Reefwander
A green, cliff-edged island with a small rocky islet at its tip, seen across blue water with a white motorboat and a red boat in front — Galiola, Budva & Jaz

Budva & Jaz · Montenegro · Reef · Pinnacle

Galiola

Two chimneys to swim through inside an underwater pyramid

Photo: Anton Nikiforov · CC BY 3.0

Galiola is an underwater pyramid near St. Nikola Island off Budva, a reef dive with a maximum depth of 25 m. Divers swim through two chimneys in the pyramid, where octopus and grouper live, and the site is open to divers with an Open Water Diver certificate.

Also known as Reef Galiola, Galiola ridge.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Galiola: typical dive to 25 m (to 82 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit25 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

42.2659° N, 18.8522° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The dive is built around two chimneys that run through the pyramid, and divers swim through both of them. Octopus and grouper live in the chimneys among other marine life, and the deepest point of the dive lies at 25 m.

Marine life and season

  • Octopus & cuttlefish
  • Groupers
Month-by-month season rating for Galiola
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodFairFair

Season follows Budva & Jaz: Boats run from April to October; June to August brings warm water and excellent visibility.

Dive videos

Galiola Tunels Budva Montenegro · vigodiver9 on YouTube

Questions divers ask

Can Open Water divers dive Galiola near St. Nikola Island?+

Yes. The site takes an Open Water Diver certificate, and the dive through the two chimneys reaches 25 m at most.

Sources

  1. Diving Spots - Montenegro diving — Montenegro diving (Budva)
  2. Sveti Nikola, Budva (OpenStreetMap) — OpenStreetMap

Photo credits

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