Primošten & Rogoznica · Croatia · Reef
Fallen Lighthouse
A reef grown over 2,000-year-old amphorae at 13-18 m
Area photo: Carsten Steger · CC BY-SA 4.0
Fallen Lighthouse is a collapsed sea cave near Grbavac, a crater in the seabed left when the roof the lighthouse stood on came down. At 13 to 18 m a reef has grown over pottery and broken amphorae the catalogue dates at 2,000 years old, so the coral and the ceramic are the same surface. Lobsters, moray eels, snails, nudibranchs and octopus live in it.
Where it is and how deep
43.5620° N, 15.8793° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Pongo starts the dive at about 5 m, over round stones with no weed on them that the operator explains as ballast from ancient ships. Deeper, at 13 to 18 m, is the reef itself, and Pongo's maximum for the whole dive is 17 m. There is no deep leg to manage here, so the time goes on looking closely at one small area rather than on depth.
The floor is where it gets interesting. A reef has formed on top of pottery and broken amphorae about 2,000 years old, so what is growing and what was made are the same ground. Lobsters and moray eels are in the gaps beneath it, snails and nudibranchs on the growth itself, and octopus wherever the rubble leaves a hole big enough to hold one. The collapse is the other half of the site: a crater the catalogue compares to a bomb crater, which Pongo measures at 20 m by 15 m and dives under the fallen lighthouse itself.
Background
The site is named for the lighthouse that came down with the cave beneath it: Pongo's account is that the light was built on a sea cave which later collapsed, leaving a crater about 20 m by 15 m that you can now dive under. Below the reef at 13 to 18 m lie pottery and broken amphorae the catalogue puts at 2,000 years old, grown over by coral rather than sitting loose on open sand.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
- 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
- Past the crater there is a cave entrance that Pongo says is only for serious cave divers; the recreational dive stays outside it.
- The reef is small, fragile coral grown over the ceramic, and the operator's one instruction on this site is to hit nothing with your fins.
Sources
- Fallen Lighthouse — Scubago
- Best Dives in Croatia — Diving Center Pongo
- Fallen lighthouse — Diving Center Pongo
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