Les Cloches
A jumble of boulders off the Lavezzi Islands near the memorial to the Sémillante shipwreck, named after air pockets in the rock that boom like bells in the swell. Dives wind between the blocks among damselfish, sea bream and wrasse, then over algae-covered rocks where groupers and hunting dentex are often seen.
Facts
- Region: France – Corsica
- Area: Bonifacio & Lavezzi
- Level: beginner
- Current: low
- Type: reef
- Coordinates: 41.33, 9.248 (approximate)
- Highlights: damselfish, white sea bream, wrasse, dusky grouper, dentex, algae meadow
- Permit: Inside the Bouches de Bonifacio Nature Reserve. Under the 1999 creation decree, spearfishing and any taking are banned in the protected perimeters, and diving in the reserve's no-take zones (which include the Lavezzi plateau) is subject to individual authorisation under a procedure set by the maritime prefect (Art. 31). Dive with a local centre that operates in the reserve and check the current zone rules with the manager (OEC). (Source: decree of 23 Sept 1999 via AIDA/INERIS)
- Issuer / contact: Office de l'Environnement de la Corse (reserve manager)
- Phone: +33 4 95 45 04 00
- Email: contact@oec.fr
- Website: https://www.oec.corsica/
- Tips: Dived in westerly wind; suits beginners and experienced divers alike.