Cave diving in Liguria
Short sea caves and caverns along the Ligurian coast: the Grotta dei Gamberi and La Colombara in the Portofino marine reserve, the strictly regulated Grotta marina di Bergeggi and the Grotta del Tinetto off Porto Venere — nearly all by boat and with a dive centre.
4 caves · down to 40 m · 4 suitable for an intro team
All 4 caves
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Colombara | 36 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta dei Gamberi (Punta Chiappa) | 40 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta del Tinetto | 22 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta marina di Bergeggi | 7 m | Sidemount | Cavern |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- Recompression chamber: Policlinico San Martino, Largo Rosanna Benzi 10, Genova — 24/7 for diving emergencies, +39 010 555 8759 / +39 010 555 8757. On the La Spezia side also CeMIS, Via Aurelia Ovest 349, Massa, +39 0585 834141 (ask about 24/7).
- 112 · coast guard 1530 · DAN Europe +39 06 4211 5685.
Access and rules
- AMP Portofino: zone A is closed to divers; in zone B you dive only by day at ~20 fixed buoy sites (site cards: within 50 m of the buoy). Independent diving needs an AMP diving card plus an online daily authorisation (min. 2nd-level card; max 6 divers per boat, 24 per site and 90 per day), and daily authorisations are only for divers accompanied by annual or semester card holders. The online system was temporarily off in Sept 2026, so count on an authorised dive centre. No scooters; night dives only with a separate authorisation. AMP: +39 0185 289649.
- AMP Isola di Bergeggi: the Grotta marina only with an authorised centre, 1 guide per diver, max 2 divers inside at once and 6 per day. Elsewhere in the AMP independent diving with authorisation (zone A: 3rd-level card, max 20 per day). No propulsion aids; no night dives in zone A.
- Porto Venere: Tino and Tinetto are military zones (do not land). Ask the Parco Naturale Regionale di Porto Venere or your dive centre about the diving rules of the Area di Tutela Marina (municipal regulation of 2013).
Gas and fills
- Gas: Diving Group Portofino (Santa Margherita Ligure/Rapallo) fills air, nitrox and trimix; Portofino Divers runs technical trimix boat dives. Around Bergeggi: ask the authorised centres.
Getting around
- The sites are spread over more than 100 km of coast: Portofino in the middle (province of Genova), Bergeggi in the west (Savona), Porto Venere in the east (La Spezia).
Plan a cave diving trip to Liguria
Enter your team, with certifications, gas and configurations, and see right away which caves fit. With driving times from your stay, fill stations and an AI instructor who thinks along.
Compiled from web research (AMP Portofino, AMP Isola di Bergeggi and its regulation, Parco Naturale Regionale di Porto Venere, Ligurian cave cadastre, Città Metropolitana di Genova, dive centres, logbookimmersioni.it, SIMSI; Sept 2026). Pins come from official POIs, the cadastre or dive-site databases and mark the dive site; ~ = estimate. Rules change — check locally.