Halkidiki · Greece · Cave & cavern
Erica Cave
A 40 m long cavern where shrimps, crayfish and lobsters breed
Area photo: id.nfero · CC BY-SA 3.0
An open cavern entered at 12 m that runs back about 40 m and is roughly 10 m wide, on a site with a listed maximum of 40 m and rock outside the mouth continuing to 45 m. The operator describes it as a sanctuary where shrimps, crayfish and lobsters breed, and the dive is a slow tour of the walls among sardines, groupers, morays and rockfish.
Where it is and how deep
39.9444° N, 23.9580° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
You drop to the cavern mouth at 12 m. Erica is an open cavern rather than a closed cave, and it extends approximately 40 m back with a width of about 10 m. The site's listed maximum depth is 40 m, and outside the entrance the rock keeps falling to 45 m, so the first decision of the dive is how deep the plan allows before you go in; the entrance depth is the easy part.
Inside, the interest is on the walls and the floor. The operator describes the cavern as a sanctuary for the birth of crustaceans, and shrimps, crayfish and lobsters are the reason to move slowly and look closely. Amidst the rock formations you meet sardines, groupers, moray eels and rockfish, the larger fish holding still in the shadow of the rock. Being an open cavern, the exit is the mouth you came in by at 12 m, and the dive can finish on the rock outside.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Off-season | Off-season |
Season follows Halkidiki: Boat trips and Try Scuba run April to October; courses are sold year-round, but the sea sits around 14 °C from January to March.
Know before you go
- Overhead: Erica is an open cavern, but it runs about 40 m back; keep the entrance in sight and turn on gas or plan, not on the far wall.
- Depth: the site's listed maximum is 40 m and the rock outside the mouth reaches 45 m; agree a hard maximum before descending past the 12 m entrance.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Erica Cave?+
The entrance is at 12 m, the site's listed maximum depth is 40 m, and the rock outside the entrance continues to 45 m. It is an open cavern about 40 m long and 10 m wide.
Sources
- Erica Cave - Scubago — Scubago
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