Rhodes · Greece · Reef · Wall
Trooper
A reef tour ending at a spot full of lionfish, 18 m maximum
Area photo: PawełMM · CC BY-SA 4.0
Trooper is an 18 m reef dive on the north-east coast of Rhodes that H2O Diving Center describes as combining all the reef types, flat reef, drop-off and wall, and ending on a surprise spot full of lionfish. The minimum level is Open Water Diver, so it is an easy dive with a set-piece ending that the operator names for the fish.
Where it is and how deep
36.3228° N, 28.2120° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Trooper runs like a sampler of the island's reef. The dive takes in flat reef, a drop-off and a section of wall, all within a maximum depth of 18 m, which keeps the whole profile inside Open Water limits. Follow the guide through the changes of terrain; the reef is the dive until the end, and the end is what the site is known for.
The surprise spot at the finish is full of lionfish. They are venomous, so the etiquette is to look and photograph without crowding them, and to keep hands and fins well clear. From there the dive works back through the shallows to the exit. It is a good site for a photographer with a short lens and for any Open Water diver who wants a reef dive with a set-piece ending.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| 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 Rhodes: May to October is the season, peaking July to September; centres still run in October, charter flights stop after October, and very little is dived from November to March.
Know before you go
- Lionfish spines are venomous: keep hands and fins clear at the surprise spot and do not crowd them for photographs.
Questions divers ask
What do you see at Trooper?+
The dive covers flat reef, a drop-off and a wall, and ends at a spot that H2O Diving Center describes as full of lionfish. Maximum depth is 18 m.
Sources
- Trooper — Scubago / H2O Diving Center
More dive sites in Rhodes
Reef
A seabed installation of lost boat anchors, 18 m maximum
A marine cave to 19 m opening onto a reef that drops past 30 m
Reef
A statue of Eros on a reef of cavities and a steep drop-off
Wall
An abandoned fishing net at the foot of a wall from 18 m to 3 m
Reef
The entry-level reef dive: 18 m and a surprise ending
Reef
Cavern formations in a shallow bay, 10 to 22 m
Flat reef, drop-off and wall in one 18 m dive
A stiff wall and a deeper reef cut with cavities, arranged to 24 or 30 m
Similar dives elsewhere
A 40 m canyon at the end of a 5 to 20 m drop-off
Cobbles and posidonia at 6 m, a rocky wall out to 20 m
A swim-through cave at 12 m beside the mooring
An island wall from 2 m to 18 m over posidonia meadow