Portoferraio

Portoferraio is a town and commune in the province of Livorno, on the edge of the eponymous harbour of the island of Elba, in the Tyrrheanian Sea. Elba Airport is located in 12 km. Portoferraio is very popular among scuba divers. Coming here divers can explore caves, rocks and some nice walls. In its crystal clear, turquoise waters divers can meet large shoals of salps, wrasses, starfish, sargos, octopuses, groupers, snappers, eagle rays, damselfish and many other species. Also, there is a large sweep of red gorgonians among the branches of which mingle large shoals of anthias. Diving points are suitable for both novice and experienced divers. There are lots of interesting sites (especially around Scoglietto), including Santa Lucia Rock, Little Rock, the Caves, Franata delle Cernie, Grottoni, Panettone delle Gorgonie and Airplane wreck (small junker from the WW2, where divers can only see the back side, lying at the depth of 35m/114ft). Average visibility is about 25m/82ft.