Plongée souterraine à Palinuro et dans le Cilento
Les grottes marines du cap Palinuro, dont certaines abritent des sources sulfureuses chaudes (Grotta Azzurra et sa Sala della Neve, Cala Fetente), et les grottes moins profondes de l'aire marine protégée de la Costa degli Infreschi, près de Marina di Camerota — en bateau, avec un centre local.
10 grottes · jusqu'à 50 m · 6 à la portée d'une équipe Intro
Les descriptions des grottes sont pour l'instant en anglais.
Les 10 grottes
| Site | Prof. max. | Type | Brevet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grotta Azzurra di Palinuro | 30 m | Backmount | Cavern |
| Grotta degli Occhi | – | Pas encore connu | Full cave |
| Grotta dei Monaci | 6 m | Pas encore connu | Cavern |
| Grotta del Cannone | – | Pas encore connu | Cavern |
| Grotta del Pozzallo | – | Pas encore connu | Cavern |
| Grotta del Sangue | 15 m | Pas encore connu | Full cave |
| Grotta della Cattedrale (Capo Palinuro) | – | Pas encore connu | Intro to cave |
| Grotta della Scaletta | 50 m | Sidemount | Full cave |
| Grotta delle Noglie | – | Pas encore connu | Cavern |
| Grotta Sulfurea (Cala Fetente) | – | Pas encore connu | Full cave |
Les brevets requis, les configurations et les profondeurs trimix sont des estimations destinées à la planification. Vérifiez-les toujours sur place et plongez dans les limites de votre formation.
Infos pratiques : règles, gonflage et numéros d'urgence
Urgences
- 112; coast guard 1530; DAN Europe +39 06 4211 5685.
- Hyperbaric chambers (SIMSI list, March 2024): Salerno – AOU San Giovanni di Dio e Ruggi d'Aragona, Largo Ippocrate 1, 84131 Salerno (+39 089 672756, +39 089 673387; 24 h emergency: yes), ~2 h drive (estimate). Naples – AORN Cardarelli, Via Cardarelli 9, 80131 Napoli (+39 081 747 4102, +39 081 747 4098; 24 h). Basilicata has no chamber on the list. A former chamber in Palinuro closed (2001 report). Call 112 and DAN first.
Accès et règles
- Capo Palinuro has ~35 sea caves, all reached only by sea. You dive them by boat from Palinuro harbour with a local centre (Palinuro Sub is open April–November). In summer tour boats pass the caves about every half hour between 9:00 and 18:00: watch for boat traffic at the entrances.
- Rules at Capo Palinuro: no marine protected area found; the cape lies in the Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni National Park. According to palinuro.it the Capitaneria di Porto has issued rules for the caves, but we could not find the text — ask your dive centre. In June 2017, after 15 deaths since 1984, the president of the Vallo della Lucania court called for a dive ban in the most dangerous caves, mandatory dive notification to the Capitaneria and closure of the passages with most deaths; whether this was implemented is not known.
- AMP Costa degli Infreschi e della Masseta (Camerota and San Giovanni a Piro), managed by the Ente Parco: diving only at designated sites and with authorisation (Park form; PEC parco.cilentodianoealburni@pec.it; offices in Camerota and San Giovanni a Piro). 2025 fee for independent diving by non-residents: €10/day, €20/week, €40/month — the table lists them for zone C only, so as a visitor you dive the zone B caves in practice with an authorised centre. The Grotta del Cannone and the Grotta dell'Acqua Fredda are guided dives only. Max 3 authorised dives per day per underwater cave (4 at other sites). Mooring only on the numbered yellow buoys (max 2 h for independent dives), approach at max 3 knots; no diving in zone A.
Gaz et gonflage
- Gas: no trimix or O₂ fill station found; Palinuro Sub fills and rents cylinders (gases not stated). Arrange O₂ and diluent for CCR in advance. No CCR or scooter rental found.
Eau et saison
- Water: ~24 °C at depth in summer (2020 trip report, 5 mm suit); in the Grotta Azzurra seawater measured 17–17.6 °C and spring water up to <25 °C (1996).
Sécurité
- Hazards: sulphur springs with hydrogen sulphide (H₂S), e.g. in the Grotta Azzurra, at Cala Fetente and in the Grotta del Sangue — never breathe air from air bells; fine silt that quickly takes away the visibility; maze passages and dead ends. Fatal accidents in 1984, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2012 and 2016.
Jour de repos
- Rest day: boat trip along the Capo Palinuro caves, the Grotta delle Ossa below Castello di Molpa (prehistoric bones, by sea only) and the Infreschi bay.
Planifiez un séjour de plongée souterraine à Palinuro (Cilento)
Saisissez votre équipe, avec brevets, gaz et configurations, et voyez tout de suite quelles grottes vous conviennent. Avec les temps de route depuis votre hébergement, les stations de gonflage et un instructeur IA qui réfléchit avec vous.
Compiled from web research (national cave registry via Grottomap, Logbook Immersioni, 2025 disciplinare of the Costa degli Infreschi e della Masseta AMP, Comune di Centola, dive centres and tourist sites, Divernet, scientific papers, news reports 1984–2017, SIMSI list 2024; Sept 2026). Pins from the cadastre, the dive-site database or the AMP buoy plan (see each site); ~ = estimate. Rules change — check locally.