White Sea · Russia · Reef
Kishkin Island (the Grotto)
Deep anemone and soft-coral colonies far out from Nilmoguba
Photo: Andrei Humala · CC BY-SA 3.0
Kishkin Island, known to divers as the Grotto, is one of the far sites of the Arctic Circle centre, a long boat run out from Nilmoguba. Its rock drops from the shallows into deep water and carries large colonies of plumose anemones and Arctic soft corals, with sea bass and cod around them.
Also known as Kishkin Island.
Where it is and how deep
66.3205° N, 33.8349° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive starts at 4 m at low tide and descends the island's rock towards 45 m, in weak current. Large colonies of Metridium senile anemones and Arctic soft corals grow over it, and sea bass and cod live around the rock.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good |
Season follows White Sea: Ice diving runs February to April while the sea ice holds; summer diving is by speedboat, with the water warmest in July.
Sources
- Dive sites — The Arctic Circle Dive Centre
- OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap contributors
Photo credits
- Pine trees and a rocky, mossy shore framing calm grey water, with one blue-and-white ship anchored offshore and low forested hills beyond by Andrei Humala, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
More dive sites in White Sea
Pinnacle
A lone rock carpeted in plumose anemones
Ice hummocks under a cliff shaped like a mammoth
A kelp-topped wall falling into deep water
Sea angels drifting over a kelp forest
Kelp forest
Fucus shallows above a slope into deep water
Wreck
A Yaroslavets diving boat from a biological station
Reef
Rare Gorgon's head brittle stars among Arctic soft corals
Channel & pass
Sponge and hydroid gardens fed by a strong tidal flow
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