Mediterranean · Croatia
Vela Luka & the Blue Hole
The Blue Hole, a wall and cavern dive among more than 35 sites
Vela Luka is the ferry town at the western end of Korčula, and its dive boats work more than 35 sites around the town and the island: walls, drifts, caves, caverns and canyons. Among them are the Blue Hole and Cathedral, both wall and cavern dives, and the drift along the wall at Kamina. Red and yellow gorgonians, soft sponges and corals cover the big walls, and shallow, sheltered sites such as Featherworm City leave room for beginners.
About diving in Vela Luka & the Blue Hole
Most diving from Vela Luka is by boat. A boat leaves each morning for a two-tank trip to two different sites and is back around lunchtime, and in peak season a second two-tank trip goes out in the afternoon. The sites around Triporte bay all lie within 25 minutes by boat, some only 10 minutes away. Non-diving partners and friends can ride along on the day boat and snorkel while the group dives.
Underwater, the coast drops in walls and sloping shelves broken by caves, caverns and canyons. Most sites start on a shelf at 5 or 6 m and fall to 30 m or more down the wall below. The walls are hung with red and yellow gorgonians, soft sponges and corals, and the diving around Korčula is known as much for its underwater rock formations as for the variety of its flora and fauna.
Trips cater to every level of experience. Warm, shallow, tranquil water lies a stone's throw from Triporte bay for first steps underwater, and an introductory dive with an instructor lasts up to 35 minutes and goes no deeper than 6 m; try dives also run in Sea Horse bay with a private instructor. Trained divers have deep dives on walls that continue past 40 m, along with drift, cave and night diving.
Best time to dive Vela Luka & the Blue Hole
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Off-season | Off-season |
Boats run from early May to mid-October; July to September has the warmest water, and most centres close after the summer.
Dive types & marine life
Red and yellow gorgonians fill the big walls, with soft sponges and corals around them and a wide variety of other marine life. Seafans and soft coral give the walls their colour on dives around the island.
- Wall
- Drift
- Cave & cavern
Best dive sites in Vela Luka & the Blue Hole
- 1
Blue Hole
Wall and cavern dive heading east, from 6 m to past 40 m.
- 2
Cathedral
Wall with a cavern, entered at 6 m and dropping past 50 m.
- 3
Canyon
Wall and canyon dive heading east, from 8 m to past 40 m.
- 4
Kamina Drift
Drift dive along a wall, entered at 9 m and running past 30 m.
- 5
Monk Seal Bay
Sloping shelf and wall heading south, from 6 m to past 40 m.
- 6
Proizd lighthouse
Sloping shelf and wall heading southwest, from 6 m to past 30 m.
- 7
Featherworm City
Easy shallow dive that stays between 6 and 15 m.
Site guides
Wall
A cavern dive along a wall, swum east from a 6 m entry
Wall
A cavern on a wall that keeps falling past 50 m
Wall
A sloping shelf from 6 m that leads south onto a deep wall
A shelf and wall under the Proizd light, swum southwest
How to get to Vela Luka & the Blue Hole
Jadrolinija ferries run from Split to Vela Luka, a ferry port 43 km west of Korčula town. From Dubrovnik Airport a minibus runs to Korčula town, and the bus across the island to Vela Luka takes an hour. A dive centre sits on the Vela Luka seafront, and Triporte bay lies 7 km southwest of town.
Dive videos
Scuba Diving in Vela Luka, Korcula Island, Croatia, Divesite: "Aquarium" with Croatia Divers · Peter M. on YouTube
Diving 2017 - Vela Luka, Croatia · Jan-Willem van Velzen on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Which Vela Luka dive sites work when the wind is up?+
The Blue Hole, Cathedral and Canyon are sheltered from a north wind, and Featherworm City from north, east and west winds. Kamina Drift and Proizd lighthouse have no shelter from any wind.
Is there shore diving at Vela Luka?+
Yes. Single dives go in by beach entry at the house reef in Sea Horse bay, and night dives also start from the beach, with a minimum of 2 divers.
Can divers hire gear and get nitrox at Vela Luka?+
A full equipment package covers suit, fins, boots, mask and snorkel, weight belt, regulator, BCD and a full cylinder, and nitrox fills run from 23 to 32 percent.
Sources
- The best diving holiday in Croatia | Croatia Divers — Croatia Divers
- The best Dive Sites in Croatia | Croatia Divers — Croatia Divers
- Diving Triporte — Diving Triporte
- Diving locations - Korcula Island Croatia — Diving Triporte
- Vela Luka Average Sea Temperatures — SeaTemperature.org
- Korčula – Wikivoyage — Wikivoyage
- Diving in Croatia — TUI blue
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