SCOGLIO DEL MONACO (“CARCIOFO”)

At a short distance from the “Scoglio della Portella”, we find the rock of Monaco (the monk); it is a fully submerged rock formation with an high from the seabed of about 30 metres This great bastion of rock is one of the most beautiful dive site in Milazzo.

Our exploration begins or with a “jump” into the blue up to 22 meters deep or with an underwater path starting in shallow waters at about ten minutes from the “artichoke”. The great dark silhouette of the “monk”, that appears to our eyes, suddenly lights up thanks to our dive lights; its base is at a depth of  about 50 meters where one can observe a wonderful “forest” of gorgonians of various shades of red, alternating with some ones of salmon color, and  some gorgonian fans of an  orange/yellow color (the so called “gorgonian of Skerky”). In less deep waters, the rock formation is fully covered with sponge. The environment, often exposed to currents and characterized by sand on the bottom and “grotto” on both sides of the “monk”, reserves, some time,the encounter with large pelagic fish like tuna and Kingfish, and more frequently with grouper, forkbeards and monkfish.

This is a dive site, where a diver really wishes to come back again several times!