Safety · Destination Guide
Limestone caves, blue-water walls, and protected coves between Palinuro and the Infreschi coast
Cilento is a compact small-boat destination with one unusually serious planning feature: many celebrated sites are overhead environments. Safe trips separate open-water reefs and walls, daylight cavern routes, and true cave penetrations according to training. Inside the Infreschi marine protected area, current park rules also control sites, permits, mooring, daily dive numbers, night activity, and restoration closures. Carry dive-specific insurance and know that definitive recompression care may require transfer beyond the immediate coast.
Call 112 for a serious injury or suspected decompression illness, give the exact harbor or landing point, and contact DAN Europe as soon as practical. Do not delay oxygen, hydration when appropriate, neurological assessment, or evacuation while trying to choose a chamber yourself. ASL Salerno lists emergency departments at Dell'Immacolata Hospital in Sapri and San Luca Hospital in Vallo della Lucania. Research did not confirm an immediate public recompression facility in Palinuro or Marina di Camerota; specialist hyperbaric services are available farther north in the Salerno and Naples area, and the destination should be selected by emergency coordination rather than self-referral. Boat evacuation, road time, and weather can all extend definitive care.
Overhead environments require overhead training
A cavern visible from an entrance is not the same as a cave penetration. Silt, branching passages, air spaces, freshwater and sulfur layers, and loss of daylight can turn a scenic swim-through into a specialty dive. Follow the operator's route limits and never enter a submerged cave on ordinary Open Water training alone.
Sulfur and freshwater layers can alter visibility
Some Palinuro cavities have springs and hydrothermal or sulfurous water. Haloclines, thermoclines, reduced contrast, and unusual odor or color are part of the environment, not reasons to leave a guide. Maintain close team contact and do not disturb sediment.
Grotta dell'Alabastro is closed to diving in 2026
The 2026 annual discipline fully prohibits diving at Grotta dell'Alabastro. Treat any older site list or trip report as superseded. Operators must select another approved site, and independent divers must follow the current authorization and site list.
A red-buoyed part of Baia degli Infreschi is closed to swimming in 2026
The annual rules reserve a marked Posidonia restoration area in Baia degli Infreschi from swimming. Stay outside the red buoys, obey staff and boat crews, and do not assume that a popular anchorage means every patch of water is open to entry.
Do Not Do This
Avoid entering when overhead environments require overhead training. Confirm local briefings before committing.
| Contact | Role | Phone | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| European emergency number | Police, ambulance, fire, and coordinated emergency response | 112 | 24/7 |
| Italian Coast Guard | Maritime search and rescue | 1530 | 24/7 in Italy |
| DAN Europe emergency hotline | Diving medical advice and emergency coordination | +39 06 4211 5685 | 24/7 |
| Dell'Immacolata Hospital, Sapri emergency department | Hospital emergency care | +39 0973 609200 | Emergency department; verify current routing when calling |
| San Luca Hospital, Vallo della Lucania emergency department | Hospital emergency care | +39 0974 711907 | Emergency department; verify current routing when calling |
| Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park | Marine protected area administration and permit information | +39 0974 719911 | Office hours; not an emergency line |