Octopus Reef


Overview

  • Region: Keri Peninsula

  • Dive Type: Reef/Cave

  • Average Depth: 12 metres

  • Maximum Depth: 30 metres

  • Minimum Diver Level: Open Water Diver

The boat moors in a sheltered bay, near a white sandy beach. Divers enter into 6 to 8m of water. Below them is patches of limestone reef and white sand. You head out to sea to find the top of a reef wall at 12m, sloping away down to 16m. The reef wall is made from protruding limestone. Commonly, grouper and moray eels are seen in and near the holes and cracks in the wall, and shoals of bream swimming around it.

You turn right and follow the base of the wall. Open water divers will stay at 18m, while Advanced divers will follow the wall down, up to 30m deep. You will see the reef is covered with potholes and crevasses - looking inside these you can find not only marine life, but also pieces of ancient amphora pots.

When the first diver in your group reaches 100 bar, it's time to turn around and ascend back to the top of the reef wall at 12m. Following the top of the wall back, you'll see on your left a plateau of sand and reef. This area is usually full with octopus hiding is any hole available, so look out for them. Shoals of grey mullet are seen along the top of the reef wall.

When you start to see big boulders appear, you swim left across the plateau to the cliff wall. From here, you will finish the dive by exploring some beautiful shallow caves between 2m and 5m deep and perfect for Open Water divers since most are not overhead and have air above. There are whole networks of tunnels, weaving in and out of the mountain, with stalagmites and stalactites lining some of the chambers.

Copyright © 2008 Eurodivers