Zakynthos · Greece · Pinnacle
Barracuda Reef
The locals say its better name would be moray eel reef
Area photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK · CC BY 2.0
Barracuda Reef is a single pinnacle rock breaking the surface off the Keri coast, riddled underwater with holes, canyons, cracks and gaps. The dive circles it clockwise from shallow to deep and back, working between 10 and 30 m, and despite the name the reliable residents are moray eels, with barracuda passing singly.
Also known as Barakuda.
Where it is and how deep
37.6575° N, 20.8592° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site is one rock standing like a pinnacle off the coast, breaking the surface, and the dive simply circles it clockwise from shallow to deep and back to shallow. The workable band runs from 10 m down to 30 and beyond when there is no current, though the listing rates current as medium at one to two knots, so the profile gets trimmed on livelier days.
Underwater the rock is full of holes, canyons, cracks and gaps, and that structure carries the dive: the Keri operator jokes the reef's better name would be moray-eel reef for how many live in it, while single barracudas do pass through. In the shallow passage between the rock and the main coast, look for the violet aeolid, the tiny nudibranch that lives there.
Marine life and season
- Barracuda
- Nudibranchs
| 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 Zakynthos: Dive centres run trips May to October; the warmest water and calmest conditions come in summer, and the sea stays above 20°C into November.
Know before you go
- Current is rated medium at one to two knots; assess it before committing to the full circuit of the rock.
Sources
- wannadive.net — Barracuda Reef — wannadive.net
- Turtle Beach Diving Center — Diving Places — Diving Center Turtle Beach
More dive sites in Zakynthos
Cave & cavern
The exit opening is shaped like a huge butterfly
Wall
An old fishing net at 30 m is now a colony of peacock worms
A milky sulphur layer floats inside the second cavern
Reef
Canyons to explore in the shallows, with no current
Wall
An 18 m average over a 40 m bottom, with no current
Octopus holes on the slope and lobsters on the drop-off
A jackfish school works the back of a rock inside the marine park
Reef
A rocky slope, a long wall and a tiny cave to finish
Similar dives elsewhere
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A cone of rock offshore, circled between 10 and 28 m
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An offshore sec in the current, 25 m up to 19 m