Kornati Islands · Croatia · Wall · Reef
Kaprije
Beginner platform above a gorgonian drop-off starting at 30 m
Area photo: ANDREJ NEUHERZ · CC BY-SA 3.0
A two-part site off the west side of Kaprije island, marked by a small cape that doubles as the anchor area. A platform at moderate depth carries soft corals and colourful sponges and is rated for beginners, while at 30 m a drop-off begins, hung with yellow gorgonians and, further down, red ones. No bottom depth is published for the wall below that line.
Where it is and how deep
43.7190° N, 15.6710° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The boat anchors off a small cape on the west side of the island, approached the same way you would approach Francesca. Under a small platform at moderate depth you find soft corals and colourful sponges, ground the operator rates for beginners and for a second dive of the day. No depth figure is published for the platform itself, only that it sits shallower than the drop-off.
For divers with the training and the gas, the ground keeps going. At 30 m a drop-off begins that is covered with yellow gorgonians, with red gorgonians further down. Nothing is published about how deep that wall runs, so the deeper leg is dived to a turn depth you set rather than to a bottom you can see. Octopus is the animal logged most often here, with scorpionfish and moray eel behind it.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Season follows Kornati Islands: The park licenses diving Apr–Oct, warmest Jul–Sep; the bura wind closes the exposed outer walls at short notice.
Know before you go
- The drop-off continues below the 30 m gorgonian line with no published bottom, so set a turn depth before you go over the edge.
Questions divers ask
Is Kaprije suitable for beginners?+
Yes for the platform: it sits at moderate depth under the cape, carries soft corals and colourful sponges, and the operator rates it for beginners and as a second dive. The drop-off from 30 m is a separate, deeper option.
Sources
- Kaprije dive site — Scubago
More dive sites in Kornati Islands
Red gorgonian colonies on the seabed instead of the wall
A terrace at 26 m packed with red fan corals and sponges
Reef
Uninhabited islet on the park's authorised diving list
Wall
A step at 30 m falling to a fan-coral plateau at 45 m
Wall
Yellow gorgonians on one face of the wall, red on the other
Wall
Gorgonians in several colours at 35 m below a cup-coral slope
Reef
A small sponge-lined cavern at 22 m off the lighthouse islet
One of nine zones where the park authorises diving
Similar dives elsewhere
One-way along the Peñón to 27 m, ending in the arches of Los Arcos
Three finger reefs from 4 m down to 30 m, minutes from shore
A 200 m wall under sponges, bryozoans and soft corals
A stiff wall and a deeper reef cut with cavities, arranged to 24 or 30 m