The 8 best diving and snorkeling spots in Ajaccio

Put on your mask and tank and immerse yourself in the turquoise waters of Ajaccio’s best diving spots!

Welcome to Ajaccio! It’s the capital of Corsica, a land of character and a jewel on the Mediterranean Sea. This port city is located on the island’s untamed west coast. In fact, its breathtakingly beautiful seabed is a delight for underwater enthusiasts.

To convince you, we got wet to choose the best diving spots in Ajaccio. Mischievous fish, multicolored algae, spectacular shells, monumental rocks, wrecks… there’s something for everyone. An underwater trip off the coast of the town where Napoleon Bonaparte was born is a must!

1. The Death’s Head

Photo credit: Shutterstock – Angelo Giampiccolo

La Tête de Mort is one of Ajaccio’s most famous diving spots in the bay. It is accessible to all levels, allowing a wide public to learn or improve their diving skills. The site lies to the north-west of the Isolella peninsula, south of Porticcio and Ajaccio, a 12-minute boat ride away.

It consists of a main drop-off and a rocky plateau offering excellent visibility. Its interest lies in the profusion of underwater life, immediately visible from the first few meters of descent. Grouper, dentex, bluefin tuna or barracuda. Although the latter are carnivores, sometimes weighing more than 25 kg, don’t worry: they are totally harmless to humans, even webbed ones.

The dive generally takes 45 minutes and progresses to a depth of between 20 and 30 meters. A spectacular cave, reserved for experienced divers, lies a few metres below…

2. La Capannina

Photo credit: Shutterstock – Subphoto.com

Set sail from the port of Ajaccio for La Capannina, a diving spot in Ajaccio with several different sites. With a maximum depth of forty meters, it presents no particular difficulties.

The « beacon » consists of a rocky bottom at 25 meters, starting from rocks arranged in an arc. As you make your way along this drop-off, mostelles, lobsters and groupers will watch you with curiosity. These groupers are mischievous: they won’t hesitate to stand right in front of you and scrutinize you with their eyes.

Experienced divers will then be tempted by the Capannina cave, at a depth of forty meters. The light that seeps in creates a particularly spectacular natural cathedral. The comfort of this dive is enhanced by the area’s weak currents and high visibility.

3. The Sette Nave

Photo credit: Shutterstock – Benny Marty

According to legend, the « Sette Nave » were seven barbarian galleys filled with plague victims about to land on the shore. The frightened inhabitants invoked Saint-Roch, who petrified them with a wave of his hand, saving the population. Today, neither plague victims nor galleys can be found here, but rather a natural swimming pool housing an exceptionally rich marine ecosystem.

The site is formed by a rocky outcrop whose main plateau does not descend below a depth of 10 meters. Drop-offs and cavities allow you to dive deeper into the bluish water. This diving spot in Ajaccio is home to schools of mullet, sea urchins, sea bream, octopus and starfish.

Even more surprisingly, manta rays sometimes appear in the area. If you’re lucky enough to come across one of these amazing creatures, it’s sure to be an unforgettable highlight of your stay in Corse-du-Sud!

4. The Scudo Peak

Photo credit: Shutterstock – frantisekhojdysz

For experienced divers, the Pic du Scudo is a prime site just one kilometer off the Corsican coast. Its depth varies between 20 and 70 meters. It is distinguished by its sandy bottom and its « pic », an underwater rock that looks like a small mountain.

Below the rock, a gentle slope leads the aquatic outfitter to a drop-off of madrepores (hard corals) reaching around 70 meters. These are an idyllic home for red gorgonians, lobsters, moray eels and capons.

What do you mean, capons? No gallinaceous fish in the Big Blue. They’re simply the other name given to red scorpion fish. These spectacular fish feed on crustaceans and small fish, but can cause painful bites to unwary divers. Their scarlet color is a warning: don’t touch!

5. The grouper valley

Photo credit: Shutterstock – Angelo Giampiccolo

The Vallée des Mérous is reserved for Level 2 divers. The site reaches depths of up to 50 meters and is made up of various galleries and caves teeming with life. It lies just 400 meters north of the Pointe de l’Isolella, which marks the entrance to the Gulf of Ajaccio. The Vallée des Mérous forms a beautiful drop-off at 55 meters, particularly exposed to the current, which requires a great deal of experience.

As its name suggests, this diving spot in Ajaccio is the ideal place to come across gigantic groupers. There are also corbs and red gorgonians in black coral formations. For the more daring, a natural air pocket can be reached by squeezing through one of the galleries. But that’s no reason not to use your cylinders on the way back up: decompression stops are compulsory!

6. The wreck of the Alcione

Photo credit: Shutterstock – Subphoto.com

One of the best-known. One of the most exceptional, too. This dive in the heart of Ajaccio Bay is ideal for observing numerous types of coral and a rich marine flora. But it is of course best known for the Alcione, an Italian oil tanker that has been lying at a depth of 35 meters since it sank in 1943. The ship rests upright on its keel. The play of light created by the sun creates a supernatural atmosphere.

If it’s possible to penetrate deep inside, we strongly recommend you stick to the fore and aft decks. If you ignore this advice, the hold, cabins and engine can be explored. Today, the Alcione is home to groupers, moray eels and apogons. The occasional curious mostella will pay you a visit. Life has now fully returned to the wreck. Still, it’s better than an oil slick…

7. The Tabernacle

Photo credit: Shutterstock – blue-sea.cz

With all due respect to our Quebecois friends, the Tabernacle is located off the coast of the Isle of Beauty and the Sanguinaires Islands. This vast diving spot in Ajaccio ranges in depth from 3 to 25 meters. With its calm waters, excellent visibility and lack of danger, it’s the ideal place for a family initiation. You’ll come close to a rock head and a plateau where moray eels, conger eels and barracudas can be found.

From time to time, a lobster can be admired, unperturbed by the bubbles escaping from your regulator. The site is notoriously busy, but its large size is an asset. The Tabernacle plateau encompasses the whole of the Sanguinaires Islands and offers a multitude of varied dives. All you have to do is choose where to drop anchor!

8. The Sanguinaires Islands

Photo credit: Shutterstock – laura0508

Let’s talk about the Sanguinaires Islands: an archipelago of four rocky islands of magmatic origin. The origin of their name remains uncertain. While the rock that makes them up glows red in the setting sun, the proximity of the Gulf of Sagone offers a more likely version. This Natura 2000 site off the northern tip of the Bay of Ajaccio is ideal for diving, particularly at the Isula spot.

Here, a hill of stone seems to lie at the bottom of the sea between 18 and 45 metres below the surface. You can see an underwater canyon and shallow faults running through the boulder. The site is home to an astonishing aquatic biodiversity: multicolored algae, confident groupers, small, fearful rock fish, crustaceans and shellfish. A diving spot in Ajaccio that’s well worth a visit, even out of the water. The Sanguinaires Islands are a true marvel of unspoilt natural beauty!