LA MONTAGNOLA (SECCA DI PONENTE)

When leaving the top of the Ponente shoal and after  finning for a few minutes, it appears a single large rock that, at first glance, seems to narrow and high, but actually when viewed from the side it appears that this rocky formation is long and shows the same morphology of the margins of the Ponente shoal. Surrounded by smaller rocks, this “Montagnola” (“small mountain”) has its base between 35 and 40 mt deep and the peak at around 20 m deep. On the eastern side, it is quite rich in red giant fans (Paramuricea clavata). The western side is more barren, but cracks and crevices often reserve some nice surprises. In a short time it is possible to complete the circumnavigation of the bastion, and on the way back the diver can devotes some time in observing the many small rocks colonized by a wide variety of invertebrates, and taking a look into the blue where often barracudas, snappers and, sometimes, jask fishes swim peacefully in their hunting territory.