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LIVE THE SEA

Recharge your energy on the beach or discover the most beautiful and unspoiled corners with a pleasant boat tour or by diving into the fascinating underwater world of the Portofino Marine Protected Area.

You are in the Cetacean Sanctuary, where you can have extraordinary encounters.

Let yourself be moved.

San Fruttuoso and Punta Chiappa

One of the most beautiful itineraries on the Riviera, a navigation through the crystal blue waters of the Golfo Paradiso, a small journey through the most beautiful sea in Liguria.
Departing from Camogli, you immediately encounter Punta Chiappa, a strip of rock that marks the outermost part of the Portofino Marine Protected Area.
Thanks to its position, the sea here is exceptionally clear.
The view is no less spectacular: looking westward, you will see an extraordinary panorama of the Gulf of Camogli.
Continuing the tour eastward, the small bay where the Abbey of San Fruttuoso stands suddenly appears, just beyond the rocky point of Torretta, offering a fascinating and extraordinarily beautiful scene.

Portofino

A wonderful boat excursion from Camogli takes you to discover the famous bay of Portofino.
Even along the way, you find yourself within the Marine Protected Area, with uniquely scenic landscapes.
Just before arriving in Portofino, nestled in the green and embraced by the typical colorful houses around the small harbor, rises the hill of the namesake promontory with its lighthouse overlooking the sea.

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GUIDE TO THE UNDERWATER WORLD

For those who love the underwater world, this is one of the most beautiful places on Earth: the Portofino Marine Protected Area, a stretch of sea offering an extremely rich natural heritage.

A true paradise for diving enthusiasts, ideal both for those approaching scuba diving for the first time and for more experienced divers. The variety of seabeds and favorable marine conditions make this stretch of coastline perfect for experiencing the sea in depth, in total safety and with a wide range of experiences.
These seabeds are a wonder also for underwater photography enthusiasts, who will find exciting scenery, lights, and colors.

A journey among yellow and red gorgonians, corals, sponges, red coral, and a multitude of fish species: moray eels, conger eels, sea breams, dentex, large dusky groupers, barracudas, scorpionfish, and, especially in summer, sunfish, amberjacks, tunas, and anglerfish. With a bit of luck, encounters with dolphins are not uncommon.

For wreck diving enthusiasts, there are four wrecks: Mohawk Deer (within the MPA), Cargo Armato, Bettolina Jorn, and the submarine chaser KT, towards Sestri Levante.

Day and night dives, being in Zone A of the Marine Area, must be carried out through authorized diving centers.

There are 23 diving sites within the MPA, each equipped with a mooring buoy from which the dive starts:

  • Punta Chiappa Levante
  • Punta Targhetta
  • Grotta Eremita
  • Punta della Torretta
  • Punta Indiano
  • Dragone
  • Colombara
  • Secca Gonzatti
  • Targa Gonzatti
  • Scoglio del Raviolo
  • Testa del Leone
  • Scoglio del Diamante
  • Cala Inglesi
  • Relitto Mohawck Deer
  • Punta Vessinaro
  • Casa del Sindaco
  • Chiesa di San Giorgio
  • Faro18
  • Isuela
  • Altare
  • Cristo degli Abissi
  • Punta Chiappa
  • Tonnarella di Camogli

Between Camogli and Santa Margherita, around the namesake promontory, stretches the Portofino Marine Protected Area — a natural heritage of biodiversity and submerged cliffs that descend rapidly to great depths, creating an abundance of microhabitats rarely found in the Mediterranean.
The coastline is enchanting, the sea is crystal clear — a setting that inspires emotion above and below the surface.

The MPA is divided into three zones — A, B, and C — with different access rules:

Zone A – Integral Reserve:
Extending for 1.2 km, limited to Cala dell’Oro inlet. Any access is prohibited.

Zone B – General Reserve:
Extending for 7.5 km between the Portofino Lighthouse and Punta Chiappa. It features submerged cliffs of great natural value covered in gorgonians, red coral, and many fish species, including numerous groupers.
Anchoring is prohibited, and stopping is allowed only in the designated mooring areas. The navigation speed must not exceed 5 knots, and boats must remain at least 100 m away from dive flags or mooring buoys.
Fishing of any kind and diving without authorization or without using authorized diving centers are prohibited.

Zone C – Partial Reserve:
Extending for 6.5 km along the sides of the promontory, where rich marine meadows teem with life. Anchoring and navigation are regulated in compliance with the ordinances of the Maritime Offices of Genoa and Santa Margherita Ligure.

Ordinance of the Ufficio Circondariale Marittimo of the Coast Guard of Santa Margherita Ligure >

MOORING AREAS
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Whale watching

An extraordinary tour for those who wish to experience an authentic and unforgettable day. Camogli lies at the heart of what is known as the Cetacean Sanctuary. This area covers 100,000 km² in national and international waters, characterized by specific environmental agreements that have created a food chain favorable to cetaceans.
Many protected species of both small and large cetaceans live here, including fin whales, sperm whales, dolphins, and bottlenose dolphins.

The excursion along the Ligurian Riviera, between Camogli, Portofino, Santa Margherita Ligure, and Rapallo, can become a special day searching for these magnificent animals, observing them closely in their natural habitat — a unique experience to truly live the sea.