Salento
Grotta del Serpe
- Max depth18 m
- CertificationCavern
- Water temperature≈ 14–26 °C, varies with the seasonestimated, no reports yet
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- Costa del Sud Diving ServiceAir, nitrox, trimix, oxygen, argon
- Scuba Diving OtrantoAir; ask about nitrox and trimix
The dive
Along a wall with large Axinella sponges and a resting place for seahorses you reach the entrance at -18 m.
Profile and sections
Along a wall with large Axinella sponges and a resting place for seahorses you reach the entrance at -18 m. Inside you see calcite deposits, lettuce coral and colourful sponges under a vault whose shape makes it look almost carved. A wide passage takes you up to -5 m, where you make your safety stop.
Practical: Scuba Diving Otranto calls the wall suitable for beginners too; for the cave itself the centre gives no level.
- Depth and profile
- Wall from -5 to -18 m · entrance -18 m · a wide passage rises to -5 m · length not published
- Configuration
- All configurations; wide passage
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
- Short cave; no gain
Who can dive where
- At least Cavern
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 18 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
Near Otranto, with Scuba Diving Otranto ('Parete e Grotta del Serpe'); the exact spot is not published.
Around Grotta del Serpe
Fills2 fill stations · nearest 0 km
Costa del Sud Diving Service
Lungomare Santa Caterina 6, 73050 Santa Caterina di Nardò (LE)
Air, nitrox, trimix, oxygen, argon
Daily 7:30–20:30 according to its SSI listing; ask outside the summer season
SSI Instructor Training Center with rebreather and XR training; rents drysuits and scooters among other gear; boat and shore dives. Dives the Porto Selvaggio and Santa Caterina caves and reports being authorised for the AMP Porto Cesareo and the Porto Selvaggio park. Fills for visitors and sofnolime: ask.
Scuba Diving Otranto
Via del Porto 1, 73028 Otranto (LE)
Air; ask about nitrox and trimix
Open all year according to a listing; ask
SSI centre at the harbour with daily day and night dives from three RIBs (2× 7.4 m, 1× 10 m); technical training incl. trimix and rebreather. Lists caves among its dive sites — ask which.
Drive times from Santa Maria al Bagno (Nardò): we don't know this site's exact spot.
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