Marine Protected Area
Marine Protected Area
Welcome to the first Marine Protected Area of Italy!
Established in 1986, we now enjoy the results of more than 30 years of environmental protection.
As the emerging top of a submarine volcano in the Southern Tyrrhenian its steep rugged sea bottoms are especially celebrated for their luxuriant seascapes made up by encrusting communities and diverse fish fauna. Due to its long distance from the mainland, its small area and low population density, the island’s coastal habitat is nearly undisturbed.
As we invite you to visit the official website of the MPA for technical description and regulations, below is the introduction of the underwater world of Ustica Island through our eyes.
MPAs in Italy are commonly divided in A,B,C or more zones, based on protection limitations.
As scuba divers - except for the A zone - we are allowed to dive in the both zones following the standard limitations. So our partition is based on the different environments the seabeds of Ustica can offer.
The A Zone
It's the Aquatic Zone, the open waters with roaming pelagic life. There are reefs, better defined as shoals, which are real submerged mountains where you can plunge into the blue and expect to be surrounded by ocean life. The B Zone
It is the Benthic Zone, where sea life swarms on rocky outcrops, coral reefs and seagrass meadows, with an explosion of biodiversity. There are more than 10 dive hotspots around the island to visit but the entire coastline is worth to be explored underwater. The C Zone
Welcome to the Cave Zone! The "dark side" of the submerged volcano, where tunnels and cavities preserve an extraordinary hidden marine life. There are about a dozen underwater caverns to visit, at different depths and for different levels of scuba diving. So, where to dive?!
There are more than 15 dive sites around the island and are all characterized by the geological conformation of volcanic origin. More than that, there are 2 archaeological underwater itineraries settled in the extreme points of the island to visit.
