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CAVES | ||
THE RED WALL
While thousands of tourists may flock to the Caves of Arta each year, as a diver you´re lucky enough to be able to explore some caves which only a few people have seen. Just a few metres under the surface at Cap Vermell, the tall red cliffs hide the entrance to more caves and rock formations which can only be seen with scuba gear.
When we dive here, we anchor the boat to the East of the caves where a big rock rises above the surface. We start the dive parallel to the cliff, heading West. The route follows a series of tumbling rock formations, with an expanse of seagrass on your right. At the end of the point there is a big patch of sand where we´ve often seen rays, at a depth of about twenty four metres. This is where we turn and come back along the wall at a shallower depth. Just a few metres along, there is a small cave with a beautiful natural archway beside it, where you can find morays and cardinal fish lurking in the shadows. The best part of the dive comes next; a cave which can only be accessed in good conditions from just below the surface. If you try and get in there when the sea is rough it´s like being in a washing machine! You can surface here and enjoy the near darkness and spectacular rock formations. To get out, just deflate your jacket and head for the archway of sunshine flecked sea! Further on, there´s an underwater cove about twenty metres in diameter just next to where the boat is moored. Its very shallow, and is an ideal place to have a safety stop before returning to the boat. The area around Cap Vermell is an ideal breeding ground for Fan Mussels, also known with good reason as Giant Mussels. Can you imagine a mussel so big it wouldn´t fit on your biggest dinner plate? This is one of the last big colonies of this mollusc, as they can feed well on food suspended in the sea grass area. If you´re looking for other marine life, how about octopus, barracuda, stonefish, moray eels and even small grouper? If you´re really lucky, you may see one of the cormorants which live on the cliffs coming for a dive to join you, hunting for its next meal; an unusual and spectacular sight. The dive is for divers of intermediate experience, and is ideal when the wind is coming from the North or North East, as the cliffs offer perfect shelter.
