Ventotene, Italy trip feedback

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Unspoilt charm of VENTOTENE

IN THE BEGINNING IT WAS A HUGE VOLCANO, more than 700m above sea level. All that remains now is a little piece of dry land, forming an island two miles long and less than 800m wide, and called Ventotene.

About a mile away is another little island, St Stefano, the remains of a lateral cone of the volcano now almost totally eroded away. Geographically these two islands, which belong to the Pontine group, belong to Italy's Lazio region, but culturally they seem Neapolitan from the way the people speak and their maritime lifestyle. Ventotene, then known as Pandataria, was the place of exile for Giulia, the famously licentious daughter of Augustus Caesar, and of Agrippina, grand-niece of Tiberius. But today it is a welcoming place - the Roman harbour is a cosy assortment of tiny buildings, as is the serene village, with its rose and white houses, little church and tortuous roads. On the village promenade is an array of bars and pubs, restaurants and pizzerias. Coming from the sea, the island resembles a squat turtle, with its little hill and steep cliffs. The transparency of the Tyrrhenian sea reveals the richness of its depths.

And to preserve its well-being, it is part of Italy's Marine Protected Areas. A marine reserve was established in 1997 with three levels of protection. Zone A is totally protected, with diving allowed only for scientific reasons and for groups guided by authorised staff, while the other two zones have lower levels of guardianship.
Diving World Ventotene was Italy's first scuba-diving centre, opened in 1978. In 2000 it was bought by the charming Valentina Lombardo and Dario Santomauro, assisted by a dozen PADI dive masters and instructors, whose professionalism reflects their pride in working for this famous centre. The centre itself forms a part of the surprising architecture of the Roman harbour, located under the arches excavated out of the rock.

Sandy bottoms:

The underwater views are a real surprise. The water around the two rocky islands descends to 50m not far from shore, and the walls of sheltered areas and submerged caves are covered by colonies of colourful anemones and jellyfish, filigree sea-fans and various species of encrusting algae. There are also sandy bottoms to around 40m, with wide prairies of oceanic Posidonia, a common Mediterranean plant. Here you'll find young mullet, cleaver wrasse, turbot, lizardfish and weavers. The channel between the two islands, deep and far from the Italian mainland, attracts more pelagic animals, schools of little squirrelfish and tiny grouper as well as giant dentex, big amberjacks and dense schools of Mediterranean barracuda. Most dives are made in the marine park area, where respect for the environment is a must. The pinnacles at La Molara in zone A are the place to find those schools of barracuda, and also grouper, and they allow divers to come close. There is plenty of micro-fauna, and on the seabed you'll see fragments of Roman amphorae. La Molara is comparatively shallow and current-free, so is one of the easiest dives. Also in zone A is Secca Santo Stefano, a sandbank near Santo Stefano Island in which flora and fauna proliferate in the caves and creeks.

There is also a wreck, the Santa Lucia, a steamer sunk by British bombers in July 1943. Their mission was to prevent shipping accessing Ventotene, though the ship carried only civilians on that voyage. Now it lies split in two at 46m, the propeller, the anchors and the handrail on the rounded stern all still intact. The wreck offers a comfortable haven for many species of fish, especially the anthias that swim around it with their usual peculiar frantic movement.

Our group was made up mostly of student divers either working on Open Water or Advanced Open Water. Here are some of the reviews:

As we approached the island of Ventotene I was suddenly struck by the absolutely translucent blue water. Then I caught myself nodding my head and smiling…this was going to be a good weekend of diving! I finally completed my AOW with Antonio and the dives were great! I would definitely go again.

~Lewis

Great trip! It's always nice to get out and meet new people. The night dive was an awesome and memorable experience. Helping the OW guys/girls with their stuff got me thinking, why not become a dive instructor? So that is my ultimate goal, thanks for helping me make that decision! I will not say any names, but someone also help me towards that goal by losing his weights, providing me with the opportunity to do some search and rescue. Antonio and his colleagues were nothing but great. I look forward to our next dive trip to Ventotene. All in all the entire trip went good, with the exception of my poor choice of shoes. The blisters finally healed. Thanks again to everyone for making the trip. Until next time Bubbles up, Fins down... and stay safe!!!

~Howard

To put in simply, Evan and I had a blast. It was exhausting, but it was worth every ounce of energy. We made some great life long friends and I even learned to spit in my goggles.

~Evan and Rayna

Some feedback from someone who wasn't able to attend:

Ode to Ventenone
Looking forward to a weekend dive
I worked and worked each day past five
Ready for my weekend fling
Was told by my boss he'd have no such thing
While other explored the world beneath
I was stuck at my desk just grinding my teeth
Missing the fun at Ventenone
I wanted to act like Michael Corleone
But instead I just worked as most of us do
And wishing it rained on all of you

~John