Sardinia · about 4 km from Cala Gonone
Grotta del Bue Marino
- Max depth20 m
- CertificationFull cave
- Water temperature≈ ~15 °Cestimated, no reports yet
- SpecialDPV-suitable
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- Fill stationProtec SardiniaAir, nitrox, trimix (helium), O₂ — mixing panel and boosterRoute ↗
- Fill stationBluforia Diving Center (Cala Gonone)Air, nitrox, trimix and mixed gas; twinsets 12+12 and 15+15 and 3 l rebreather cylindersRoute ↗
- Fill stationBase One Cave DivingAir, nitrox, trimix (helium), O₂ — mixing panel and boosterRoute ↗
What it looks like
Cave Diving Sardinia - Bue Marino Ecosystem Characteristics extreme cave diving video in Bue Marino, Cala Gonone, Sardinia, Italy Bue Marino cave dive, With ProTec Sardinia Bue Marino, cave diving in Sardinia
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Videos and posts
From other divers, via YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. They only load when you click; after that, Google's or Meta's privacy rules apply.
Cave Diving Sardinia - Bue Marino Ecosystem Characteristics extreme cave diving video in Bue Marino, Cala Gonone, Sardinia, Italy Bue Marino cave dive, With ProTec Sardinia Bue Marino, cave diving in Sardinia
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Other people's footage, not advice: how someone else dives here says nothing about what suits your team. Dive within your training.
The dive
Inside, fresh water at ~15 °C year-round meets the sea, which reaches 28–30 °C in summer. Along the way you see fossil oyster beds, formations and remains of the monk seal the cave is named after.
Profile and sections
Inside, fresh water at ~15 °C year-round meets the sea, which reaches 28–30 °C in summer. Along the way you see fossil oyster beds, formations and remains of the monk seal the cave is named after.
Grotta del Bue Marino is a large, very complex system. Three branches meet at two big sea portals: the north branch of ~9 km (fossil, with lakes; the 'Czech branch' >7 km with 42 sumps), the middle branch of ~4.5 km with 38 sumps and the south branch of ~7 km. Connections with Su Molente (2013) and Su Palu/Monte Longos (2016) make it part of a ~70 km system. Protec has laid >2 km of its own line; in 2024 a GUE team did survey work here using scooter teams.
Practical: it is also a show cave; the south branch has a ~700–900 m tour (~1 hour).
- Depth and profile
- Dives from the sea: mostly -8 to -15 m, max ~-20 m according to the centres; halocline at ~-5/-6 m. Deeper inside (expedition): south-branch sump 630 m / -31, middle branch ends at a -50 m sump.
- Configuration
- All configurations; roomy passages and halls. A scooter pays off for the far sections. Fresh water 15 °C.
- DPV: DPV-suitable
- Long, roomy passages; in 2024 scooter teams (GUE Cave DPV) surveyed the most remote parts. Base One rents scooters.
Who can dive where
- At least Full cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 20 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 from Cala Gonone harbour (~15 min, ~3.7 km south), in practice with one of the Cala Gonone cave centres. A marked ~20 min trail also leads from Cala Fuili to the north entrance. Tour boats from Cala Gonone, Orosei, La Caletta, Santa Maria Navarrese and Arbatax call daily for the show-cave section.
Around Grotta del Bue Marino
Fills3 fill stations · nearest 4 km
Protec Sardinia
Via Collodi 9, 08022 Cala Gonone
Air, nitrox, trimix (helium), O₂ — mixing panel and booster
Not stated — ask
Tech and cave centre. Two boats of its own. Training: cave, rebreather, dual rebreather, sidemount and trimix, also CCR maintenance. Guides in Bue Marino, Bel Torrente, Cala Luna, Utopia, Grotta del Fico, Grotta Sifone and Grotta Masseduoe (the last two only with Protec, confirmed Oct 2026); runs the Utopia exploration project (SKEP). Has worked for 21 years with a hotel where most clients stay.
Bluforia Diving Center (Cala Gonone)
Vico II Palmasera 4/A, 08022 Cala Gonone – Dorgali (NU)
Air, nitrox, trimix and mixed gas; twinsets 12+12 and 15+15 and 3 l rebreather cylinders
Not stated — ask
According to its own site: cave training from Intro to Cave at Bel Torrente to Full Cave at Cala Luna, Bue Marino and Grotta del Fico; KISS and JJ-CCR courses.
Base One Cave Diving
Viale Colombo 15, 08022 Cala Gonone (Dorgali)
Air, nitrox, trimix (helium), O₂ — mixing panel and booster
Daily 8:30–18:30 (InDEPTH business directory)
GUE cave centre operating from Cala Gonone harbour with RIBs; official home of SUEX. Cave dives by RIB: standard €135 (up to 180 minutes), a full day €250, gas and rental cylinders not included; to the Grotta del Fico or the southern caves €25 extra per person. Fills priced per litre (oxygen €0.025/l, helium €0.065/l), for example €20 for a D12 of nitrox 32; whether walk-in fills for non-clients are possible: ask. GUE training at all levels, also JJ-CCR factory classes by visiting instructors.
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News
- Biodiversity of sea caves: many species, few alternatives when the ecosystem changes ↗
- Cala Gonone Jazz Festival, music lands (also) in the Bue Marino Caves ↗
All (1)
Nearby
Articles about cave diving that name a place within 25 km of this site, but no cave by name. They're not necessarily about this site.
Access and rules change: check what applies locally right before your trip. Source: GDELT Project and the news feeds of diving magazines. Search for more news ↗ Searched automatically, last on 13 Nov 2026.
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