Zakynthos · Greece · Wall
Elephant Reef
An old fishing net at 30 m is now a colony of peacock worms
Area photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK · CC BY 2.0
Elephant Reef is named for its rock, a single outcrop off the Keri coast breaking the surface in the shape of an elephant's head. Circling it anti-clockwise puts you on a steep wall running from 12 m to past 30, with swim-throughs on the way round and an old fishing net at 30 m that has become a colony of peacock worms.
Also known as Elefant, Südwand.
Where it is and how deep
37.6449° N, 20.8354° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive circles the elephant-head rock anti-clockwise, which brings you onto a steep wall dropping from 12 m to 30 m and beyond — the listing gives the site a maximum of 75 m against an average of 18 m, so the wall keeps going long after the recreational part of the dive ends. Current is rated low, under a knot, and visibility good at 10 to 30 m.
At 30 m the remains of an old fishing net still hang on the wall, long since colonised by peacock worms. On the way round the rock there are many swim-throughs with a good chance of Spanish lobsters inside, and the dark-pointed dorid — the nudibranch the guides call the cowshell — is usually found somewhere on the circuit.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
- 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 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
- The wall drops to 75 m; agree a hard depth limit before rounding the rock onto it.
Sources
- wannadive.net — Elephant Reef — wannadive.net
- Turtle Beach Diving Center — Diving Places — Diving Center Turtle Beach
- scubago — Südwand — scubago.com
More dive sites in Zakynthos
Pinnacle
The locals say its better name would be moray eel reef
Cave & cavern
The exit opening is shaped like a huge butterfly
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
A reddish cut in the Cabo Tiñoso cliffs, down to 30 m
A yellow-daisy wall at 20–30 m with groupers and barracuda over it
A holed and cracked wall from 15 m to 30 m
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Orange gorgonians, lobsters and swim-throughs full of nudibranchs