Salento · about 5 km from Porto Cesareo
Grotta il Camino
- Max depth19 m
- CertificationIntro to cave
- Water temperature≈ 14–26 °C, varies with the seasonestimated, no reports yet
Diving and fills
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Fills nearby
- Costa del Sud Diving ServiceAir, nitrox, trimix, oxygen, argon
- Scuba Diving OtrantoAir; ask about nitrox and trimix
The dive
You swim in past two large boulders that partly hide the entrance and reach two roomy chambers in a row. A shaft of ~5 m in the vault (the 'chimney' the cave is named after) and a narrow fissure let in daylight.
Profile and sections
You swim in past two large boulders that partly hide the entrance and reach two roomy chambers in a row. A shaft of ~5 m in the vault (the 'chimney' the cave is named after) and a narrow fissure let in daylight. At the back of the second chamber a long fissure shelters large corvine; you leave the cave at the top of that chamber at ~-7 m. The dive then continues along the wall at ~-10 m.
The cave is in the regional cave registry as Pu Le 1734 and was surveyed between 2007 and 2010 during an inventory of the AMP's underwater caves.
Practical: the sources differ on the level. The dive centre calls the dive medium and suitable for less experienced divers because you can surface anywhere; the researchers advise against it without cave-diving gear and training. We assume a cave card.
- Depth and profile
- Entrance -16 m (partly behind two large boulders) · exit ~-7 m · route max -19 m; the centre's website gives -5 to -12 m
- Configuration
- Two roomy chambers according to the dive centre; passage sizes not published
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
- Short cave; no gain
Who can dive where
- At least Intro to cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 19 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
By boat, ~2 miles north-west of Porto Cesareo harbour, in zone C of the AMP Porto Cesareo. Underwater caves in the AMP may only be dived as a guided dive with an authorised centre (guide at least Dive Master, max 4 divers per guide and 8 per dive); the dive starts at the mooring at -16 m.
Around Grotta il Camino
Fills2 fill stations · nearest 20 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.
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