The entrance lies between Balcony Bay and the wreck. |
You get to the cave through a 4m high, grotto-like entrance. |
Stay to your left and follow the ascending ground to the higher corridor. |
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To the right several pillars hold the cave roof, to the left is a slope of debris. |
The corridor is about 40 metres long and has emergency exits in the roof every few metres. |
Behind the pillars lies a slightly lower part of the corridor. |
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There are several connections to the lower cave that can all be dived through without a problem. |
First, however, follow the main corridor that reaches open water after a bend. |
The wall to your right belongs to a domed room. You can access it either through a breach in the rock... |
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...or by diving around through the very large grotto entry. |
The pretty stone dome of this cathedral is held up by 3 tall pillars. |
The large opening makes for interesting lighting conditions. |
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The next room has an air bubble underneath the ceiling... |
...and large window openings in the sides, through which... |
...light falls into the cave, especially in the mornings (same view). |
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This cave is for people who enjoy relaxed diving... |
...because light is reflected multiply in the ceiling... |
...that is why we call this place the 'Hall of Mirrors'. |
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The air quality under the ceiling is not monitored. |
Therefore you should breathe mainly from your tank... |
...and enjoy the shower of light under the openings. |
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The hall of mirrors has a 3m high exit... |
...that leads back into the grotto at the entrance. |
Continue left of the gorge with its ribs of rock. |
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These are the abutments that are necessary for statical reasons and that can be dived through. |
Keep the cliff to the side. You pass the area before the cathedral... |
...and follow the narrowing gorge to the wreck. |
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The Western Cave, too, was initially a large cage made of 'wire'... |
...with futuristic looking constructs. This is the large entrance grotto. |
The cathedral to the right, to the left an abutment that supports the pressure from the dome. |
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Lateral walls and abutments rise upward. Reinforcements in the roof compensate for the buoyancy of the air bubble that will later be created. |
The irregular shape of the roofs are due to the use of straw bales for the shuttering formwork. |
The more natural something is being constructed, the more chaotic the entangled wires seem in this phase. |
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But the result is as we expected. |
Visitors enjoy the spectacular scenery... |
...and can dive into new experinces... |