Cala Pisana, the cove that saves a sirocco day
When the sirocco (south-easterly) piles up swell from Punta Sottile to Capo Ponente, the east coast stays flat. Cala Pisana is the inlet that rescues your day, minutes from town.
Today: north-easterly (grecale) 12 knots. This cove is exposed, expect waves and cloudy water. Better to switch to Guitgia, Cala Croce, Cala Madonna. Full wind guide
Cala Pisana opens onto the east coast, just past the airport, and it is one of the few inlets on the island with two different ways into the sea. On one side a small sandy beach where the bottom stays shallow for a good stretch; on the other a flat rock platform, almost a quay, where people jump in and climb back out on a ladder. The cove is narrow and set between rock walls, and it is exactly that shape that keeps the southern swell out.
This is not the most spectacular cove on Lampedusa, and does not try to be. It is where you end up when the south coast turns unusable and the day is about to fall apart, and it almost always works. There is not much room, so on a full sirocco day plenty of people have the same idea and the sand fills up early. A kiosk covers the basics, a few loungers and something to drink, but the rest (shade, water, reef shoes) is best brought from home.
| Access | by car or scooter |
|---|---|
| Distance | 2 km from town, 25 minutes on foot |
| Seabed | sand and rock |
| Depth | shallow near the shore |
| Shade | very little |
| Facilities | kiosk |
| Parking | limited |
| With children | good |
| Snorkeling | good |
| Sheltered from | sirocco (south-easterly), southerly (ostro), south-westerly (libeccio), westerly (ponente), mistral (north-westerly) |
| Exposed to | easterly (levante), north-easterly (grecale) |
Getting there
- From town head towards the airport and carry on along the road that drops down to Cala Pisana on the east side, a few minutes by scooter.
- Walking is possible, but it is a long stretch of tarmac with almost no shade, so in July or August take a scooter or an e-bike instead.
- Parking is a handful of pull-ins along the road, so arrive before ten or after four, and never block driveways, people live here.
- The last stretch is a few metres on foot, a short slope with no rough path, so you can carry a cool box.
Working out the night before that tomorrow is an east coast day
On Lampedusa the wind picks the beach, and you make the call the night before with a wind forecast app (Windy, Windfinder, whichever you use). What matters is not the wind speed but the direction. If the arrow comes from the south-east, that is the sirocco, and the whole south coast from Punta Sottile to Capo Ponente turns choppy while visibility drops, so Guitgia, Cala Croce or Rabbit Beach become a mediocre choice. At the same moment, over here on the east side, the sea is glass.
The forgiving sector here is wide and the unforgiving one is narrow, which is lucky: anything blowing from the south-east round to the north-west, passing through south and west, is fine, and only easterly and north-easterly winds are a problem. Keep that in mind the day after a wind shift too, because swell takes hours to die down and old sea arrives while the forecast says calm. If in doubt, look at the water from the harbour before you load the car.
Where to get in and what you see underwater
There are two entry points and they are not interchangeable. From the sand you simply walk in, the bottom stays shallow and sandy for a while, and that is the right way with children or if you dislike jumping. From the rock platform you drop in from a little over a metre and climb back up the ladder, convenient, but check first for open water below and no rock breaking the surface. The best snorkelling is along the sides, where sand gives way to rock, among sea bream, damselfish, grazing salema and the occasional octopus in a crack. Look, do not touch, this is a Marine Protected Area.
It works with children, with a few caveats
Shallow water, a still sea and town minutes away make Cala Pisana a good base for a day with small children, better than most coves on the island. There are three caveats. Wet rock is slippery and sharp in places, so reef shoes beat any other piece of kit. The jump off the quay is not for little ones, nor is climbing back up the ladder if the sea is not smooth. And there is almost no shade here after eleven, so either bring your own umbrella or plan to head back at midday.
If it is packed, stay on this side of the island
Cala Pisana is small, and on sirocco days everyone works that out. If parking is full or the sand is taken, carry on along the east coast, because Cala Creta and Mare Morto give you the same shelter and different water. Keep some cash on you as well, since kiosks do not always take cards.
When this is the wrong cove
With easterly or north-easterly wind the inlet faces straight into the swell: the sea comes in short and choppy, sand lifts off the bottom, snorkelling is pointless and the ladder turns unpleasant. On those days the right call is the south coast, Guitgia or Cala Croce.
Where Cala Pisana is
Nearby coves
Frequently asked questions
Is Cala Pisana good for children?
Yes, with a few precautions. The sandy bottom stays shallow near the shore and on the right days the sea barely moves, so children can play without you holding your breath. You do need to watch the wet rock, which is slippery, and the raised platform people jump from. Put reef shoes on the children and bring an umbrella, because natural shade is almost nonexistent.
Do you need to book to get in?
No. Compulsory booking applies to Rabbit Beach inside the nature reserve, not to Cala Pisana, where you walk in freely at any hour. The only real limit is space, because the cove is small and parking spots are few. In high season your arrival time matters far more than the date on the calendar.
Can you walk there from town?
You can, but know what you are in for. It is a long walk on tarmac, almost without shade and without a continuous pavement, skirting the airport road. At eight in the morning the walk is pleasant; at two in the afternoon, much less so. With children or heavy bags, take a scooter, an e-bike or a car.
What is the snorkelling like at Cala Pisana?
Good rather than outstanding, and concentrated along the edges. In the middle the bottom is sand and there is little to see, but as soon as you move towards the rock walls you find sea bream, damselfish, salema and the odd octopus a few metres down. It is an excellent place to try a mask for the first time. For richer seabed, Cala Creta is on the same coast.
When should you avoid it?
When the wind comes from the east or north-east. The swell then rolls straight into the inlet, the water clouds up with lifted sand and getting out via the ladder becomes awkward. Those are also the days when the south coast goes calm again, so the swap is easy: Guitgia, Cala Croce and Cala Madonna instead of the east coast.