Greece
Elephant Cave (Drepano, Crete)
- Max depth12 m
- CertificationCavern
- Water temperature≈ 15–26 °C, varies with the seasonestimated, no reports yet
Diving and fills
Dive here with
Fills nearby
- Blue Adventures Diving (Chania)Air and nitrox; no trimix known
The dive
This cave was once dry and has air chambers of breathable air along almost its whole length. The stalactites and stalagmites are over 8 m tall; at the end they join into a brown wall.
Profile and sections
This cave was once dry and has air chambers of breathable air along almost its whole length. The stalactites and stalagmites are over 8 m tall; at the end they join into a brown wall. Haloclines form where spring water mixes with seawater; the bottom is golden sand. The cave holds fossil bones of elephants (described as Elephas chaniensis, ~50,000–60,000 years old) and some deer. It is also a refuge of the monk seal.
The cave was discovered in 1999 and first explored in 2000 by the Ephorate of Palaeoanthropology and Speleology.
Practical: Blue Adventures takes divers from Open Water with 4 logged dives.
- Depth and profile
- Entrance at -10 m; a roomy tunnel of ~40 m leads to the main chamber, ~125 m long and on average 25 m wide (Grafas: over 100 m). In the chamber the water is a few centimetres to ~4 m deep, often no more than 2 m; the ceiling is up to ~10 m above the water. Max ~-12 m.
- Configuration
- Roomy tunnel and chamber: all configurations. The centres guide it with ordinary recreational gear.
- DPV: Not DPV-suitable (estimate)
- Shallow and short: no scooter needed.
Who can dive where
- At least Cavern
- Configurations: Backmount / twinset / Sidemount / CCR / Small cylinders / no-mount (speleo sumps)
- Goes down to 12 m (trimix or deco may be needed)
This is how the planner decides who in your team may dive this cave. Rules your own trip adds (organizer, a mail, the AI) show with your trip.
How to get there
By boat, at Cape Drepano on the Akrotiri peninsula, outside Souda Bay; Blue Adventures takes ~1 hour from Chania harbour. The underwater entrance (9 m high, 6.5 m wide) is also the only exit. The pin is approximate.
Around Elephant Cave (Drepano, Crete)
Fills1 fill station · 21 km
Blue Adventures Diving (Chania)
Venetian harbour, Chania, Crete
Air and nitrox; no trimix known
Ask for hours
PADI 5 Star IDC on the Venetian harbour of Chania. Takes ~1 hour by boat to the Elephant Cave (two-dive trip, also to the Seal Cave); minimum Open Water and 4 logged dives. Also teaches tec courses.
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