Visiting The Blue Cave in Croatia
The
coast of Dalmatia is scattered with islands across its entire length.
There are more than 1,100 of them, of which fewer than 100 are
inhabited. Vis Island is the farthest inhabited island from the
mainland, and until 1989 it was a base for the Yugoslav navy. This fact,
combined with its relative isolation, has enabled Vis to remain fairly
unspoiled despite the rugged natural beauty of its interior and
sixteenth-century Venetian fortress and monasteries.
Just 5 km
(3.1 miles) south-west of Komiza, Vis's second town, on the west coast
lies the tiny island of Bisevo. Formed from limestone, the island is
less than 6 sq km (2.5 sq miles) in area and has a permanent population
of only about 20 people. To the east, Bizevo rises to 240 meters (790
feet) and in the center is an area of olive groves and vineyards, but
what it is most famous for is its coastal caves. There are 26 caves
around the coastline, all of which can be visited by boat, and the Blue
Cave (Modra Spilja) in Balun Cove is by far the best known, and is often
favorably compared to Capri's Blue Grotto.
The Blue Cave
is some 24 by 12 meter (80 by 40 feet), its waters reaching to 20 meters
(66 feet) in depth. The best time to see it is between 11 am and 12
noon, on a sunny day when the sea is calm. This is when the sunlight
sneaks through a submerged opening in the rock and, reflecting off the
white sandy floor, floods the cave with a superb shade of blue - a
sublime, once-in-a-lifetime experience.
