Chania, Crete, Greece

Elephant Cave (Spilio Elefantas)

Elephant Cave, locally known as Spilio Elefantas, is one of the most celebrated dive sites on the Akrotiri peninsula of Crete. The cave entrance opens at roughly 10 metres beneath a vertical cliff wall and tunnels back into the rock for approximately 130 metres, with the deepest point of the main chamber reaching about 40 metres. The site became internationally known in 1999 after Greek researchers documented Pleistocene-era straight-tusked elephant (Palaeoloxodon antiquus) bones and tusks fossilised on the dry chamber floor, evidence of a time when sea level was much lower and the cave was above water. Inside the dark chamber stalactites hang from the ceiling, and divers ascend into a large air-filled section where the fossils remain in situ. Marine life along the outer wall and entrance is rich with Mediterranean moray (Muraena helena), dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus), scorpionfish, common octopus, and the occasional school of barracuda. Because of the depth and overhead environment, the dive is reserved for experienced divers with solid buoyancy and a guided briefing; the fossils themselves may not be touched or removed under Greek antiquities law, and access is via licensed Cretan operators only.