Dive sites
ARGENTARIO OBIDIVING is open all year round.
There are normally 3 outings per day with the dinghy: 9.00 am, 11.30 am and 3.00 pm plus any night trips.
Possibility of diving from the ground with or without a guide starting from the small beach in front of the diving headquarters.
You can easily arrive in front of the Diving with your vehicle, unload the equipment and park in the large free Siluripedio car park a few steps from the Diving.
We organize dives taking into consideration the level and experience of each diver.
Our diving proposals:
Punta Lividonia
Depth: 34-36m | Difficulty: Medium
UNDER THE LIGHTHOUSE - it is a slightly neglected but very beautiful and adventurous dive. Its problem is that there is almost always current, both north and south. A reef wonderfully rich in colors among various forms of sponges and sessile life and four crags to reach the bottom, between 34 and 36m the route is short, but very lively. In fact we will find the usual red gorgonians, often lobsters, certainly a lot of coral etc. but, going back along the route, we will find a diverger for the networks buried underground. We arrive at the mouth of the river and go up it until we find a niche about 17 metres, with a den and a grouper which is sometimes also in the house. We go back up and find ourselves on the reef, near the anchor.
Calagrande South
Depth: 40m | Difficulty: Medium
SOUTH POINT - it is very beautiful, you can find dogfish eggs deposited on the branches of large fans of red gorgonian fans, conger eels and large moray eels, sometimes lobster etc etc. It's a shame that the beautiful part is at 40m and above and that to reach it we must first cross a "desert" of coarse sand and pebbles
Calagrande North
Depth: 32-34m | Difficulty: Medium
NORTH POINT - it is less spectacular than the southern tip, but you reach the wall with the gorgonians first and the maximum depth of 32/34m. It's a shame that the colored wall is rather short, but ends in an interesting cave to visit. On the way back, a large bin and a plaque and then rocks and coral reefs where moray eels and conger eels and even a small grouper find shelter.
Argentarola
The cathedral cave
Depth: 30-32m | Difficulty: Medium
THE CATHEDRAL CAVE - you slowly slide towards the bottom 32/34 meters between large fans of red gorgonian fans. On the bottom we find sprigs of red coral, sometimes lobsters and, much more rarely, lobsters. We go back to the search for the difficult opening of the cathedral cave. Once inside, the dark black of the cave creates a certain uneasiness, which however passes by looking back towards the skylight, clear and illuminating the way out. This reassures us and we proceed. We scroll along the wall among sponges and cave fish and stalactites until we find the small altar. At its base the members of a nice herd of croakers go in and out. We continue further up to the main altar and up to a tunnel separated by a fan of stalactites and stalagmites fused together. The light penetrates filtered by the fan of these natural columns. The show is more than exciting. The tunnel can be penetrated, but, due to the silt present on the bottom, the kick must be borrowed from the Side Mount. We pass through a hole to return to the central chamber where the skylight welcomes us providentially and from here we return to the sunlight and the anchor.
Argentarola
Punta Giglio south side
Depth: 28m | Difficulty: Medium
PUNTA GIGLIO SOUTH SIDE - you dive quite close to the tip of Argenterola overlooking Giglio. We go down the river towards the bottom without reaching it (40m more) Always look at the bottom and move cautiously because, at 28m, it is not uncommon to encounter a large grouper "sitting" on a boulder... we continue along the wall, among red gorgonians and dogfish eggs, until you find the "Open book" and the fireplace. At its base it is almost certain that you will encounter even large forkbeards that guard the entrance. The fireplace is for only one person at a time, but it is extremely safe and its vault is full of shrimp (stenopodus ispidus?). Having visited the fireplace, we return to the base passing through the terrace and leave the red gorgonians. Depending on your computer data and air supply, you may end up visiting the air bubble cave before ascending.
Argentarola
Punta Giglio north side
Depth: 13-17m | Difficulty: Medium
PUNTA GIGLIO NORTH SIDE - the anchor on a plateau of about 13 meters that we cross to reach the reef. We go up it for a while and then climb over it, to reach a terrace that jumps into the blue, an area full of moray eels. We leave the terrace and continue along a wonderful wall of red gorgonians, sometimes infested with yellow gorgonians. At the tip of the open book it is easy to encounter a little current. Once we get to the open book, we slide to the bottom, where there are the codfish and the entrance to the fireplace. We explore the fireplace one at a time and then reach the terrace. Once you have visited the terrace you go back and go up along the spine of the open book. At 17 meters there is a window. Every now and then a snapper appears there and then disappears. We go up and jump the reef which here is 11 meters and often with current and we dive back into the plateau towards the anchor, not without first having admired the myriad of bubbles that filter from the rock: it is our air from when we entered the chimney
Il bove
Parete del bove, il traliccio
Depth: 28m | Difficulty: Medium
PARETE DEL BOVE, THE TRESS - to be done possibly early in the morning, when the sun does not illuminate it. It has a special effect to look down at the bottom 28 meters along a vertical wall. At the bottom we continue towards the "open book" where the coral and lobsters begin. Continuing you can reach 42 m, but only for expert divers with a TEC 40 certification
Il bove
Baia del bove, punta del bove
Depth: 19-30\42-46m | Difficulty: Medium
BAIA DEL BOVE, PUNTA DEL BOVE - diving for experts. You anchor at 19 meters on a seabed of boulders, an excellent hiding place for moray eels, conger eels etc. we proceed towards the tip when we encounter, about 30 m, a boulder full of red gorgonians and coral. Every now and then some lobster or long-spined urchins. We proceed towards the tip, trying to maintain the altitude or a little more, since the foot rests between 42 and 46 metres. When you reach the lost network, you begin the return journey, making sure to always leave at least 2 minutes before the computer asks you to decompress. Before resurfacing we visit a colorful niche ten meters deep. You return to anchor while maintaining altitude to avoid emergency decompression.
North Bove
Depth: 34-36m | Difficulty: Medium
PUNTA DEL BOVE NORD - you slide slowly on coral formations at 35 m, among red and yellow gorgonians
Coral reef
The classic
Depth: 18-19m | Difficulty: Medium
THE CLASSIC - depending on your level of experience you can stay between 18 and 19 meters or reach the bottom of the canyon, continue to the left and, going up you find the V which leads onto the coral wall, an entire wall covered in coral with open white politicians. We climb back onto the "baco" and go to find a conger eel bigger than the cave that hosts it and then return to the anchor, checking the cave cavities for the presence of small moray eels. It is common to encounter the Pavonian damsel.
Coral reef
The caves
Depth: Not declared | Difficulty: Medium
THE CAVES - we begin with the "Death's Head" tunnel, looking carefully on the sides of the large cavity for the presence of a large conger eel with ears, then we pass into the "siphon", a fairly narrow tunnel that allows the passage of two divers side by side. Take a look at the bottom for any dead coral. We end by visiting the cave of the ox and the donkey, in front of the coral wall.
Coral reef
The big wall
Depth: 34-36m | Difficulty: Medium
IL PARETONE - A dive into the blue up to 34/36 meters in perfect vertical. A unique emotion. At the base check the small caves; sometimes a lobster appears. Continue until you find the coral wall. The return can be done from the same side, gradually ascending in altitude or going around in circles until you find the anchor.
Coral reef
The outer arm
Depth: 44-45m | Difficulty: Medium
THE OUTER ARM - a dive for expert divers or those with a tec 40 certification because the base is at 44/45 m and the top is at 29 metres. Its characteristic is that it is not very frequented and therefore the fish is little disturbed.
Secca di mezzo canale
Depth: 17-63m | Difficulty: Medium
Of course it is not a dive for everyone, with its pinnacle like a feather with its summit at 17 metres, planted in its inkwell, a plateau of around 24 meters as wide as a small apartment and then its gullies which slide rapidly around 45 metres, cemetery of many anchors and little anchors.... The widest plateau quickly reaches minus 55 and then slides as far as you can see onto the extreme edge - and there are at least 63... beyond that there is the dive! The problem is excessive visibility which makes things confusing and the bottom seem much closer than it is, and time passes too quickly! But the encounter with starfish and melon urchins, or with pelagic fauna and large snappers is worth a longer journey. But to dive here you need some more specialization, at least the Tec 40, only... the diving here is amazing!