Diving the Elephant Cave

This summer, my wife’s daughter came to stay with us, bringing along our grandson and her partner, Chris. Chris is a PADI-certified diver, although it’s been a few years since his last dive. When we mentioned the possibility of diving during their visit, Chris lit up with excitement and wasted no time booking his PADI ReActivate session.

A few days into their stay, Chris and I visited Omega Divers to explore our diving options. They offered either a beach dive at Koutalas Beach (where my wife and I did our refresher dive) or a more adventurous boat trip to the Lighthouse Wall and Elephant Cave. Knowing how much more thrilling the second option would be, I recommended the boat dive and booked it for the three of us.

On the day of the dive, we arrived at the dive centre and went through the usual routine: filling out paperwork, assembling our gear, and loading it onto the truck. A short minibus ride later, we found ourselves at the boat in Almyrida port. From there, we enjoyed a scenic ride around Drapanos Peninsula before anchoring in a calm bay. After a brief but thorough dive briefing, we suited up and hopped into the water.

Despite it being a while since Chris’s last dive, he was completely at ease once we were in the water. Our first dive at Lighthouse Wall was fantastic, with schools of fish and plenty of marine life to admire. After a surface interval and a quick lunch, we geared up again for our second dive: Elephant Cave.

The dive guides led us through a gradual descent into the cave, where we each had torches to illuminate the stunning rock formations. As we ventured deeper, we encountered the fossilized elephant teeth that gave the cave its name. The inner chamber of the cave was like a cathedral, with awe-inspiring stalactites and stalagmites all around. At one point, the guides had us turn off our torches to experience the absolute darkness—it was eerie and fascinating at the same time.

We swam further into the cave, taking in the breathtaking views until we reached the end. Then, we descended deeper to catch a glimpse of the entrance glowing with a brilliant blue hue. Exiting the cave, we enjoyed a relaxing swim back to the boat.

To top it all off, we were thrilled to see how much marine life has flourished since we last dived here nearly three years ago. The increase in fish was remarkable, making the whole experience even more memorable.