Sicily
Grotte del Capo (Capo Murro di Porco, Siracusa)
- Max depth30 m
- CertificationIntro to cave
- Water temperature≈ 15–27 °C, varies with the seasonestimated, no reports yet
Diving and fills
Dive here with
The dive
Along the buoy line you descend to huge boulders scattered tens of metres from the wall, with shoals of sea bream, salema and saddled bream and now and then groupers, brown meagre and forkbeard.
Profile and sections
Along the buoy line you descend to huge boulders scattered tens of metres from the wall, with shoals of sea bream, salema and saddled bream and now and then groupers, brown meagre and forkbeard. Where the cliff drops almost vertically to the bottom, a crack and a large opening, usually home to a big grouper, lead to the west side of Capo Murro di Porco. Back along the wall a deep, tall corridor with two openings is beautiful for its light and its walls covered in sponges, bryozoans and yellow sea anemones. Last come caves with wide openings that reach to just below the surface; in one of them the blue light of the entrance is reflected in an air bubble under the vault. On a second, shallower route lies the large 'Pancia di Ivo' cave, with at its back a vertical fissure full of brown meagre where sunlight falls in through a chimney.
Round the cape lie the remains of the fishing boat Maestrale II (16 m long), which sank in bad weather on 13 December 1995.
Practical: the AMP rates the dive 'high / not to be missed'. The sources differ on the level: the AMP and the dive centre call the route suitable for all divers (difficulty low, medium with current); the AMP's rules (2026) allow cave dives only with a cave certification ('cave' or equivalent). We assume a cave card.
- Depth and profile
- Route max -20 m (green) or -30 m (red). A tall corridor runs from -16 m through the cliff to the buoy; the caves run from -8/-10 m to just below the surface. Round the cape a concreted passage from ~-24 m and a wreck at ~-30 m; a second route (max -18 m) goes to the 'Pancia di Ivo' cave, entrance -12 m, floor -18 m (Capo Murro Diving). Off the wall the bottom drops beyond -30 m.
- Configuration
- Large caves without branches, with a rocky floor (AMP): backmount or sidemount.
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable
- Underwater scooters are banned in the AMP (except with a permit for divers with a disability).
Who can dive where
- At least Intro to cave
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 30 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 with an AMP-authorised centre from Siracusa (e.g. Capo Murro Diving Center, in Ognina harbour); descend along the line of the AMP buoy at Capo Murro di Porco. Zone A of the Plemmirio AMP: guided only, and only once the AMP has told the centres the buoys are in place (2026 rules).
Around Grotte del Capo (Capo Murro di Porco, Siracusa)
FillsNo fill station known nearby
Other sites1 within 1 km
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