11 caves · down to 45 m · 11 suitable for an intro team
Cave diving in Sicily
- Caves11
- Max depth45 m
- Water temperature15–27 °C
- Dive centres4
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- Blu Tek Diving (Marettimo)Air (compressor aboard); nitrox and trimix not stated — ask
- Capo Murro Diving Center (Siracusa)Air, nitrox and trimix
Why come here
On Sicily you dive no springs but sea caves and caverns, spread over the island and its islets, each in a marine reserve with its own rules, and guided. The finest are at Marettimo (Egadi), an hour by hydrofoil from Trapani, where the caves are dived only with a guide, from 1 April to 15 January; close to Palermo lies the Grotta dell'Olio at Capo Gallo. On Lampedusa you may enter the caves only on a rebreather. The water is 22–27 °C in summer and 15–17 °C in winter, but at Marettimo 14–15 °C was measured at 30 m in June too. The season runs from May to October, the west and north coasts are exposed to the maestrale, and distances on the island are long.
Don't miss
- La Cattedrale (Marettimo): a chamber like a Gothic cathedral full of stalactites, stalagmites and encrusted columns, with light beams through the clear water and large groupers already at the entrance.
- Grotta Perciata (Marettimo): a photographers' favourite for the light, with slipper lobsters and moray eels in the cracked floor and a ceiling full of tiny shrimp.
- Grotta dell'Olio (Capo Gallo, Palermo): a cave near Palermo whose entrance is rimmed by a vermetid reef, with groupers and moray eels inside and anchors and old amphorae on the sand floor.
On a rest day
- Monreale Cathedral: The cathedral in Monreale near Palermo, with about 6,500 m² of Byzantine-style mosaics and a cloister with 216 marble columns.
- Zingaro Nature Reserve: A seven-kilometre coastal path between Scopello and San Vito lo Capo, with no road or cars, past a string of coves.
- Segesta: A fifth-century BC Doric temple with 36 columns and, higher up the hill, a Greek theatre.
All 11 caves
| Site | Max depth | Type | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Cattedrale (Marettimo)Permission neededBackmount · Cavern | 30 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotte del Capo (Capo Murro di Porco, Siracusa)Permission neededBackmount · Intro to cave | 30 m | Backmount | Intro to cave |
| Grotte del Formaggio (Plemmirio, Siracusa)Permission neededBackmount · Intro to cave | 28 m | Backmount | Intro to cave |
| Grotta Azzurra (Isola Bella, Taormina)Permission neededBackmount · Cavern | – | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta con le due Camere (Marettimo)Permission neededBackmount · Cavern | – | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta dei Gamberi (Filicudi)Backmount · Cavern | 45 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta del Tuono (Marettimo)Permission neededBackmount · Cavern | 24 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta dell'Olio (Capo Gallo, Palermo)Permission neededBackmount · Cavern | 30 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta dell'Oro (Capo Milazzo)Permission neededBackmount · Cavern | 25 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta Perciata (Marettimo)Permission neededBackmount · Cavern | 22 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta Santa (Lampedusa)Permission neededNot known yet · Cavern | – | Not known yet | Cavern |
Certification requirements, configurations and trimix depths are estimates for planning. Always check them locally and dive within your training.
Map
Dive centres and fill stations
4 dive centres, fill stations and instructors
Blu Tek Diving (Marettimo)
Via Tedesco 6, 91023 Marettimo
Air (compressor aboard); nitrox and trimix not stated — ask
Daily 7:30–21:00
Guided dives: La Cattedrale (Marettimo), Grotta Perciata (Marettimo), Grotta con le due Camere (Marettimo), Grotta del Tuono (Marettimo)
Rental: Dive equipment
PADI centre in Marettimo harbour with a 15–18 m boat and a compressor aboard. Dives the island's caves (Cattedrale, Perciata, due Camere, Tuono) under the Egadi rules. According to divingaway it also teaches PADI cave courses; its own PADI page lists only Scuba Diver — ask.
Capo Milazzo Diving Center
Via Francesco Crispi 1, 98057 Milazzo
PADI 5* centre in Milazzo, at the foot of Capo Milazzo (AMP since 2019). Which caves it dives and what it fills is not on a source we could read — ask. The hydrofoils to the Aeolian Islands also leave from Milazzo.
Capo Murro Diving Center (Siracusa)
Porticciolo di Ognina 2, Via Capo Ognina, 96100 Siracusa
Air, nitrox and trimix
Ask for hours
Guided dives: Grotte del Formaggio (Plemmirio, Siracusa), Grotte del Capo (Capo Murro di Porco, Siracusa)
Rental: Full equipment, steel cylinders and scooters (DPV)
Centre in Ognina harbour, on the edge of the Plemmirio AMP; dives zone A (Capo Murro di Porco, with its caves) with authorisation. The only centre on Sicily where we found trimix fills and scooter rental.
Nike Diving (Taormina)
Isola Bella, Taormina
PADI centre on the Isola Bella beach near Taormina, inside the nature reserve. Dives around Isola Bella; whether it enters the Grotta Azzurra is not on a source — ask.
Order: partners first, clearly marked as partner; then dive centres by distance from Palermo and independent instructors by name. Not a recommendation: check what they offer yourself.
On this list, or should you be? Get a free partner card →Practical info: rules, fills and emergency numbers
Emergencies
- 112; coast guard 1530; DAN Europe +39 06 4211 5685.
- Chambers (SIMSI list March 2024 and ASP Palermo): Palermo – Policlinico Paolo Giaccone, Via Alfonso Giordano 3 (+39 091 655 2722) and Ospedale Civico, Via Lazzaro (+39 091 666 5104); Partinico – ASP Palermo, Via Circonvallazione 1 (24/365, +39 091 703 1168); Ustica (1 May–31 October). Messina (Policlinico G. Martino) and Trapani (Sant'Antonio Abate) are named, but we could not confirm their status; seasonal chambers on Favignana and Lampedusa (AGI, 2021). Call 112 and DAN first.
Access and rules
- Egadi (Isole Egadi AMP, 2010 regulation): in zone A (the west side of Marettimo, Punta Mugnone–Punta Libeccio) diving on your own is prohibited; guided dives only with centres from Favignana, from 15 April to 15 October, max 4 divers per guide. The submerged caves may only be entered guided, from 1 April to 15 January, max 4 divers per guide and 2 guides and 8 divers per dive, never at night. Independent diving is possible in zones B and C with the AMP's authorisation (at least a second-level certification, groups of max 8), but not in the caves. Touch nothing, no scooters without a permit.
- Other reserves: Capo Gallo–Isola delle Femmine (2002): zone A closed to divers, zone B guided only by centres from the municipality; for the Grotta dell'Olio you book through a centre, which asks the AMP for permission. Plemmirio (Siracusa; 2004 decree, 2026 rules): zone A around Capo Murro di Porco guided only by authorised centres from Siracusa, at least one guide per 5 divers and max 18 divers per dive; in caves only with a cave certification ('cave' or equivalent). Independent diving only at the designated sites in zone B, with an AMP card and authorisation per dive. Capo Milazzo (2019) and Isola Bella (Taormina): guided with a local centre. Pelagie (Lampedusa, 2008): in submerged caves only on a closed or semi-closed circuit, boats only rowing to the caves.
Gas and fills
- Gas: Capo Murro Diving (Siracusa) fills air, nitrox and trimix and rents scooters; Blu Tek and Voglia di Mare on Marettimo have compressors aboard, Voglia di Mare nitrox too; La Perla Nera on Ustica fills trimix. We found no source for cave or cavern training on Sicily (divingaway mentions a PADI cave course at Blu Tek: ask).
Water and season
- Water: 22–27 °C in summer, 19–22 °C in autumn, 15–17 °C in winter and 17–20 °C in spring (Milazzo); at Marettimo 14–15 °C was measured at 30 m in June too. Visibility often 25–30 m. The caves on the west and north coasts are exposed to the maestrale (north-west wind); season May–October.
Getting around
- Location: sea caves and caverns only, spread over the island and its islets; no inland spring or sump is dived. The best caves are at Marettimo (Egadi): hydrofoil from Trapani, ~1 hour. Capo Gallo is near Palermo, Capo Milazzo and the hydrofoils to Filicudi (Aeolian Islands) on the north-east coast, Taormina and Siracusa on the east coast, Lampedusa (Pelagie) by plane. Airports: Palermo, Catania and Trapani. Distances are long: Palermo–Siracusa ~3 h drive (estimate).
Rest day
- Rest day: the boat trip around Marettimo past the Grotta del Cammello, the Grotta del Tuono and the Grotta delle Sirene; snorkelling at Isola Bella; the sea caves of Ortigia (Siracusa) by boat.
News
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