Reefwander
Divers silhouetted in the blue entrance of the Elephant Cave — Crete

Crete · Greece · Reef · Cave & cavern

Mades

A tunnel entered at 14 m that lets you out at 8 m

Area photo: nsyll · CC BY 2.0

A reef wrapping a peninsula near Mononaftis that steps down in levels from 6 m to 30 m at its deepest point on the northwest side. The feature divers come for is a tunnel: the entrance is at 14 m and the exit at 8 m. Shallow ground for beginners and deeper rock for certified divers, on the same dive.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Mades: typical dive 6–30 m (20–100 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit6 m30 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

35.4006° N, 25.0341° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

The reef wraps the peninsula in terraces, so you choose your depth rather than follow one contour. It starts at 6 m near the rock and steps down, level by level, to the deepest ground on the northwest side at 30 m. That range is what makes the site work for mixed abilities: the shallow terraces are a dive in their own right, and the deep side is there for anyone certified to use it.

The tunnel is the set piece. The entrance is at 14 m and the passage runs up through the rock to an exit at 8 m, so you go in deep and come out six metres shallower than you went in. Take a torch and keep your trim settled: it is an overhead, however brief. After that, the shallow terraces will absorb whatever gas you have left and the safety stop is over rock rather than in blue water.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Mades
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairGoodGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodFair

Season follows Crete: April to November is the season, warmest from July to September; the summer meltemi can blow out the exposed north-coast sites for a day or two at a time.

Sources

  1. Mades — Scubago — Scubago

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