IN THE HEART OF THE STRAIT OF MESSINA

A window into nature’s evolution

An episode from the series THE SECRETS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN

Synopsis

About four kilometers wide and twenty kilometers long, the Strait of Messina separates the tip of the Italian peninsula from Sicily. It is a small stretch of sea that is virtually unexplored because violent sea currents are unleashed there all year round.

In the strait, the Tyrrhenian Sea to the north and the Ionian Sea to the south meet, mix and part every six hours through a narrow channel into which the winds also rushes.

The currents are incredibly powerful and, in some places, reach more than 8 knots, about 15 km/h, something unheard of in the Mediterranean. And when they meet, they form spectacular whirlpools.