Primošten & Rogoznica · Croatia · Wall
Alains Cliff
A 3-8 m plateau, then a wall the catalogue traces past 90 m
Area photo: Carsten Steger · CC BY-SA 4.0
Alains Cliff is the drop-off Rogoznica is dived for, catalogued a second time as Smokvica Vela Wall — for the Vela Smokvica the cliff runs toward, not the Kornati island of the same name. A plateau at 3 to 8 m runs out to the lip, and the face below falls past anything a recreational plan reaches: the catalogue entries put its foot at 90 m and at 96 m. Pongo rates it a good dive in strong mistral or north wind.
Also known as Allans Cliff, Smokvica Vela Wall.
Where it is and how deep
43.5141° N, 15.9354° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
You drop onto the plateau, which sits between 3 and 8 m, and follow it out to the edge. From there the rock turns vertical. Pongo runs the site as a 20 to 40 m dive, while the catalogue traces the same face to 90 m in one entry and 96 m in the other, so the foot of the wall belongs to no recreational plan and depth discipline is most of the dive.
The feature along the way is a canyon cut into the face, full of red gorgonian with schools of fish standing in it. Scorpionfish hold on the ledges, conger and moray eels use the cracks, and crayfish work the same broken ground. Past the canyon the cliff swings toward the island of Vela Smokvica, the name the site is catalogued under a second time, and octopus are in the shallows rather than out on the wall, which makes the plateau worth the last part of the dive.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Primošten & Rogoznica: The swimming season runs June to October; Pongo prices a low season as well, so winter diving happens at around 12–15 °C.
Know before you go
- Pongo warns that the current here is sometimes strong, particularly in the low season, and that it runs hardest where the cliff bends toward Vela Smokvica; stay in close to the wall when it does.
- Visibility is quoted at 30 m and better, which Pongo's own tip says can trick you into going deeper than planned on a wall this size; watch the gauge rather than the terrain.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Alains Cliff?+
The plateau on top is 3 to 8 m and the wall below it drops away: one catalogue entry gives 90 m for the face and another 96 m. Recreational dives are run at 20 to 40 m, so the depth you plan, rather than the site, sets the dive.
Sources
- Alains Cliff — Scubago
- Smokvica vela - Wall — Scubago
- Best Dives in Croatia — Diving Center Pongo
- Alain's Cliff — Diving Center Pongo
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