Scuba diving at Secca del Frate in Palmaiola

This area for going scuba diving takes its name from a rock called del Frate, near the tiny Island of Palmaiola. Since the area is in the middle of the channel of Piombino, the current is often very strong.

The tip of the sandbed is at a depth of 3 m and it goes down to 30 m below the surface. Along the wall you will see yellow sea fans, sea spirographs and nudibranchs.

Both the morphology of the actual sandbed as well as the cracks therein are home to many fish that have made their dens inside, like conger eels, moray eels, groupers and redfish.

Since the sandbed is in the middle of the Piombino channel, there are often many pelagic fish out on the hunt.

Photographs kindly lent by Riccardo Buralli - Diving in Elba