Elephant Cave
Cave diving in Crete, Chania
The famous Elephant Cave in Chania, is a diving attraction for the global dive community.
The entrance of the cave, 9 meters wide and 6.5 meters high, is 10 meters deep and continues in a broad tunnel of about 40 meters long. The rest is 125 m long and 25 m wide, which is the main hall of the cave. The depth in this room ranges from a few centimetres to a maximum of 4 meters.
The roof of the cave is full of reddish stalactites, due to the aluminium and iron content in the cave rocks. There are many stalagmites in the water as well.
The most important finding here, where visitors will admire, is the presence of Elephas chaniensis (ancient elephant species) bones, embedded in the rocks. The migration of these species to Greece is estimated to have taken place 15 million years ago, when there was a single land from the Ionian Sea to the coast of Asia Minor. There is also a very small proportion of Cervidae deer bones, dwarf deer as high as 30 centimetres.
The age of the underwater cave is approximately 50,000-60,000 years.
The combination of magnificent decoration of stalactites and stalagmites (both underwater and above the surface of the water), as well as the fossilized bones embedded in the cavernous rocks, with very good visibility, create an astonishing underwater landscape that you will remember forever.
Dive type : Boat dive
Minimum certification level : Open Water Diver
General remarks :
It is for certified Open Water or above divers and for a minimum 3 person group.
The excursion to Marathi area at Chania, starts early in the morning from our base with the minibus. There are stops on the route at various points for sightseeing, landscape photography, and if you choose, we make a stop for coffee or soft drinks.
We arrive at the high-speed boat at noon, where we depart for the cave’s entry point.
After the end of the dive, we take a guided walk or we stop for food at the city of Chania, until the afternoon where we begin our return to our base in Heraklion.
The price includes all the above except the food/coffee or other optional services.
The itinerary of the excursion may be changed upon request