Palinuro and Cilento · about 5 km from Marina di Camerota
Grotta di Santa Maria
Closed to divers
Lies in zone A of the AMP Costa degli Infreschi e della Masseta. The 2025 rules allow no diving in zone A, not even guided, and ban all underwater activity at the Grotta dell'Alabastro, which shares its buoy (D8). Ask the Park whether any exception exists.
- CertificationIntro to cave
Diving and fills
Dive here with
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Fills nearby
- Diving Continente BluNot stated — ask
- Palinuro Sub Diving CenterCylinder fills and rental; gases not stated — ask about nitrox, trimix and O₂
Now at Grotta di Santa Maria
The dive
From the sea you swim a few tens of metres horizontally to the entrance. From there narrow passages between rock pinnacles lead to an air chamber with formations; one of them looks like a Madonna and gave the cave its name.
Profile and sections
From the sea you swim a few tens of metres horizontally to the entrance. From there narrow passages between rock pinnacles lead to an air chamber with formations; one of them looks like a Madonna and gave the cave its name. Inside there is a strong thermocline and halocline: the seawater at the entrance is 22–25 °C, the fresh water in the cave ~13 °C.
Speleologists from Friuli explored and surveyed the cave in 1987.
Practical: a 2012 dive report advises at least two strong, separate lights and calls the dive suitable for divers with good experience.
- Depth and profile
- Entrance ~-10 m after a few tens of metres from the sea · ~100 m long in total · max depth not published (the registry gives 4 m)
- Configuration
- Narrow passages between rock pinnacles; passage sizes not published
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
- Short cave with narrow passages
Who can dive where
- At least Intro to cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Configuration unknown — research beforehand
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
From the sea near Marina di Camerota, at buoy D8 ('Grotta dell'Alabastro e Santa Maria'). Guides of the National Park bring visitors in overland by a wooden ladder through a hole in the roof.
Around Grotta di Santa Maria
Fills2 fill stations · nearest 5 km
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.
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.
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