It’s October and we are nearing the end of Sea Cave Summer. In the year of a global pandemic we haven’t left the island at all in 2020. No trips to the UK, no holidays abroad. Instead we’ve spent the year deepening our knowledge of the island, with one particular focus: sea caves! Back in June we set ourselves the goal of finding and exploring as many sea caves as possible. And we’ve found loads!
No Sea Cave Summer would be complete without exploring some of the most iconic sea caves in Cyprus – the Paphos sea caves. The Paphos sea caves cover quite a lengthy stretch of the western coastline, north of Paphos, in the area of Peyia. We’ve already explored one stunning section of this area at the Aiva Arches.
This time we were focusing on another area – a cove lined with sea caves, one gorgeous restaurant and a massive shipwreck. It’s the cove that most regularly comes to mind when thinking ‘Paphos sea caves’ – and so a great place to introduce our new neighbours to the beauty found on the Cyprus coastline.
The thing to be aware of if you’re visiting the Paphos sea caves is that the waves can be fairly choppy along the western coastline – hence there being so many caves. We timed our visit for low tide (you can check tide times online) and went on a day when it wasn’t windy. It wouldn’t be safe to explore the caves if the waves were particularly rough.
We arrived an hour before low tide, parked on the empty headland and stood on the cliff edge to take in the view. This cove is beautiful! We could see the dark mouths of caves lining the whole area. Not as large and monumental as the Cape Greco sea caves, but stunning nonetheless.
The pretty seaside restaurant, Oniro-by-the-Sea, overlooks the cove and is the perfect place for lunch and an ice-cold drink. If you visit at the weekend you’ll need to book or be prepared to wait for a table.
The most eye-catching sight in the cove is the massive Edro III shipwreck, a large cargo ship that ran aground in December 2011 on its way from Limassol to Rhodes. Nobody was killed and everything aboard was removed by October 2013. All attempts to tow the ship were abandoned due to the difficulty involved. Around the cove are several signs warning people not to enter the ship.
The water in the cove was a beautiful turquoise but as we climbed down to the shore I noticed that the waves were fairly choppy, despite low tide and wind.
We put on masks and swam out to explore the caves. I soon understood why the water was choppy in the cove – it was shallow and the sea bed was littered with massive boulders that the waves were breaking on .
We headed for the nearest and biggest cave mouth, which led underneath Oniro. The waves come in sets, so it was easier to wade into the cave between sets when the water was calmer. The cave turned a corner and was bigger than it looked from the outside. It even had two mini pebble beaches. Inside, the rocks were covered in the same purple lichen I’d seen in the Purple Temple cave in Cape Greco. Gorgeous!
We continued on, swimming along the southern side of the cove. There’s a cave near the shore that you don’t even need to swim to. At the deepest point, the water didn’t come further up than my waist. My neighbour’s son, Joel, was excited to find a little window in this cave that looked out onto the cove.
‘Yes, yes,’ said Goobie, wearily. ‘Very nice.’ He’s been dragged around sea caves all summer and so they now have to be of an Aiva Arches standard to impress him.
We swam further along the southern edge of the cove, peering into smaller caves. Massive rock pillars rose out of the sea, presumably once part of the eroded coastline. Goobie and Joel loved climbing them.
Matt and Herc were also able to explore much of this side of the cove by walking over the rocks in the shallow water around the edge. A word of caution, though. The rocks are sharp and slippery in places, plus I saw sea urchins, which would be extremely painful to tread on. Sea shoes are a must.
My favourite cave along the southern side was one with two entrances. The first entrance involves climbing through a window at the end of a narrow channel. Crabs scurried out of the way as I climbed through.
Once inside the cave, we saw the large main entrance that had been hidden from view behind rocks. At the far end of the cave a narrow channel cut further into the rock. We walked to the far end and looked back, admiring the unique formation of this cave.
By this point, the children were sick of caves and swam back to play on the shore. My neighbour Damon and I chose to swim across the cove to explore the northern side. First port of call was the Edro III.
The shipwreck lists at an angle of about 10 degrees. Swimming from sparkling blue water into its shadow felt a tad unnerving.
We swam around it, looking at the debris scattered on the sea floor.
Surfacing was a scary experience. The massive listing hull loomed above like it was falling in slow motion towards me.
I hope there isn’t an earthquake right now that dislodges it, said a little voice in my head.
I felt relieved as I swam back towards the cove and its sunlit waters.
The water is deeper along the northern side of the cove, as the cliff edge is lower and more heavily eroded. Nonetheless, there’s a fabulous cave on this side, with two entrances – a large tunnel-like entrance from the sea and a smaller one from the pebbly beach.
Our neighbours watched Herc while Matt and I explored the final cave on the north side. I nearly missed it because the entrance was so narrow. But it turned out to be my favourite cave of the day because it was utterly unique.
We swam down a channel that was so narrow the two sides met briefly at the top. Waves buffeted us into the rocky sides as we swam through.
I put my head under the water and saw a circle of bright turquoise light ahead.
I swam after Matt and the channel ended at a dark cave. The side of the cave opened onto a parallel channel with its own sea cave. Sunlight streamed in from above. The effect was quite beautiful.
We swam out through the second channel and back to our neighbours waiting on the beach. We’d planned to stop at Oniro for drinks before heading home. But it was Sunday and rammed. Like I said, book in advance!
We’d had a fabulous day exploring this section of the Paphos sea caves. There is another cove just north of this one, also filled with caves. I’m desperate to explore it. But that might have to wait until next summer.
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