[Snorkeling Sardinia] The 10 Best Spots for Snorkeling in Sardinia
Sardinia is a leading tourist destination thanks to its stretches of white sand, sheltered coves, and turquoise waters. Beautiful in any season, the Italian island has some of the greatest diving spots in Europe! Indeed, Sardinia has plenty of incredible caves, wrecks, and beaches for snorkeling, scuba diving, and other water sports lovers.
Take your snorkel and mask, and let’s discover together the best spots for snorkeling in Sardinia. 🤿
Full List of the Best Snorkeling in Sardinia
Sardinia is full of incredible beaches, but not all are suited to snorkeling or scuba diving. Generally speaking, we recommend choosing coves and bays that are protected from wind and currents as the water is usually clearer and warmer in these places.
Here is the top 10 best snorkeling spots Sardinia has to offer:
- Cala Goloritzé
- Cala Luna
- Cala Mariolu
- Cala Spinosa
- Cala Coticcio
- Cala Brandinchi
- Tavolara Island
- Nora
- Cala Cipolla
- Tuerredda
Alright, now let’s see each of these Sardinia snorkeling beaches in more detail! Keep reading below to learn everything about these spots.👇
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1. Cala Goloritzé, Gulf of Orosei
Cala Goloritzé is one of the best places to visit in Sardinia, but also one of the best spots for snorkeling in Sardinia. How to describe it in a few words? Easy: it is the most beautiful cove on the island. In fact, it has been classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, no less!
Motor boats are not allowed to dock in the bay in order to preserve the site and its turquoise waters. The marine life is therefore rich with beautiful multicolored animals that have settled here to enjoy the calm. When snorkeling here, you can see gorgonians, lobsters, conger eels, starfish, morays, octopuses, and more.
This cove is accessible by a hiking trail of about 1 hour, or by swimming from a boat!
🛥 Best tour: Boat tour to Cala Goloritzé
🔎 Read more: Detailed guide for accessing Cala Goloritzé
2. Cala Luna, Gulf of Orosei
Cala Luna is one of the most famous coves and, in fact, one of the most crowded. It is accessible by boat but also from a walking trail.
Cala Luna is often listed among the most beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean sea due to its fine sand and mysterious huge caves formed by the swell such as Bue Marino. That said, this is the beach where most of the boat tours take you, which means that it is crowded at any time of the year when the weather is suitable.
The hike to Cala Luna is 11 kilometers round trip on a stony path that is quite difficult to walk (but beautiful), so if you are a complete beginner you should avoid it.
🛥 Best tour: Boat tour to Cala Luna
3. Cala Mariolu, Gulf of Orosei
Also part of the Gulf of Orosei (certainly the best place for snorkeling in Sardinia) close to Cala Gonone, Cala Mariolu is known for the colors and transparency of its waters.
The cove of Mariolu owes its name to the Mediterranean monk seal that fishermen called “mariolu”, meaning “thief”, because it stole the fish contained in their nets.
Cala Mariolu is less crowded than the other nearby coves but is also full of caves and beautiful fishes. One cave opens right onto the cove, while not far away is the Grotta del Fico, which can be reached by boat.
🛥 Best tour: Boat tour to Cala Mariolu
4. Cala Spinosa, Capo Testa
Cala Spinosa is an extremely beautiful cove located on Capo Testa, a small island facing Corsica and connected with a strip of land to the mainland.
Like most beaches and coves in Sardinia, Cala Spinosa offers fine-grained sand and a transparent blue sea. But the most extraordinary thing about Cala Spinosa is the submerged rock formations that create an incredible panorama like straight out of a movie. These rocks are a very nice home for all types of marine animals, and thus for all snorkelers.
5. Cala Coticcio, La Maddalena
Located on Caprera island, Cala Coticcio is arguably the best spot for snorkeling in the famous archipelago and national park of La Maddalena, northeast of the main island.
Also known as Tahiti for obvious reasons, Cala Coticcio is not easy to reach: you have to either take a boat tour or a guided hike. Note that the hike is of medium level and that hiking shoes are absolutely required.
But I am telling you, it is definitely worth it: you will end up on a Polynesian-like postcard beach with pinky rocks and extremely rich sea life to explore. You can’t dream better if you are a snorkeling lover!
🛥 Best tour: Boat tour to Cala Luna
🔎 Read more: All the Best Beaches of La Maddalena Archipelago
6. Cala Brandinchi, San Teodoro
Located not far from Olbia, Cala Brandinchi is maybe the one place in Sardinia that has it all: wonderful white fine sand to lie down on, blue transparent waters, amazing views on Tavolara Island, beautiful rock formations, and incredible fauna and flora both on land and underwater.
Indeed, Cala Brandinchi sea beads have plenty of species of fish and corals that are easy to discover for kids and beginner scuba divers. Outside in the nature reserve at the back, you may see flamingos and herons.
Note that access to Cala Brandinchi is restricted and charged during the peak season (2€/person) in order to protect its beauty.
7. Tavolara Island
The island of Tavolara is part of a marine protected area. Scuba diving Sardinia on one of the beaches of the island is an opportunity to discover more than 60 species of fish, corals and endemic algae moving in crystal clear water.
Further on, beautiful limestone caves are dominated by Capo Ceraso, a red granite cliff. The place is best discovered right before or after the high season (June or September) for a quiet visit to this small paradise.
For those who prefer diving, you can also discover the Secca del Papa, a site accessible only by inflatable boat that is located off the island of Tavolara, about 300 meters from Punta Papa.
🛥 Best tour: Tavolara Snorkeling Boat Tour
8. Nora, Cagliari
Located 30 kilometers south of Cagliari, this spot is a great treasure of the Sardinian heritage.
Nora is first of all a terrestrial site made up of vast Roman ruins with an almost intact ancient theater. But what is less obvious is that some of these ruins were swallowed up by the waters. Thus, it is possible to dive from the village of Pula to discover more closely this underwater archaeological site whose majestic Punic-Roman ruins bear witness to the past power of the city.
This exceptional site was discovered in 1964 by archaeologists. Although some of the treasures of the site have been plundered in the past, Nora remains an exceptional site to explore during a dive in Sardinia.
9. Cala Cipolla, Chia
Located in Chia Bay on the southern coast of Sardinia, Cala Cipolla is a pretty untouched cove with fine sand and surrounded by thick vegetation typical of the Mediterranean area.
Because of its crystal clear waters and rock formations that frame it, Cala Cipolla is one of Sardinia best snorkeling beaches. Off the coast, if you take a boat tour, you can even see dolphins in their natural habitat!
As it is very easy to access and snorkel, Spiaggia di Cala Cipolla is often crowded during the peak season, but that doesn’t take away its beauty.
🛥 Best tour: Southwest Chia & Teulada Boat tour
10. Tuerredda, Teulada
Tuerredda is one of the prettiest beaches in South Sardinia and one of the best snorkeling beaches Sardinia has to offer.
Indeed, Tuerredda offers a Caribbean scenery and a small island (Isola di Tuerredda) in front of its beach at only a few meters, reachable either by swimming or by canoe that you can rent on the beach.
This small crossing of about 150 meters from the beach to the tiny island is perfect to see fish and other marine animals.
🛥 Best tour: Southwest Chia & Teulada Boat tour
Map of the Best Snorkeling Spots Sardinia Has to Offer
To get the free Sardinia snorkeling map, simply click on the image below to open it in Google Maps. Then click on the “star” icon to save it to your own maps.
FAQ & Tips for Snorkeling Sardinia
Right below, I answer the most asked questions about snorkeling in Sardinia Italy.
Is Sardinia suitable for beginner snorkelers?
Most of the sites in Sardinia have shallow bottoms with rocks that rise to a few meters from the surface. Thus, almost all the sites are accessible to all levels of snorkelers. If you dream of doing your first dive, this destination will be perfect.
Moreover, there are no strong currents in Sardinia and the waters are very clear, which allows you to enjoy great dives in optimal conditions.
What can I see while snorkeling in Sardinia?
On the Sardinian coasts, you can see the typical fauna and flora of the Mediterranean sea bed. Here is a small not exhaustive list of the animals that you can see when snorkeling in Sardinia: morays, snappers, octopus, sea breams, starfish, conger eels, groupers, corals, sappas, peacock wrasse, sea urchins, hermit crabs, jellyfish…
To better see the fish, get closer to the posidonia beds and follow the “mixed zones”, i.e. the borders posidonia/rocks, posidonia/sand, sand/rocks. Be careful not to put your hands there, since it is often there that you can see morays, scorpion fish, or cardinal fish.
Also, be aware that during the very hot hours, most of the fish are less active and stay hidden. Prefer to launch before 10 am and after 4 pm, times to be adapted according to the period.
When is the best time to go snorkeling in Sardinia?
The ideal time for snorkeling in Sardinia is from mid-April to October, from spring to early autumn.
In fact, the water temperature is 15 °C in April. In summer it varies from 22 to 25 °C and remains around 22 °C in autumn. These temperatures coupled with a fairly calm and clear sea make Sardinia an excellent destination for diving almost all year round.
What to pack for snorkeling in Sardinia?
If you are a beginner, you should know that the snorkeling equipment you need to start is very basic and cheap, and it doesn’t require a big investment.
Here are the minimum items you will need to snorkel properly in the Sardinian waters:
- Mask & Tuba
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- Unobstructed breathing dry top snorkel: a high-quality snorkel with a dry-top valve that seals the...
- Fins (optional)
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- Waterproof phone case (optional but very useful)
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- Wetsuit (optional, best for advanced diving)
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Visit Sardinia
Going to Sardinia? Here are further readings that will help you plan your trip to Sardinia:
👉 Here is the main travel guide: 7 Days Itinerary in Sardinia (with free map)
If you are looking for Sardinia’s best beaches, here are other dedicated guides:
- All the Most Beautiful Beaches in Sardinia
- The Best Beaches in North Sardinia
- The Best Beaches in South Sardinia
- The Most Beautiful Beaches in La Maddalena
- The Best Beaches Near Olbia
Also, find below my guides to discovering some of Sardinia’s best attractions:
- The Best Things to Do in Olbia
- Visit Cala Goloritze in the Gulf of Orosei
- Hiking Guide to Cala Napoletana, La Maddalena
- Visit Laveria Lamarmora
- Discovering Porto Flavia & Pan di Zucchero
- Visit the archeological site of Tharros
- Hiking Capo San Marco
- Visit Neptune’s Grotto
- Complete Guide to di Cala Li Cossi Beach
Finally, if you’re looking for a home base in Sardinia, you will find my best accommodation recommendations below:
- The Best Areas to Stay in Sardinia
- The Best Place to Stay in Sardinia for Couples
- The Best Places for Nightlife in Sardinia
I hope you enjoy snorkeling Sardinia; if you have any questions, let me know in the comments below.
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