Level: Free shore access This spot have a free shore access: you can go snorkeling there freely and without having to book a tour or pay an entrance fee. Resort nearby
This spot has been added by
Last updated on June 26, 2022
Simius Beach, at the southeastern tip of Sardinia, looks at first glance like a classic Mediterranean snorkeling spot. However, it offers a unique experience: encounters with grey triggerfish, a species that is rarely seen while snorkeling in the Mediterranean. Here, nothing could be easier; a small colony of triggerfish has settled on a rocky reef near the beach, some 12ft/4m deep. If you are visiting the area, the experience is worth the detour.
Simius Beach is located near Villasimius, a seaside village in southeastern Sardinia. From Cagliari, it takes just over an hour by car to reach the area.
To explore this spot, you have two main options:
If you explore this spot from the shore, you will enter the water from the beach. If you are on a boat trip, you will enter the water directly from it.
Simius is famous for its colony of grey triggerfish, a species rarely seen while snorkeling in the Mediterranean. Several individuals have settled on a small reef located about 250m from the beach (zone 1 on the map).
They can be found both at reef level, at a depth of 10 to 12ft/3 to 4m, and near the surface, where they mingle with saddled seabream. Regularly fed by the guides, they twirl by the hundreds around the boats moored near the reef.
The species of triggerfish present in Simius is the grey triggerfish. Sometimes unproperly described as “tropical” by the local guides, this species is native to the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
It can measure up to 60cm, but those present on this spot are smaller. Even if the reef is not very extensive, it is sometimes hard to spot them from the surface.
Triggerfish can be aggressive during the breeding season, in spring. They don’t hesitate to bite bathers or divers to defend their nest dug in the sand.
If triggerfish are the main attraction of Simius, several other species live around the “triggerfish reef”. Salema, saddled seabream, two-banded seabream, damselfish and ornate wrasse are particularly common at this location.
On the triggerfish reef, pay attention to the boats coming and going, especially if you are snorkeling from the beach.
If you are reaching this spot from the shore, don’t hesitate to also take a look at the rocky beds to the north of the beach (zone 2 on the map). In the shallows, you will spot many fish and sometimes starfish.
There are several restaurants and hotels along the beach. If you are on a boat tour, ask about any snacks or meals that may be included when you book.
These spots are accessible to anyone with basic snorkeling skills, and feeling comfortable in the water and with his snorkeling gear. You will enter the water from the shore (beach, pontoon, ladder, rocks) or from a boat. The water height in the sea entrance area is reasonable, but you will not necessarily be within your depth. Moderate currents can occur in the area, even when the sea conditions are good. The distance to swim to reach the most interesting snorkeling areas of the spot does not exceed 200 meters. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
