Tag Archive for: sponges

Sponge Walls

There is no better spot for macro photographers to capture all the amazing micro flora and fauna of the Mediterranean. On the under-the-surface portion of the cliff walls, in the crevices and caves and within the same small extent of rock face, pseudo corals and all species of Mediterranean sponges can be found in a distracting variety and abundance.To add to the excitement, an old fishing boat wreck on the seagrass awaits divers to explore it! All together they create an ideal habitat for nudibranchs, moray eels, scorpion fish, blennies, gobies, wrasses, starfish and many more. Divers return again and again to capture colorful images one can hardly believe that belong in the Mediterranean .

Dive starts next to the rocky shore where a plateau at 5-6 m depth tops the walls bellow and follows a smooth slope descending to 16 m for a short cross over the Neptune’s seagrass that leads to the fishing boat wreck at 21 m. Among its remains and rusty pipes, nudibranchs, moray eels and octopuses can be found with snappers and amberjacks often visiting the area.  Upon return to the wall, the most impressively colored false corals, an abundance of sponges, ambushing morays, shy cardinal fish and graceful nudibranch occupy ever rock and crevice. Also, groupers, Triton’s trumpets and slipper lobsters are anything but a rare sight at the right time. The return starts with a smooth ascend to the edge of the wall, at 8-9 m depth, through schools of damselfish and cow breams, looking for more morays, and invasive, yet beautiful, lionfish and dive concludes with a safety stop on top of the plateau.

The average depth of the dive is 9 m, while the max is 21 m, appropriate for divers of all levels.

The usual visibility is 25 m and temperature ranges between 24-26 °C in summer months. Usually no surface currents are present. Boat ride duration 5′.

 

Scuba Diving Kefalonia, Scuba Kefalonia

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Lighthouse Reef

At the northern end of Skala beach, the rocky coastline provides an u/w landscape of walls and rockslides, which create an ideal habitat for most Mediterranean species. In this dive site, marked by the Cape Kapros lighthouse, boulders scattered among Posidonia seagrass provide a haven for all kinds of breams, wrasses, brown meagres and octopuses, especially when water temperature is below 23 °C, up to the end of June and again from early September. Huge schools of juvenile saddled sea breams and damselfish, along with often passing Loggerheard sea turtles, create scenery so rich that rarely can be matched by Mediterranean waters.

The average depth of the dive is 8 m, while the max is 17 m, appropriate for divers of all levels.

The usual visibility is 25 m and temperature ranges between 24-26 °C in summer months. Occasionally a weak surface current may be encountered. Boat ride duration 5′.

 

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Heart of the Sea

A most impressive and vivid wall hides a surprise for divers. A wide opening from 15 to 25 m leads to an enormous underwater cave. Every surface is covered with colorful marine life such as sponges, soft and false corals, coralline algae and is inhabited by all kinds of crustaceans and bright colored fish. A smaller tunnel leads to a second dark chamber, a sanctuary for red narval shrimp and leopard gobies and a heaven for macro u/w photographers alike. But the most impressive venue is at the main chamber of the cave where the collapsed roof creates a saltwater lake at the bottom of a wide well curved in the rock, where sunlight on the surface turns water into liquid emerald..
The average depth of the dive is 18 m, while the max is 34 m, appropriate for advanced level divers. The visibility is usually greater than 25 m and temperature ranges between 19-26 °C in summer months, depending on depth. Occasionally a mild current may be encountered at the tip of the wall. Boat ride duration 30′.

 

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The Undercut

In between the iconic little caverns of Kako Lagadi beach and the mushroom shaped rocks of Limenia bay there is a last elevated cove. The underwater scenery is as impressive, with big cuts bellow the rock and crevices full of pseudo corals, tube worms and all species of Mediterranean sponges. Schools of small fish feed against the current around this tip of land and attract predators like amberjacks and blue runners. The newly arrived invasive yet incredibly impressive lionfish also like this spot as can find shelter in the remains of a sunk small barge.

The average depth of the dive is 12 m, while the max is 18 m, appropriate for divers of all levels.

The usual visibility is 24 m and temperature ranges between 19-25 °C in summer months. Occasionally a moderate surface current may be encountered. Boat ride duration 9′.

 

 

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