Traversata Carloforte-Portoscuso

The stretch of sea between San Pietro Island and the coast of Portoscuso is defined by a deep, ultramarine intensity that shifts toward a translucent turquoise as you approach the shallows of Porto Paglietto. Shaped by the complex interaction of the Sardinian Sea and the prevailing mistral winds, these waters maintain a rhythmic, rolling swell that demands rhythmic breathing and consistent sighting. Swimming this 6.5km course feels like moving through a submerged history of the Sulcis region, where the industrial legacy of the old tuna fisheries meets a rugged, volcanic geology.

The route and what you will see

As you depart from the historic Tonnara at La Punta, you are swimming along a corridor once vital to the Tabarkan refugees who established the nearby town of Carloforte in 1738. The Su Pranu complex, with its church dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua, still stands as a marker of the tonnarotti culture that governed these waters for centuries. As you progress toward the mainland, keep an eye on the horizon for the Ghinghetta lighthouse, which has warned ships away from the treacherous Ghinghetta rock since 1912 with its distinctive black and red bands. You are crossing a path that mirrors the maritime challenges faced by the 14th-century fleets during the naval engagement at Canyelles, though today the only conflict is against the clock and the open swell.

Near Punta Niedda, the seafloor topography offers a silent connection to the ancient past; this is the area where the Bonnanaro culture established a burial cave in the andesite rock during the 2nd millennium BC. While the coastline features the imposing heights of the Costa Crobetana cliffs, your immediate focus remains the sequence of orange and yellow buoys guiding the transit toward Portoscuso. If you find yourself needing a shorter distance earlier in the season, you might consider the Calasetta 2026 event in June, which shares a similar maritime character. By the time you reach the final kilometer, the silhouette of the 16th-century Spanish Tower serves as your primary landmark, standing 3.5 meters above the ground on a promontory that has watched over this gulf for nearly five centuries. The race is open to FIN-registered athletes, with a 2-hour time limit that accounts for the typical currents in this channel, and a registration fee of 30 EUR that supports the boat logistics required to shuttle all 200 participants from the island to the starting line.