Palinuro and Cilento · about 1 km from Palinuro
Grotta della Scaletta
Closed to divers
Closed: since the coast guard's ordinance 06/2017 (15 March 2017) all surface and underwater activity within 50 m of the Grotta della Scaletta and the Grotta Iacco is prohibited until the end of the judicial investigation into the 2016 accident. In November 2026 the Palinuro coast guard confirmed that the ordinance is still in force.
- Max depth50 m
- CertificationFull cave
- SpecialSidemount
Diving and fills
Dive here with
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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 ↗
Now at Grotta della Scaletta
The dive
An easy-looking entrance with blue water leads to a narrow gallery and a deep, dark shaft. Six divers died in two accidents (1996 and 2016).
1 earlier accident or incident has been reported at this cave. Read what happened ↓
Profile and sections
An easy-looking entrance with blue water leads to a narrow gallery and a deep, dark shaft.
Six divers died in two accidents (1996 and 2016). In 2017 the president of the Vallo della Lucania court wanted the -49 m bottom tunnel closed; whether that happened is unknown.
- Depth and profile
- Entrance at ~-12 m; horizontal gallery narrowing in places to ~1 m across, then a vertical drop to ~-50 m; bottom tunnel at -49 m.
- Configuration
- Sidemount (also sidemount CCR): restrictions of ~1 m. Backmount and bulky CCRs are awkward. Trimix and deco for the deep section.
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
- Restrictions and a vertical shaft: not a scooter dive.
Who can dive where
- At least Full cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 50 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
- Experienced divers only
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 boat from Palinuro harbour. Local sources: for very experienced cave divers only.
Around Grotta della Scaletta
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.
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.
- Two accidents with three deaths each: September 1996 (found at ~-45 m in a long tunnel) and 19 August 2016 (experienced local divers, found in a tunnel). The 2016 recovery by fire-brigade cave divers took days because the silt had to settle each time.
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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