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Dive Sites - Crater Land

Of course we know that cave diving is not everyone's cup of tea. On the other hand, in southern holiday locations the risks of cave and wreck-diving tend to be underestimated. The truth, like so often, is somewhere in between: If you are afraid, you'll make mistakes because you are tense. If you are cautious you think about it before you start. In caves it has to be very clear what needs to be done in an emergency: You must always know the way out and your buddy must always be close.
If you have no experience with caves you can practice in Crater Land. The distance to an emergency exit is never more than 2-3m. The corridors resemble magma pipes and caves in volcanic regions.

Crater Land was built with great diversity.	You reach Crater Land through a 4m long and 3m high tunnel.	This dive site is surrounded by steep rock walls and one part always lies in shadows.

The middle part, with three caves stacked one above the other, is especially attractive.	Stay to the left, ignoring the gap in the wall and follow th cliff.	The path ends at a semicircle at the entrance to a system of caves.

Holes in the ceiling allow a lot of light to enter.	Illumination makes the level-structure clearer.	Open water is always withing easy reach.

The corridors are 2-3m high and comfortable to dive through.	Because the corridors are short, you are never far away from an emergency exit.	A 2m high exit allows for a short side trip to the gorge.

The steep rock walls always produce impressive light effects.	The short cave sections are always bright enough.	The upper corridor is partially open. Light reflects on the ceiling.

Follow the partially open corridor until it begins to ascend and ends in a 5m long cave.	After a narrow bit the cave quickly opens into a very roomy corridor that descends vertically about 5m.	Here, too, the risk is minimal: You can leave the cave at any time through a wide gap in the rock of the crater wall.

Crater Land seen from the north. The vertical corridor separates two valleys.	A diver exits the south corridor through a gap in the side of the rock wall.	Inside the small traversal cave on the way to the arcades.

You arrive at a valley with high, vertical walls. If you don't like caves, you can also reach this area through a V-shaped crevice in the rock wall.	Follow the upward sloping ground until you reach several gaps. The left one leads to the exit and through the right one the cave behind can be seen.	Choose the large middle corridor. You dive underneath another cave. After a few minutes the corridor begins to slope upward and reaches the air-filled cave - the Arcades.

Crater Land was a rather complicated construction because it was built on three levels.	The crater landscape with about 4m of water. Only the topmost corridor remains dry.	Here we have several short corridors, one above the other. You are never more than 3m away from an exit.

The Best Diving Route A high tunnel leads into a funnel. Several about 2m high and 3m wide corridors lead on from there. Stay on the ground for the moment and dive through the bottom corridor (red line). About 3m further on is a connection to the higher next door corridor, through which you arrived (exit 1). Dive another 3m to reach exit 2. This exit is formed by a wide gap in the rock across all levels. The ceiling ends here and you can see the next sloping ceiling about 4m further up.

Go up and swim back through the corridor above (green line). This corridor also has a connection to exit 1. You arrive back at the funnel. Dive down and go right through the crevice and back into the gorge where some rocks lie around. Do not go further than 10m from the crevice, go back to the wall and dive upward along it. About 4m further up is another gap in the rocks, through which you reach the uppermost corridor (blue line).