Zakynthos · Greece · Wall · Cave & cavern
The Arch
A submerged arch at 12 m — the 'official' entrance to the deep sea
Area photo: Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK · CC BY 2.0
The Arch stacks most of what south Zakynthos offers into one site: rock steps at 10, 15 and 24 m leading towards a submerged arch whose top sits at 12 m, a cathedral-like swim-through cavern, and behind it all a wall that keeps going to 70 m. The Mediterranean monk seal is seen here frequently, usually in the big cavern.
Also known as Lakka, Torbogen / Altarhöhle.
Where it is and how deep
37.6489° N, 20.8459° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The boat moors close to shore in about 6 m and you head out towards open water, where big rock steps on different depth lines lead down into the blue — one at 10 m, one at 15 m, another at 24 m — running in a half-circle towards the arch. Its top stands 12 m below the surface, and the wannadive listing calls it the 'official' entrance to the deep sea: behind it the wall falls away to 70 m.
The other feature is a cathedral-like cavern that works as a swim-through, entered at 13 m and exiting at 7 m. This is where the monk seal turns up most often — the Keri operator reports seeing it frequently, usually in the big cavern. Current at the site is listed as medium at one to two knots, and visibility as excellent, better than 30 m.
Marine life and season
- Seals & sea lions
| 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 behind the arch drops to 70 m, far past recreational limits — agree a depth limit before the steps lead you down.
- Current runs to one to two knots; check it before committing to the half-circle route out to the arch.
Questions divers ask
How deep is The Arch in Zakynthos?+
The arch's top sits at 12 m and the swim-through cavern runs from a 13 m entrance to a 7 m exit, with rock steps at 10, 15 and 24 m. The wall behind drops to 70 m, so the site is dived far shallower than its maximum.
Sources
- wannadive.net — The Arch — wannadive.net
- Turtle Beach Diving Center — Diving Places — Diving Center Turtle Beach
- scubago — Torbogen / Altarhöhle — scubago.com
- Wikivoyage — Zakynthos — Wikivoyage
In The Logbook
- Diving with seals and sea lionsBig animals · 17 min read
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
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
Similar dives elsewhere
A submerged tunnel through the rock at 18 m
Sea stacks five minutes from port: a wall from 4 m to 20 m, an arch and a swim-through
A hundred metres of wall strung with arches facing the blue
.jpg){kind=link}
A walk-in wall at 3–22 m used for courses and night dives