The full tour
The tour that doesn't end in Acitrezza. Out of the harbour, under the sea stacks and on along the coast to the Timpa cliffs and Santa Tecla, with two swim stops inside the Marine Protected Area.
The full tour · €45 · 3 hours
The largest of the Cyclops Islands. A nature reserve, home to seagulls and to a lizard found nowhere else.
The rocks Polyphemus hurled at Ulysses. From below they look like something else: columns of lava rising out of the sea.
Geology in plain sight: Etna's lava flow cooled into perfect prisms, like a stone organ.
First swim stop in the Marine Protected Area. Mask, snorkel, and below you the black basalt seabed.
A green wall 80 metres high dropping sheer into the sea. You only see it from here, and only like this.
The fishing village at the foot of the Timpa. Second swim stop, then the sea break on board.
Another lava flow, another cliff of black prisms. Here the lava reached the sea in a different century, and you can tell.
The last stretch towards Acireale, where the coast turns wilder. Then we head back, with the sun low over the sea stacks.
What's included
How it works
On WhatsApp, saying how many you are and when you are in Acitrezza. We suggest a time.
The day before we write to you with the real conditions. If the sea is not suitable we reschedule, at no cost.
Marina di Acitrezza, the boat is the Polifemo. Bring a swimsuit, a towel and sunscreen. The rest is on board.
Three hours along the coast, with the stops and the snorkelling. Back in the harbour with the sun low over the sea stacks.
The Caves of Ulysses
Two miles south, carved by Etna's lava flows. When the sea allows it we switch off the engine and glide inside in silence. When it doesn't, we don't go in: the sea decides, not us.
It is not a guaranteed attraction and we don't sell it as one. It is the part of the tour you will remember most, when it happens.
Before booking
They are not three hours of non-stop sailing: we stop twice to swim and there are the sea breaks. Children are in the water, not sitting still. If you prefer something shorter there is the 90-minute long tour or the 45-minute short tour.
Because it is not the same thing. That one is a pass-by in front of the sea stacks: you look and come back. Here you reach Acireale, touch eight sights and stop twice in the water. The price is the price of the time and the distance.
No, and we don't promise it. We only go in when the sea allows it. If it's not possible that day, we tell you before setting off.
Swimsuit, towel, sunscreen and a hat. Masks, snorkels and life jackets are on board.
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Departures from the Marina di Acitrezza pier. We confirm the time and sea conditions the day before. We speak English.