- window
- At Amalfi / Conca dei Marini the bathing season changes the usable distances far more than the sea ever does. Between the shore and five metres of water there are 100 m: that is the stretch you want to cover in good light. In doubt, ask the local Capitaneria beforehand and not afterwards. With Scirocco forecast to strengthen it pays to go earlier rather than to stay longer.
- tide
- Even at springs the band out to five metres stays 100 m wide: the level does not change the route. Between the shore and five metres of water there are 100 m, and no tide shifts that line appreciably. At Amalfi / Conca dei Marini the tide calendar is no substitute for reading the sea. A surge pushed by Scirocco can raise the level more than the tide itself.
- shelter
- Here the protection comes from the ground behind the shore rather than from the coast itself, so in Scirocco where you stand is what matters. The shore in front of the mark faces southeast, about 131°, so everything arriving from that sector gets in unobstructed. At Amalfi / Conca dei Marini the swell forecast matters more than the wind forecast on this stretch. Better to call it off from land than to discover the real sea two hundred metres out.
- conditions
- With twenty metres at 440 m from the shore the session is organised in bands rather than in points. The 10 m contour runs about 110 m from the shore and is the practical reference for this entry. In poor visibility keep your own float in sight at all times. At Amalfi / Conca dei Marini the inshore current shifts the murk within hours: waiting sometimes works better than moving.
- hazard
- At Amalfi / Conca dei Marini, as along the whole Italian coast, the surface marker and the 50 m radius are not negotiable. In shallow, moving water the bottom is the most dangerous thing you have near you. On breath-hold there is only one rule: never alone beyond your own limits. The way back from 110 m out is longer than it looks once you are tired.
- access
- On a straight stretch the entry is not a point but a choice among many. From here to the 5 m contour is about 100 m, and it pays to measure them on the way out so as not to find them long on the way back. Count the 100 m that separate you from the five-metre contour: they are the measure of the way back. At Amalfi / Conca dei Marini the best place is the one you can leave without hurrying.
Rock and boulders between the towns; clearly east of Positano, outside the MPA.
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