Kornati Islands · Croatia · Reef · Cave & cavern
Kukuljari
A small sponge-lined cavern at 22 m off the lighthouse islet
Area photo: ANDREJ NEUHERZ · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Kukuljari are a group of islands south-west of Murter, and the diving is on the one closest to Murter, the island with the lighthouse. Three options are dived here: the sheltered west side doubles as an anchor ground, and the north-west cape holds a small cavern at 22 m lined with colourful sponges. Red and yellow corals, congers and schools of small fish fill in the rest.
Where it is and how deep
43.7596° N, 15.6340° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The Kukuljari are a group of islands south-west of Murter Island, and the diving is on the one closest to Murter, the island carrying the lighthouse. The site splits into three options rather than running as one route. The west side is the sheltered choice and offers the anchor ground, which makes it the workable option when the exposed rock is not.
The north-west cape is the feature dive. A small cavern sits at 22 m, and its walls carry colourful sponges that repay a light more than they repay depth. Across these sites the rock holds red and yellow corals, congers and schools of small fish. Octopus is the most frequently logged animal here by a wide margin, with nudibranchs and scorpionfish behind it and squid recorded occasionally.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Nudibranchs
- Squid
- Reef fish swarms
- 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 cavern at the north-west cape is small and silt is easy to raise, so keep a clear line to daylight and stay off the floor.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Kukuljari cavern?+
The small cavern at the north-west cape sits at 22 m and is lined with colourful sponges. No depth is published for the sheltered west-side option, which is the anchor ground.
Sources
- Kukuljari 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
Beginner platform above a gorgonian drop-off starting at 30 m
Wall
Gorgonians in several colours at 35 m below a cup-coral slope
One of nine zones where the park authorises diving
Similar dives elsewhere
Shore-entry islet at 0–16 m with a short, easy tunnel
A swim-through cave at 12 m beside the mooring
Cavern formations in a shallow bay, 10 to 22 m
A rock off the town's port, 5 m down to 24 m