Unique diving trip to The Elephant Cave in Crete

Minimum age: 18

Highlights

• Gorgeous white and red formations decorate the cave ceiling and floor
• Unparalleled diving spot which was only recently discovered
• 2 dives

All about the trip

The recently-discovered submerged Cave of Elephants is located in Drepano area of Akrotiri, in Chania prefecture and out of Souda Bay. This cavern of stunning beauty was the final resting place for a group of rare elephants that lived in Vamos. When the sea level rose, an unsurpassable wall of water blocked access to this stunning natural monument, protecting it from any outside interference for tens of thousands of years.

Through a series of incredible coincidences, The Cave of Elephants was only recently discovered in the year 2000 by a local fisherman. Lending the cave its name, Scientists have discovered that the resident elephants of the cave had unique characteristics that have not been found anywhere else. Local scientists named the cave, “Elephas Chaniensis” and took many of the bones to the department of Historic Geology and Paleontology of the University of Athens. The University Scientists estimated the age of the Cretan Elephants to be somewhere between 50,000 and 60,000 years old!

The cave’s mysterious entrance is hidden 3.5 to 10 metres deep below the water’s surface and is about 9 metres wide. The cave’s ceiling emerges from the water, approximately 40 metres away from the cave’s entrance with its highest point about 13 metres above the surface of the water. The cave’s main chamber is 120m long and its average width is about 25m. The entire cave’s overall length is 160m long, so for the seasoned diver, there is much to explore.

The upper layer consists mostly of dwarf deer and smaller mammals. In the underlying layers we find Elephas Chaniensis along with normal deer bones. There are also two molars attached to the cave floor, 3m below water surface. Gorgeous white and red formations decorate the ceiling and floor throughout. The red stalagmites owing their colour to the unusually high amounts of aluminium and iron oxide contained in the cavern’s stratum.

What is included in the price

• Pick-up and drop-off
• Coffee and beverages
• Professional instructor
• Equipment rental
• 2 dives

What is not included in the price

• Lunch
• Study materials

Instructions

Please be at the meeting point at least 15 minutes prior to departure

This activity is organised by Evelin Dive Center, Rethymnon Samou 17, Crete, 74100, Greece, +30 6936202001, info@evelindivers.com.