Mediterranean · Croatia
Mljet National Park
A sunlit sea cave and an ancient amphora wreck off Mljet's coast
Mljet has held a national park since 1960, and the diving around the island mixes sea caves, sunken walls and the amphorae left along an old shipping lane sailed by Greek galleys. Odysseus' Cave, named for the hero said to have spent seven years on the island, fills with light through its side openings. At Goli Rat lie the remains of an ancient ship and its amphorae, while the deeper parts of Lenga hold red coral. Diving tours leave daily from Pomena, inside the park.
About diving in Mljet National Park
Diving tours run daily from Pomena, at the west end of the island and inside the national park. Fully kitted, divers ride out by RIB to the chosen site: Goli Rat, Odysseus' Cave, Lenga on the southern shore, Greben Štit on the southwest, or Vranji Škoj near the park's Great and Small Lake. Night dives are run as well as day dives. Odysseus' Cave can be entered from the sea side or by diving through an underwater channel.
Underwater the island is a run of caves, rock formations and sunken walls. Inside Odysseus' Cave, sunlight striking the side openings throws light through the water during the day. Goli Rat pairs the remains of the ancient wreck with a wall that descends to 40 m and ends on a rocky seabed. Vranji Škoj is full of algae, cliffs and rock formations, and Greben Štit holds schools of fish and lobsters. Amphorae turn up along the coast, a trace of the old galley route past the island.
Mljet suits divers who want caves, rock and a thread of history in the same trip, from beginners to experienced divers. Lenga covers both: its shallows are rich in life, with holes in the rock where lobsters and octopuses hide, while its deeper parts hold red coral. The sea falls to about 14 °C in January, and 7 mm as well as 5 mm suits can be rented in Pomena.
Best time to dive Mljet National Park
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair |
May to September is the best stretch, when the sea is at its warmest; by January it has cooled to about 14 °C.
Dive types & marine life
Octopuses live in and around Odysseus' Cave alongside anchovies, and jellyfish arrive whenever southern winds blow. Red coral grows in the deeper parts of Lenga and turns up at Greben Štit for the lucky, so it is a find rather than a certainty.
- Cave & cavern
- Wall
- Wreck
- Reef
- Octopus & cuttlefish
Best dive sites in Mljet National Park
- 1
Odysseus' Cave
Marine cave for novices, entered through a narrow passage and dived within 6 m.
- 2
Goli Rat
Cape with the remains of an ancient ship and the amphorae it carried.
- 3
Lenga
Site on the southern side of the island, with red coral in its deeper parts.
- 4
Greben Štit
Area on the southwest of the island, rich in life, with a chance of red coral.
- 5
Vranji Škoj
Reef near the park's Great and Small Lake, with a seabed of white sand.
Site guides
Ancient amphorae and an old anchor at Mljet's western cape
Cave & cavern
Daylight pouring through the side openings of a legendary sea cave
How to get to Mljet National Park
Mljet has no airport; Dubrovnik Airport on the mainland is the island's international link. A catamaran runs from Gruž harbour in Dubrovnik to Mljet, and the dive centre is in Pomena, inside the national park beside Hotel Odisej.
Photos from Mljet National Park
Jaganjac · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
DIVING | MLJET | summer 2023 · Grega Ravnjak on YouTube
Mljet coral reef 2015 · Duje Bulaja on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Are there ancient wrecks and amphorae to see?+
Goli Rat holds the remains of an ancient ship and the amphorae it carried, and more amphorae lie around the island, which sat on a maritime route used by Greek galleys.
When is the light in Odysseus' Cave at its best?+
Around noon, when the sun reaches into the cave through its side openings and fills the water with blue light.
Is night diving possible on Mljet?+
Yes. Night dives are run on Mljet as well as day dives, from the dive centre in Pomena.
Sources
- Ronilački centar Aquatica Mljet — Aquatica Mljet
- Diving in Croatia: 4 best diving locations on the islands — Adriatic.hr
- ACTIVITIES / Diving — TZO Mljet
- Mljet — Wikivoyage
- Mljet — Wikipedia
- Dubrovnik average sea temperatures — SeaTemperature.org
- Odysseus Cave — Divebooker
- Dive into happiness! — Adriatic Luxury Hotels
Photo credits
- A pale layered limestone cliff curving down to a rubble slope at the waterline, with pine scrub above and calm blue sea below by Jaganjac, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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