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IMMERSED
IN THE SALENTO
 Immersed
in the Salento
In this
section there are some of the
most interesting and spectacular places where diving along the coast of
the Salento. They are numerous places where thanks to the facilities of the
different Diving Services of the zone, or through the help of some experienced
guides, you can practice this sport. You
can start from the Adriatic coast, near S. Cataldo, and circumnavigating Capo di
Leuca, to finish the journey on the ionic coast near
Porto Cesareo.
San
Cataldo
In this
place (a few kms from Lecce, on the Adriatic coast), the coast is low and
sandy, as the previous sea. When
the sea is calm and the wind comes from north or north - east, the water is very
clear especially from June to October. In the open sea, where the sea is
20 / 40 meters deep, you can see the typical coral reef: this  habitat is
made up above all of animals as the Ircinia variabilis or the black Cacospongia.
There you can also see the colored
Petrosia ficiformis, well known as the favourite habitat by the
Discodoris atromaculata, whose name is closely connected to its typical
white coloration and dark spots. Near the coast there is a thick grassland of
Posidonia (oceanic Posidonia), on an inclusive sea among the - 10 and the - 25
meters, where you can find often several kinds of fishes as the different types
of white breams (Diplodus sargus, D. annularis, D. puntazzo, D. vulgaris). These seas, in fact, apparently
monotonous and desert, above all where it is sandy, can give a lot of pleasant
surprises to the scuba divers, since they can see numerous animals trying to
live camouflaged with the sea, as the sole (Solea) or the most dangerous
Trachinus araneus. Other animals as the golden anemone (Condylactis aurantiaca)
have a cylindrical and column-shaped body, fixed in a ditch in the sediment; the
only visible part are the retractable tentacles ( 7 - 8 centimeters long at the
most and around 100). The green coloration - brownish or greyish of the
tentacles is very different from that
of their points, curiously purplish. A
typical inhabitant of the sandy and muddy seas is the beautiful gastropod,
Phalium granulatum, that can reach  the length of about ten centimeters.
Leaving this zone near S. Cataldo, and going to south, towards the
natural reserve of the Cesine, there is a bathymetric ( 7 / 18 meters), a thick
grassland of Posidonia, where you can find a lot of dens occupied by white
breams, or another elegant fish, the corvine one (Sciaena umbra) making small
flocks that often are near their dens, and it nourishes small fishes, molluscs,
shellfishes, worms and even of the thorny sea-urchins, that usually hunt in the
late afternoon and at night. An interesting characteristic of this type of fish
is that the male samples can produce some sounds. Some lucky scuba divers can
see also some big sample of brown grouper (Epinephelus guaza) that is still in
these environments, hidden in the ravines at the borders of the expanses of
sand.
Otranto
The
coast and the seas of the most oriental town of the Italian coasts shows a
natural  environmentsof great charm, but above all several interesting sea
creatures to see . Besides the numerous caves and inlets, natural sceneries that
embellish the immersion, there are also different testimonies of ancient
shipwrecks, that prove the importance in the past of this harbor, considered one
of the doors to the distant East. North of the ancient suburb, one of the most
beautiful of the whole Salento, known above all for the ancient Aragonese Castle
and the Cathedral, (famous for its
beautiful mosaic, that might have inspired Dante’s “Divina Commedia”)
there is an ample shoal called "Missipezza", a vast submerged
mountain, whose top is 4 meters deep, while the base starts from a sea of around
35 meters. Among the walls of the rock, full of fissures, there are
samples of lobster (Palinurus elephas) and dens of big white breams
(Diplodus sargus), and timid Sciaena umbra. An important
detail of all these zones is the presence of strong tides, that often
make the immersion dangerous. Going
to south, towards the Capo di Leuca, you can see
one of the most interesting and beautiful zones of all the seas of
Otranto, that of Punta Facì. The descent begins in proximity of the external
border of the promontory, that immediately introduces a wall that goes down
in depth up to 35 ms, where it leans on a detrital sea. Also here there
are some tides and this is
 confirmed by the rich presence of animals and vegetables, as the Chromis
chromis, that when the sea is calm
looks immovable. This zone is very well known for a cave called "lu
lampiune", (in dialect means:
the lamp-post), for an opening of the vault that illuminates the entry, where
there are lots of stalactites. Going more
and more southwards, there is the
true watershed of the extreme heel of Italy, the Capo di Otranto, where the
waters of the Adriatic and the Ionian blend. Here only the most experienced
scuba divers can practise this sport because of the tides and the notable depth
of these seas (60 meters). A
characteristic of the promontory is the Lighthouse
(abandoned) of Punta Palascia, that constitutes a good point of reference for
orientation. The sea in this zone is often clear and of a crystalline
transparency; here you can find thick benches of Oblada melanura, Boops boops
and crackers Chromis chromis. In these seas the coral reef, and in depth,
in the fissures far from the light, it is possible to see some sprigs of red
coral  (Corallium rubrum). Along the walls there are lots
of dens inhabitated by permanent fish as the scorpion fish Scorpena often
indistinguishable from the surrounding environment thanks to their strong
mimicry, white breams, and
sometimes some groupers (Epinephelus guaza) near the mouth of its own
“residence”. In some periods of the
year, above all in the late spring and at the beginning of the autumn also near
the coast you can see big tunas (Thunnus thynnus), Seriola dumerili, great
raiders, perpetually in search of small fishes, as for instance the crackers or
the small mullets (Mugil cephalus), obliged to escape towards the waterline.
Porto
Badisco
This
place (some kms south from Otranto), is primarily known for the famous
Cervi Cave where there are some paintings of enormous historical and artistic
value, testimony of the ancient populations that lived in these places. Surely
this inlet was a landing for the ships during the Roman Empire, since its seas
are rich in fragments of amphoras of that time. These seas are also very
interesting from the naturalistic point of view: here you can find numerous
types of sessile animals as the brown anemone (Aiptasia mutabilis), with its
brownish tentacles, and many other examples as the Sabella spallanzanii.
Other kinds of animals can be easily photographed because their movement
is rather slow, as the strong Marthasterias glacialis, the greatest existing in
Mediterranean: it is very present along the peninsula, it has five arms
punctuated by big protuberances, big thorns, characteristics of this kind. Here
you can also see the  funny Parablennius rouxi, that has got
a wide longitudinal dark string, while the rest of its body is white. The
sea in front of the inlet of Porto Badisco degrades with a beautiful slipped of
rocks toward the breadth, 30 meters deep. There you can see big sea eels (Conger
conger), and Phycis phycis that generally occupy these dens rather dark, in
which the rock is almost entirely covered by sponges.
In the darkest and sheltered fissures there are some crabs (Dromia
personata) and the red Galathea strigosa. North
of Otranto, you can see the tower
of St. Emiliano , where there is a
small and homonym island, around
200 meters, marked by the presence of a beautiful sea. Here it is also easy to
find numerous animals living in big
fissures of the rock as the white breams (Diplodus sargus) and the Sciaena
umbra. Going up again toward the surface, on a sea of 10 meters, there are the
rests of a ship sunk  during the Second World war and some crocks of Roman
amphoras rests of a well more ancient shipwreck.
South of Porto Badisco, you can see a tall cliff that vertically sinks in
the sea reaching a depth, of almost 20-25 meters. Here the environment appears
immediately very rich in life and colour : here there are different types of
animals living far from the light, while Chromis chromis and Anthias anthias
swim in the blue sea. In depth,
even if partially covered with sand, you can see some parts of a Roman ship, and
various crocks of amphoras that it probably transported. None of these crocks
can be touched or stolen. Returning
towards the surface, at about ten meters, there is the entry of a cave whose vault is completely covered by sea roses (Peyssonnella squamaria), an
alga fan-shaped .
Castro
It is
situated half way between Otranto
and Santa Maria di Leuca, and it is very known above all for its stately Cave
Zinzulusa, one of the favourite destination of thousand of tourists. Before the
entry of the cave, some years ago the first "blue path" of the  Salento was built in order to contain in just one immersion all the natural
environments along the coasts of the peninsula of the Salento as the grassland
of Posidonia and the coral reef. The path
is delimited by numerous signals set on the bottom, and then you can see
a bathymetric varying between 25-26 meters and the surface.
The animals you can see in this sea,
situated at the maximum depth of 25 meters, are the Mullus barbatus, with the
their characteristic barbels, they use for rousing their preys hidden in the
sand as small shellfishes and worms. Among the typical invertebrates of this
zone one of the most characteristic is the Pagurus prideaux, that is
always with the Adamsia carciniopados that keeps its tentacles on the
ventral part of the busy shell it uses as a shelter. On the sandy bottom you can
see the posidonia (also oceanic Posidonia), an endemic plant of the
Mediterranean, endowed with real roots, a stem (in the form of rhizome or rather
a creeping  underground stem) and green long leaves seasonally changes. Next to
the posidonia it is not rare to see numerous samples of Cerianthus membranaceus,
an invertebrate belonging to the same phylum (one of the principal systematic
categories in which the animal kingdom is divided) of the jellyfishes and of the
corals. This animal lives inside a very long tube and its anterior part is
constituted by a double line of tentacles that it uses for capturing the
plankton and other small animals. Going
towards the surface you meet a vertical wall made up of special organisms that
constitute the so-called coral reef. Here a real explosion of animal and
vegetable life with thousand of colors and shapes. There are several sponges
(as. the Crambe crambe) that filter the water through numerous and invisible
pores (from which the name of the
phylum, Porifera), a lot of animals looking like flowers, as the Cladocora
caespitosa. Many
nudibranchis (real snails of sea) are special predatories feeding only on
sessile animals as the  sponges. The
Discodoris atromaculata is for example a tireless devourer of the sponge
Petrosia ficiformis that scrapes off with its minuscule teeth. At
around 12 meters of depth, there are some rocks, where there are several types
of sea urchin, some of them are supposed to have a different sex . In reality
they are two different types: the “male” one belongs to the species
Arbacia lixula, while the " female one"
belongs to the d Paracentrotus lividus.
The sea stars (Echinaster
sepositus) belong to the same phylum, even if apparently very different, and
unfortunately they are often picked
up as a souvenir.
Santa Maria di Leuca
The Capo
di Leuca, for its particular geographical position, is one of the favourite
 itineraries of the scuba divers. The
coast is constituted by caves and very suggestive inlets: it one of the most
suggestive of the whole peninsula for its strong scenographic and naturalistic
impact. Starting form the harbour
of Leuca, two different itineraries can be done. The first is westwards : after
Punta Ristola, you arrive at S.
Gregorio, characterized t by a rocky coast not very tall and here you can see
some of the most spectacular caves in the zone. The other one is eastwards:
after Punta Meliso that
delimits the oriental extremity of the inlet of Leuca, you arrive at the small
harbor of Novaglie, along a cliff characterized by tall rocky walls (also more
than 100 meters). At first we will describe the sub immersions near the  coast,
on both slopes, and then those near
the shoal that is just before Leuca.
The slope of West is characterized by a r low rocky coast, except
for the line from Punta Ristola to Tower "Marcheddhu", very
rich in caves. Among these the most important are the Tre Porte Cave, the
Giganti cave and the Devil Cave where numerous archaeological finds have been
found, some dating back to the time of the
man of Neanderthal. In this sea it is
easy to scuba dive and you can see a lot of different plants
as the alga called tail of peacock (Padina pavonica) for its
characteristic shape that reminds the scuba diver of that of the volatile or the
green ball (Codium bursa) that is sphere-shaped in the young samples but after
some time  it changes becoming flattened. There are lots of octopuses (Octopus
vulgaris) and murenes (Muraena helena), their tireless predators; both live in
narrow ravines they occupy during the day. In
some periods of the year, when the sea is so calm to look immovable (here the
fishermen use the word "biancata") it is possible to see big flocks of
mullets (Mugil cephalus) eating in
surface. The same for the Sarpa sarpa that feeds on algas a few centimeters from
the surface. In front of the Tre Porte Cave
you can see a typical grotto
sea, characterized by innumerable clefts in the rock, in which many
white breams can be found (often Diplodus sargus) and of elegant Sciaena
umbra since they prefer living in dark and sheltered dens. You can also see the
Epinephelus guaza and the  alexandrinus
one, that lean out confident (always for a little) from their dens, ready to be
immortalized by the flashes of the photographic instruments. Going towards S.
Gregorio, you see the Drago Cave that offers an easy and sure immersion. You
goes down 5 meters deep, in
proximity of the mouth that opens on the rocky wall and through some
burrows you arrive to an ample room, characterized by a great calcareous
column; when you leave the cave some flashes of light shine the entry.
Returning towards Leuca, but far from the coast you can see some
oceanic Posidonia, above all in sandy sea. Some of these organisms hide
some real fractures in the rock that constitute the ideal environment for many
permanent fish, as the stately groupers (Epinephelus guaza), unfortunately
decimated by scuba divers without any scruple. Going
to Punta Ristola you can find especially in winter big basses (Dicentrarchus
labrax) perpetually in search of small mullets (Mugil cephalus) and other small
fish. In proximity of the point, not many years ago, some archaeological finds
have been found in bronze and numerous crocks of amphora.
Just in front of the Capo di Leuca there is the wreckage of the
submersible "Pietro  Micca" of the Italian Navy, tragically sunk during
the Second World War with all the crew on board and
it has been lying there for half a century. Crossing the whole inlet of Leuca and overcoming Punta Meliso, you
can appreciate one of the most beautiful landscape of the whole Channel of Otranto. Due to the depth and the rather dangerous seas, it is better to scuba
dive together with qualified and experienced guides or to the numerous centers
of scuba diving. The wall of Punta
Meliso, immediately under the lighthouse that camps on the promontory, is marked
by big rocks, where you can see big samples of white breams (Diplodus
sargus), and the giltheads (Sparus aurata); besides this is the kingdom of the
marauders of the sea as the big dentex (Dentex dentex) and the Seriola dumerilii
that get close to  the coasts especially from the spring until the late autumn. Among the animals fixed to the substratum, but equally
spectacular above all for the beauty of the colors, it is easy to recognize the
yellow polyps of the Leptosamnia pruvotii, whose species, (as the Parazoanthus
axinellae), often grow together, as if it was an only colony.
Another point of sub immersion is Punta Terradico, where to a depth of
-35 ms you go down along a rocky wall until the mouth of a small cave. Here a
vast flock of small prawns, characteristic for their long white spar ,can be
seen (Parapandalus narval = Pleisonika narval),. This shellfish lives inside the
cave during the day, while at night it goes out to look for small preys. Going
northwards there is the Cattedrale Cave,
immediately after some caves named "the Mannute", so called
because the cave has got a stately opening. You go along the wall that sinks
following the tall cliff  and that reaches a first step at the depth of -18 ms.
Here the sea is sandy and you can
start a wonderful exploration of
the environment, that is very rich in ravines full of very sponges. Here you can also see a lot of
Anthias anthias that usually follow the scuba divers during the whole
journey. At 12 ms of the wall, particularly
corroded, among the colored walls
it is easy to meet the Sciaena umbra. Another
place where it is possible to scuba dive without any difficulty is near Punta
delle Due Pietre, marked by two long submerged, parallel channels, that depart a
few centimeters from the surface and they get further perpendicularly to the
rocky wall. Along these  gullies numerous types of sponges can be admired as the
spectacular Axinella cannabina, recognizable
for their particular lengthened shape and for the intense colours (yellow
or orange). This constitutes not only the ideal substratum
for some Antozoi (this word
literally means animals similar to a flower) defined sea daisy
(Parazoanthus axinellae) for its typical floral aspect. Another representative
of the Antozois is the orange Astroides calycularis whose polyps give the idea
of a garden that colors intensely
this sort of submerged canyon. Here there
are numerous nudibranchis (so called for their snail-shaped body), as the brown
Aplysia depilans or the smallest and colored Flabellina affinis, that feeds on
Idrozoi on which it also deposes its eggs. At
the base of the first gully, the sea is full of big rocks where there are small
groupers that during  their life (after 10-12 years)
reverse their sex from female to male. This is one of the reasons for
which this species risks the extinction: the scuba divers hunt also the very
small samples that therefore can never complete the sexual cycle, so there is
a decrease of the population. Going
towards Novaglie
it is possible to do an amusing immersion on a sea of -25 ms, where there
are the rests of a Renaissance galleon: seven guns, a bombard and three big
anchors are still there abandoned on the sand. Going
offshore, on a sea rich in sponges as the colored Petrosia ficiformis and the
Paramuricea clavata, it is possible to meet, especially in certain
"magic" periods of the year, a lot of fish as the big tunas (Thunnus
thynnus) and the Seriola dumerilii. Among the other species there are the rare
and funny fish moon (Mola mola), that transits often near the surface, rather
offshore. Sometimes you can also see  wonderful dolphins (Delphinus delphis)
accompanying the navigation of boats and rafts.
Going more and more northwards to Novaglie,
you can see the long Gully of the Ciolo, surmounted by the homonym Bridge, and
at its base there is the Grotta
Grande del Ciolo the longest sea cave of the Salento. At the end of this long
cave, in the most complete obscurity, you see a small beach where the last
sample of Monachus monachus was seen and photographed in 1979 (while resting )
by some scientists of the Speleological Group from Bologna,. Inside the cave
there are numerous Cerianthus membranaceus of big dimensions. It is advisable to
visit this place with an experienced
and qualified guide since this sea is a
bit dangerous. The most spectacular sub immersion is that on the shoal called
"Banco della Scala", in which sceneries can hardly be appreciated in
other parts of the Oriental Mediterranean. The
shoal is around 1 km from the coast, almost in front of the inhabited area of Leuca; the top is -20 ms of depth, but its base is much deeper, around
-100 ms. For this reason (but also for the strong tides) the immersion is
very dangerous, so it is better to scuba dive always together with an
experienced guide. The most  interesting
part starts around -30 ms of depth, where you can see
a real garden full of many colored sea-fans,
red (Paramuricea clavata) and yellow (Eunicella cavolinii) growing
luxuriant and very thick: for example there are different types of animal as the
idroidis (Aglaophenia octodonta), the Anthias anthias, the morays (Murena
helena), as well as many shellfishes as the lobsters (Palinurus elephas),
Homarus gammarus and the crickets of sea (Scyllarides latus); there are also
stately samples of brown groupers (Epinephelus guaza) standing near
the mouth of their dens. The
branches of the sea fans often become the
ideal substratum for a species of small sharks as the.:
they produce a horny hull that can assume very different shapes. In
some periods you can also see the “ricciole” and the tunas (Thunnus thynnus)
plunging themselves among the immense benches of blue fish, and contributing to
make the sub immersions
more fascinating.
Shoals
of Ugento
This
submarine relief can be seen before the small village of Torre Mozza, on the  ionic shore, a few kms from the
harbor of Ugento, and it is called
Torre San Giovanni.
The area including all the
shoals is externally delimited by an floating shining boa; the most distant one
is 6 kms far from the coast. The
fishermen and the sailors know they represent a danger for the navigation: in
fact according to the tradition it was the cause of the shipwreck of
the fleet of Pirrus, king of Epirus, that in the III century B.C. came to
Italy to help the people of Taranto against
the Romans. Nevertheless any proof
about this shipwreck has never been
found. Here you can still see the rests
of the "Liesen", a long merchant
ship 100 ms long that during a sea storm first hindered and then sunk on
a sea of 6-8 meters. It has been  lying for more than 30 years a mile from the
coast, in an zone interdicted to the navigation, because of the shoals. The
motor of the ship is still visible and there you can see lots of Oblada
melanura. Its gigantic helix constitutes still today a true show measuring over
3 meters as diameter. Inside several
sessile animals can be found as the
Fin nobilis and some Cerianths membranaceus with their open tentacles ready to
capture the plankton and small animals; here you can also see the Echinaster
sepositus searching for sponges and worms, their favourite food.
Another wreckage is that of a ship transporting fuels, exploded during
the Second World War, after an aerial attack and now near Torre
San Giovanni:
some rests can still be seen but they are almost entirely crusted by living
organisms. As it often happens for the
wreckages and the submerged artificial structures, after some time these become
a real submarine oasis (in which the organisms take a shelter) and a substratum
on  which they can grow and proliferate. One of the most interesting shoals is
the one called "Spigulizzi":
This raises from a flat sea of around -50 ms, and it reaches
the depth of -23 ms, making a jagged and rich structure of dens and
ravines where you can see lots of big sea eels (Conger conger), that can be more
than two meters long and ten kilos weighty. Then you can also see some lobsters
(Palinurus elephas), peeping out of their dens with their long spar. In this
zone the coral reef is abundant, full of different types of animals. One of
these is the Halocinthya papillosa, also called potato of sea, an ascidia small
barrel-shaped, with two siphons (of the tubular expansions of the body), one
oral for inhaling the water. These animals belong to the subphylum (a category
of the classification of the animal kingdom) of the Urocordatis or Tunicati,
that especially in the larval phase, have  much in common with the Vertebrates,
another subphylum that includes all that animals endowed with skeletal vertebral
column as fishes, amphibians, t, birds and mammals among which the man. Among the vegetable species there is the Halimeda tuna, 10/15
centimeters tall and constituted by
some circular parts, linked among them thus making ribbons similar to chains of
green small coins; the aspect so flattened reminds that of a small prickly pear.
Also here as in a lot
of shoals of the seas of the Salento, it is easy to see different types of fish
pelagic as the Seriola dumerilii and the Lichia amia. The latter can be one
meter long fifteen kilos weighty:
it is a fierce raider that attacks small fish (both pelagic and coastal).
Gallipoli
This
small town on the ionic slope is with Otranto one of the favourite destinations
of a lot of tourists. The town can be divided into two parts : the new one and
the  ancient one that keeps the whole charm of the past intact.
The most modern part lies on a promontory, while the oldest one is
situated on an islet connected to the dry land by a long bridge, and it is
marked by the presence of castles dating back to different times. Among the
artistic monuments there is the Hellenic Fountain, the most ancient in Italy. Opposite the town there is the island of S. Andrea, where you can
see the white lighthouse illuminating the
promontory. The most characteristic sea
is the vast area occupied by the grassland of Posidonia (oceanic Posidonia), one
of the most luxuriant of the whole
Salento. The plants constituting the
grassland are well developed , with stems one meter long: this means that the
destructive impact of some types of industrial fishing (the main cause of
destruction of these environments) is very limited.
At first sight this grassland of Posidonia doesn't appear very attractive
and interesting: it looks monotonous and without any charm, but if you observe
it more carefully you can discover one of the richest microcosms
of the whole  Mediterranean. The multiplicity of animals and vegetables
that here can find an ideal substratum where to grow and
proliferate, creates an exceptional biodiversity that needs to be
safeguarded and protected. The most part of the organisms living in this
environment is not very big (even if there are some exceptions).
One of he ideal subjects is the beautiful Sabella spallanzanii, the
biggest tube-shaped worm of the Mediterranean, that lives inside a long flexible tube that can be 30 centimeters long and it is
constituted by a substance secreted by the animal itself. Its anterior part,
visible often outside the tube, is made up of a crown of thin tentacles, looking
like long feathery filaments, sometimes also very colored, and used for
capturing plankton and small animals. A
typical inhabitant of all the grasslands is the Fin nobilis, the greatest
bivalve mollusc of the Mediterranean (it can  be 900 centimeters tall), it
has got a great shell of triangular shape, with equal valves. Its destiny
is tightly linked to that of the environment
in which it lives, so it risks the extinction. For this reason it is absolutely
forbidden to pick up or to damage
this mollusc. Among the inhabitants of
the grassland, those less fluorescent are certainly those living on the leaves
of the plant, as the Idroidis of the species Aglaophenia harpago (that looks
like a small feather ) or the
Briozoo of the species Electra posidonia (that draws small cells on the surface
of the leaves Posidonia). At the base of the plants sometime there is a
beautiful sponge, the Oscarella lobularis of fleshy consistence and almost
velvety to the touch. Near there is another mollusc Gastropod, very funny called
Haliotis lamellosa, with an unmistakable shell, similar to the auricle of the
ear. Other molluscs living in contact with the leaves are some small snails
belonging to the Rissoa and Bittium species: they browse the small algas
growing on the leaves of the plant of Posidonia.
What is  more you can see the
molluscs Cefalopodi as the octopus (Octopus vulgaris) that hides itself among
the leaves. There are also several cuttlefishes (Sepia officinalis) and
different kinds of Shellfishes for example some small shrimps as the
Gnatophillum elegans: it lives in the dens
near the Posidonies during the day, while at night it goes out to hunt
small worms, molluscs and organic residues.
Among the vertebrates that populate these habitats there is the
Syngnathus typhle with its lengthened body ( 35 centimeters ), progressively
more narrow near the tail, so it is difficult to distinguish it from the leaves.
The most known animal of the grassland is without any doubt the small sea
horse (Hippocampus guttulatus) that thanks to its
prehensile tail ties itself to the leaves and algas. The incubation of
the  eggs takes place only in the male samples. Here
you can also see some beautiful samples of scorpion fish (Scorpaena porcus),
trying to camouflage with the surrounding habitat and the Diplodus annularis,
that can be seen just in this
environment. The scuba diver is fascinated by the colour of thrushes (with their
stupendous colors varying from the intense green to the electric blue) belonging
to the Labridis (Symphodus tinca, S. roissali, Labrus viridis and others).
At Gallipoli there are zones rich in coralligeno, where the marvelous
colonies of Parazoanthus axinellae can be observed:
they expose their yellow polyps to the strong submarine tides that
transport the food they need. Here you can also see the sea cricket (Scillarides latus) that risks the extinction.
The
neretina coast (commune of Nardò)
The
coast that includes the famous place Porto Selvaggio extends from the village of
 Inserraglio Tower to S. Caterina. This line of coast is also denominated
“neretina", since it is administrated by the Commune of Nardò. This is
one of the richest and interesting itineraries of the whole ionic slope, both
from the naturalistic point of view and speleological one, as well as
archaeological, for the presence of numerous submerged wreckages, as that of an
ancient Roman ship, dating back to the II century B.C. situated in the waters of
S. Caterina. Here you can visit some
submerged caves: some of them are
very well known and it is possible to see them only with the help of an
experienced guide. The first active Speleological Neretino Group was founded
here: so far it has cataloged and monitored a lot of caves, submerged and not,
of the whole Salento. The small museum ( Nardò ) of this group keeps many
archaeological finds. You can scuba dive
in front of a place called Torre in Seraglio: this is a rocky environment and
here you can see lots of white breams of different  kinds as the Diplodus sargus,
the Diplodus vulgaris and Diplodus puntazzo, the Oblada melanura that together
with the omnipresent Chromis chromis crow this
zone. In the darkest ravines you can meet
some samples of Halocinthya papillosa that, being far from the light,
assume a clearer tonality, different from the classical intense red
color. The wall near the coast
is rich in ravines, some also big enough to allow the access of human
people and admire the stupendous flashes of light . Often on the wall you can
see several types of Antozoi  and
sponges that illuminated by a
powerful lamp, light the cave of
different colors. Some years ago, in
1994, the Italian Championships of Photo-sub took place here, since this place
offers a great variety of colours
and the opportunity to photograph a lot of animals and plants.
Between 9/12 meters of depth there
is a grat colony of the Mediterranean
Cladocora caespitosa, a classical representative of the Antozoi that embellishes
a rich sea of sponges. In the most sheltered ravines and poorly illuminated
there are some particular gregarious that form some twisted heaps made up of by
cylindrical calcareous tubules, very thin and fragile, white and called
Filograna implexa; this colony can also reach 30 centimeters of diameter.
At 18 meters of depth you meet a sandy sea covered with sponges and other
animals as the beautiful Hacelia that has got long, cone-shaped and pointed
arms. On the sandy sea it is also possible to meet the funny Peltaster placenta,
easily recognizable for its pentagonal
shape. Here you can also see the Paramuricea clavata, that creates
a small "forest"
and it is loved by the underwater photographers.
Going more and more southwards,
near Uluzzo Tower there is the  beautiful cave of the Corvine that is called
after the elegant fish that often can seen in this submarine cave . The sub
immersion is rather exacting,
because inside there is the so-called
"bead of air" causing a notable exchange of water that can provoke
some dangerous undertows. For this reason it is better to visit the cave when
the sea is calm and with the help of an experienced guide.
Inside the cave there are thousands of small yellow stars
belonging to the Leptosamnia pruvoti species. In the ravine there are some small prawns, as the Stenopus
spinosus: it is red-orange or yellow coloured and it
feeds on worms, small shellfishes, molluscs and parasites of the fishes.
In fact it is a skilled cleaner and the fishes allow it to draw near without any
fear.
Porto
Cesareo
The
whole coast from Lapillo Tower to Squillace Tower (also including the towers  Chianca and Cesarea) belong to the commune of
Porto Cesareo. The local seas are
surely among the most diversified of the Mediterranean on the ecological point
of view, so much that 12 different biocenosi have been established . One of
these is (called of the Strea) considered
a subtropical type, and for this reason the area could become a national sea
park. You can also visit a museum
at the Station of Sea Biology managed by a consortium ( Department of Biology of
the University of Lecce, Province
of Lecce and Commune of
Porto Cesareo).
At
10-15 meters you can see a lot of white breams (Diplodus sargus), Oblada 
melanura, some Cerianthus membranaceus fixed to the substratum and
stretching their long tentacles looking for food. A dangerous animal is
the Hermodice carunculata,
a sea worm with a segmented and flattened body, rich in bristles well
developed. Its defensive reaction is particular and allows to identify it
without any problem; in fact, if it is molested it immediately lifts up the
dorsal bristles that make it assume a flocky aspect. These bristles are similar
to needles of glass and can provoke ghastly burning and swelling. Another
very dangerous sea worm and particularly appreciated by the underwater
photographers is the Sabella
spallanzanii, with the characteristic crown of tentacles  spiral-shaped.
Going towards the coast the
sea r suddenly changes, at first rochy and then sandy, full of of Posidonia
(oceanic Posidonia); naturally the fauna is rather varying: here you can see the
Echinaster sepositus, the Arbacia lixula and the Paracentrotus lividus, always
present in the underwater landscape of the Salento. In front of the inhabited area of Lapillo Tower, ( 1 km from the
tower) you can see a shoal whose top is at 4 meters of depth, while its base is
at 20 meters. The sea is very peculiar, full of coralligeno
and rich in small caves, ravines and beds of Maasella edwardsi, a
colonial Antozoo. Near this area there is the dangerous Muraena helena, with its
typical shape, easily to recognize for its
brown-blackish coloration and yellow. The aspect always appears rather
threatening, with its  half-open mouth that shows its long thin and sharp teeth.
In reality it is not an aggressive attitude, it serves only to breathe.
Nevertheless, keeping in mind that is particularly myopic, it is not advisable
to draw near too much to it. Among the
numerous dens of the zone, there are also those inhabited
by the Phycis phycis recognizable for its long dorsal fins.
In the ravines and in the small caves you can
often see the Myriapora truncata, that creates some very characteristic
arborescent colonies, with some short and stumpy branches, and it is so called
because for its shape and color it
is taken for the Corallium rubrum.
In the inlet of the Strea, 2,5 ms deep, one of the most typical
inhabitant is the sponge Geodia (
being brain-shaped), that can reach also notable dimensions and contain  inside a
lot of smaller animals as some
kinds of worms. Here it is not rare to
meet the mullets (Mullus barbatus), searching for small invertebrates to eat.
Besides you can also see the beautiful golden anemone (Condylactis aurantiaca),
with its retractable tentacles and its characteristic purplish points and the
curious shellfish commonly called Bernard the hermit (Dardanus arrossor), that
because of its long and soft abdomen must continually hide itself inside a
shell. This animal is particuliar because it puts in its
shell some anemones of the species Calliactis parasitica.
In the inlet there are many crocks and fragments of every type that make
think that in the past, especially during the Roman Empire, this area was
widely inhabited. Near Chianca
Tower there are some marmoreal
rests of some columns dating back to the II century B.C. and they are on a sea
6-7 meters.
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