Mljet National Park · Croatia · Cave & cavern
Odysseus' Cave
Daylight pouring through the side openings of a legendary sea cave
Odysseus' Cave is a marine cave on the southern coast of Mljet, near the village of Babino Polje, named for the legend that the hero spent seven years on the island. It is a shallow dive of no more than 6 m into a sunlit chamber, and divers come for the play of light through its openings and the octopuses living around it.
Also known as Odysseus Cave, Ulysses' Cave, Odisejeva špilja.
Where it is and how deep
42.7294° N, 17.5439° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The way in is a narrow, tunnel-like passage only 4 to 5 m wide that leads from the open sea into a chamber formed where the cave's vault collapsed. Inside, the whole dive stays shallower than 6 m.
By day the chamber becomes a light show: sunlight strikes the cave's side openings and lights the water, at its brightest around midday when the sun is high enough to shine straight down. Anchovies and octopuses live in and around the cave.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Mljet National Park: May to September is the best stretch, when the sea is at its warmest; by January it has cooled to about 14 °C.
Know before you go
- Southern winds can carry jellyfish into the cave and the water around it.
Photos from Odysseus' Cave
Enzyklofant · CC BY-SA 3.0
Dive videos
Odisejeva špilja/Odysseus Cave Mljet · Klub za podvodne aktivnosti Vodomar on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What certification does Odysseus' Cave need?+
Open Water is enough: the dive stays within 6 m, so the cave suits newly certified divers.
Sources
- Diving in Croatia | 4 best diving locations on the islands — adriatic.hr
- Mljet diving — TripBase
- Odysseus Cave — Medgulets
- Dive into happiness! — Adriatic Luxury Hotels
- ACTIVITIES / Diving — TZO Mljet
- Odisejeva špilja — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- Looking down from a rock ledge into a cave mouth with clear turquoise water over pale rock beneath an overhanging limestone roof by Enzyklofant, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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