- Accessible with: Boat
- Depth: 10 Metres
The caves, numbering in the dozens, create a stunning spectacle with incident light, earning their reputation as one of the world’s most beautiful cave systems. As divers venture through the caves, they encounter diverse marine life and witness the allure of beautiful rock formations, arches, and swim-through tunnels.
One remarkable feature is a cave that extends over 30 meters through the headland, connecting to another cave. At the junction, a sizable shaft opens to the sky, allowing filtered light to add to the enchantment of the surroundings. Throughout the dive, divers are accompanied by thousands of saddled seabreams, accustomed to fish-feeding activities at this popular site.
The Santa Maria Caves cater to various levels of divers, with some caves accessible to open water divers, while others, completely submerged, offer challenges suited for more experienced cave or cavern divers. The caves served as a movie location for the ‘Count of Monte Cristo’ in 2002, adding a touch of cinematic history to this underwater realm.
Aquatic Life: The caves teem with marine life, featuring bath sponges, double-banded bream, conger eels, seahorses, common hermit crabs, spiny lobsters, Mediterranean morays, common prawns, blackspot seabreams, striped red mullets, Mediterranean damselfish, and the iconic saddled bream. The familiarity of fish with feeding adds a unique element to the dive, making the Santa Maria Caves a must-visit destination for both novice and seasoned divers alike.
