Cave diving in Salento
Short, life-rich sea caves in Salento's limestone coast: around Porto Selvaggio and Santa Caterina (Nardò) on the Ionian side, and near Otranto and the Ciolo on the Adriatic side — with air bells, freshwater springs and dives to ~-25 m.
7 caves · down to 25 m · 6 suitable for an intro team
All 7 caves
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grotta delle Corvine | 17 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta delle Tre Furneddhe | 23 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta lu Lampiune | 25 m | Not known yet | Intro to cave |
| Grotta Luigino Marras | – | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta Paolo Roversi | – | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta Piccola del Ciolo | – | Not known yet | Intro to cave |
| Grotta Zinzulusa⛔ Closed to divers | – | Not known yet | Full cave |
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
- 112, ambulance 118, coast guard 1530, Capitaneria di Porto Gallipoli 0833 266862; DAN Europe +39 06 4211 5685.
- Hyperbaric chambers: Ospedale Sacro Cuore di Gesù, Via Provinciale per Alezio, 73014 Gallipoli (tel. +39 0833 270738; a local list gives 0833 270429) and Ospedale Vito Fazzi, Piazza Filippo Muratore 1, 73100 Lecce (tel. +39 0832 335499; reopened June 2025, treats decompression sickness). 24/7 availability not confirmed: in an accident call 112/118 and DAN first.
Access and rules
- AMP Porto Cesareo (Punta Prosciutto – Torre Inserraglio, tel. 0833 560144): in zone A everything except research is banned; in zones B and C diving is allowed. Check the current rules with the AMP. The Porto Selvaggio and Santa Caterina caves lie south of Torre Inserraglio, along the Porto Selvaggio e Palude del Capitano regional park.
- For that park and for the Costa Otranto – S. Maria di Leuca e Bosco di Tricase coastal park (regional law 30/2006) no separate cave-diving rules are known; the coastal park's founding law contains no diving ban. Costa del Sud reports being authorised for the AMP Porto Cesareo and the Porto Selvaggio park.
- In preparation: the AMP 'Capo d'Otranto – Grotte Zinzulusa e Romanelli – Capo di Leuca' (Otranto to Leuca, 11 municipalities). First zoning presented in October 2025, consultation until 12 January 2026; the ISPRA report mentions rules for diving and limited access to submerged and semi-submerged caves. Check before you travel whether the AMP is in force.
Closed or restricted
- Grotta Zinzulusa (Castro): guided show cave; the flooded parts are closed.
Gas and fills
- Gas: Costa del Sud (Santa Caterina) fills trimix, oxygen and argon and runs rebreather and XR training; Scuba Diving Otranto runs trimix and rebreather courses (ask about fills).
Water and season
- Water temperature (surface, Gallipoli): on average ~14 °C in February to ~26 °C in August. Fresh water flows into several caves (halocline, blurred visibility).
Safety
- Sea caves: skip them in swell. On the Ionian side, westerly to north-westerly wind sets up a sucking surge in the Grotta delle Corvine. Never breathe from air bells.
Rest day
- Rest day: guided tour of the Grotta Zinzulusa (~1 hour, all year, by boat from Castro Marina or overland) or walks in the Porto Selvaggio nature park.
Good to know
- Two clusters: the Ionian coast of Nardò (Porto Selvaggio, Santa Caterina) with most of the cave dives and the technical dive centre Costa del Sud, and the Adriatic coast (Otranto, Castro, the Ciolo near Gagliano del Capo). The caves are short (up to ~120 m) and shallow (to -25 m); local centres know the entries.
Plan a cave diving trip to Salento
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 (the Onorato, Denitto & Belmonte 1999 inventory in Thalassia Salentina, dive-centre and dive-site descriptions, Wikipedia, regional park laws, ISPRA/AMP documents, the SIMSI list of hyperbaric chambers; Sept 2026). Pins come from that inventory's coordinates (1″ precision, datum not stated): allow ±100–200 m. ~ = estimate. Rules change — check locally.