurations; roomy chamber. In the Sala della Neve: muddy floor, so good trim and a line.
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
- Short boat dive in one large chamber; a scooter adds nothing.
Who can dive where
- At least Cavern
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 30 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
This is how the planner decides who in your team may dive this cave. Rules your own trip adds (organizer, a mail, the AI) show with your trip.
How to get there
By sea only: by boat from Palinuro harbour, in practice with a Palinuro dive centre. Tour boats also visit the large above-water entrance on the north side of Punta della Quaglia.
Around Grotta Azzurra di Palinuro
Fills2 fill stations · nearest 1 km
Palinuro Sub Diving Center
Via Porto snc, 84051 Palinuro (Centola)
Cylinder fills and rental; gases not stated — ask about nitrox, trimix and O₂
April–November; hours not stated
Harbour dive centre with one boat; the team has dived here since 1983. Runs cavern and cave courses and dives the Capo Palinuro caves in small groups (4–5). Second base with classroom at Hotel Le Tre Caravelle. CCR support not stated.
Diving Continente Blu
Marina di Camerota
Not stated — ask
Not stated — ask
Dive centre in Camerota (listed by CilentoMag). Its website did not respond during our research; ask about services, gases and fills.
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News
All (1)
Accidents and incidents
What happened at this cave before, with the sources. No names are given; read it as a lesson for your own planning.
- Fatal accident in September 1998: two divers died in the Camera (Sala) della Neve, at almost -20 m.
Access and rules change: check what applies locally right before your trip. Source: GDELT Project and the news feeds of diving magazines. Search for more news ↗ Searched automatically, last on 13 Nov 2026.
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