Description of site of natural interest

The Riomaggiore swimming lane runs south towards the Capo Montenero promontory, one of the two A zones of the Marine Protected Area, which greatly influences the beauty of the route itself. Wearing a mask and snorkel, looking in any direction, you can spot seabream (Diplodus sp.), Mediterranean chromis (Chromis chromis) and salemas (Sarpa salpa), in large quantities and not at all shy. Snorkelers will also be able to spot other fish closer to the rocky, algae-covered seabed, such as painted comber (Serranus scriba), Mediterranean rainbow wrasse (Coris julis) and comber, which, being very territorial and curious, will often stay put and allow themselves to be observed for a long time. In the shadier corners, you may also spot brown meagre (Sciaena umbra) and king mullets (Apogon imberbis). Invertebrates such as starfish (Echinaster sepositus), orange sponges (Spirastrella cunctatrix), gorgonians, octopuses and, for the more discerning eye, small, delicately coloured nudibranches (Dondice banyulensis) can also be seen. The predominantly rocky seabed, full of crevices, offers protection and shelter to all these organisms, which live here in complete harmony with their habitat and human presence. In addition, the headland in front of it shelters the swimming lane area from the Sirocco, one of the main winds for this stretch of coast.