San Fruttuoso
Christ of the Abysses, by now a symbol for those who put passion and life in the sea, is immersed in San Fruttuoso’s waters, within the Portofino’s Protected Marin Area.
Placed at more than 15 meters in depth, the bronze statue was placed on the sea bed in 1954, on August 22, on the idea of Duilio Marcante, who was a legend of Italian scuba diving. Following the death of his friend Dario Gonzatti occurred when he was diving, he wanted to place a statue representing Jesus, in memory of all the people who died in the sea and for those who dedicate their lives to it.
The sculpture is 2,5 meters tall and weighs 260 kilos. In the crucible were fused sailors’ and athletes’ medals, bells, cannons, nautical elements and even American submarine’s screws given by the U.S. Navy.
Christ of the Abysses has become destination for scuba divers and many diving centres organize dives in the mirror of water in front of San Fruttuoso.
Scuba diving in the zone where you can see Christ of the Abysses is not particularly difficult because of the sea bed’s lack of depth and for the position of the bay, protected by sirocco’s winds. In the same occasion it is possible to admire, in the southern part, walls covered with coral and sponges, while, not far away from the beach, at about 18 meters depth, there are the ruins of Croesus’ hull, a British steamship that was used to transport troops during the Crimea War.
