Boka Spelonk
An all out spectacular dive with lots of stuff to check out along the way. One of my favorite dives to guide.
Somewhat intimidating looking from topside but ever so beautiful below the water. From 100 feet deep right into the very shallows this dive will continue to amaze you with its steep drop offs covered with macro algae, large coral formations, beautiful colors, a cavern to swim into, lots of fish and spectacular scenes of waves crashing onto the steep iron shore line above, huge cracks to check out, large Giant Barrel Sponges. We nick-named this site 'the never ending dive' because with so much to see at every level of the dive there just is no tank big enough!
The entry is either a 12ft. giant stride off the end of the Boka or wade in through a large crack in the rock inside the Boka which is also our exit. The drop off starts very close to the shoreline and drops down steep until it hits a large sand flat at 100 feet. The coral formations are found growing in separate patches at the bottom of the drop off in the range between 60 and 100 feet. Some of the corals are really large and have a tendency to grow flat to catch the most sunlight. Large Spiny Lobster are often found hiding under these corals.
The cavern is located at 60 feet and has a very nice coral garden growing in front of it. This cavern is quite large and it possible to swim into it and see what lives inside. It is home to many small fish and other critters like shrimp and occasionally something really nice like a Green Moray, a Lobster or Nurse Shark. At the very back of the cavern there is room to ascend a feet. You will find yourself right in front of a large horizontal crack which provides you with a good view over the coral reef in front of the cavern.
You will find many holes and ledges all along the 40 foot range of the drop off. Use a light to explore the holes and you will find many different fish, eels and creatures like shrimp, lobsters and crabs as well as many types of juvenile fish. Inside the holes you will also find the most beautiful colors of encrusting sponge... red, blue, pink, orange, yellow, purple, green... amazing!!
Also the shallows offer a large variety of stuff to do and see. Check the fire coral patches for some unique crabs, small fish, eels, octopus and shrimps. Many Blennies like the Longhorn- , Seaweed- and the Rough Head Blenny live in small holes in the bottom of the shallows. There are some cracks and holes in the bottom where we often find many juveniles as well as the illusive Black Brotulas! A very large crack in the rock allows you to literally swim into the island. Looking up in this part of the dive you will see the waves crashing into the iron shore above sending down whirls of foam like upside down mushroom clouds. Often large parrot fish are grazing just under the breaking waves. It is a mesmerizing scene.
Some out of the ordinary fish we see often on this dive are Queen Trigger, Ocean Trigger, Mutton Hamlet, High Hat, Black Brotula, Viper Moray, Green Moray, Southern Stingray, Rainbow and Midnight Parrot Fish, Permit, Hog Fish and Longhorn Blenny.
We recommend using Nitrox for this dive.
