La Maddalena, Sardinia, Italy

Lavezzi (south side)

The southern, Italian-administered approach to the Lavezzi archipelago crosses the Bocche di Bonifacio, the wind-swept channel between Sardinia and Corsica. On the Italian side, several granite shoals and reefs rise from a sandy base around 35 metres to a top near 10 metres, sitting just inside the La Maddalena Archipelago National Park. The granite walls and boulders below 22 metres support yellow Eunicella cavolini fans, encrusting orange Astroides calycularis on shaded faces, yellow Parazoanthus axinellae and a varied sponge community, with patches of red gorgonian (Paramuricea clavata) in the deeper sections. The exposed channel attracts pelagic species: barracuda and amberjack schools, dentex and the occasional tuna or sunfish. Resident species include dusky groupers, brown meagre, conger eels, octopus, moray eels and scorpionfish. Visibility regularly exceeds 25 metres in summer; currents in the Bocche di Bonifacio can be moderate to strong.