Italy
Small but intensely dived Ligurian marine reserve around the Portofino promontory, known for red and yellow gorgonian walls, Posidonia meadows, the Christ of the Abyss statue and the Mohawk Deer wreck.
The Portofino Marine Protected Area surrounds the Portofino promontory east of Genoa in Liguria and covers 346 hectares of sea along the coasts of Camogli, Portofino and Santa Margherita Ligure. It was established by ministerial decree on 26 April 1999 and is recognised as a Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance. More than 20 dive sites with mooring buoys are used by local dive centres all year. The steep rocky slopes carry coralligenous reefs with dense red and yellow gorgonian forests, while Posidonia meadows cover the flanks of the promontory. The bronze Christ of the Abyss statue, placed in the bay of San Fruttuoso in 1954, and the Mohawk Deer wreck are well-known dives. Zone A at Cala dell'Oro is closed to diving. Source: Wikipedia (it), Mare.it, Portofino Divers