Blue Grotto ( Croatian. Modra špilja ) is a marine cave ( grotto ) located in Balun Bay on the eastern side of the island of Bishevo , Split-Dalmatia County , Croatia . The grotto is filled with the waters of the Adriatic Sea . It has become a popular tourist attraction due to the fact that about three hours a day, in sunny weather with quiet water, is completely filled with piercing blue radiance.
| Blue grotto | |
|---|---|
| Hor. Modra špilja | |
 | |
| Specifications | |
| Depth | 3-20 m |
| Amplitude | 15 m |
| Length | 24 m |
| Year of discovery | 1884 |
| Type of | erosive |
| Enclosing rocks | limestone |
| Number of inputs | 2 |
| Visit | |
| Visible to visitors | 24 m |
| Lighting | sunlight |
| Location | |
| A country |
|
| Region | Split-Dalmatian County |
The Blue Grotto is 24 meters long, from 10 to 20 meters wide, the vault height above water level is up to 15 meters, the depth is 3-20 meters. The surface entrance has a size of 1.5 meters in height and 2.5 meters in width, boats are allowed to swim inside no more than 5 meters long, no more than one meter high, carrying no more than 10 people [1] . This artificial entrance does not affect the lighting in any way, all the light enters through a much larger, but lower than the water level, natural entrance. The cave, like the whole island of Bishevo, consists of limestone , it has been washed by the waves of the sea in the coast for thousands of years. The cave is roughly divided in two by a stone “spacer”, passing from wall to wall at a depth of 6 meters [1] .
Local fishermen have long known about this grotto, but it has become widely known since 1884 after it was described and painted by Baron Eugene von Ransonet [2] . Then the grotto had the only natural entrance, located below sea level, but soon a second passage was pierced, through which small boats could get inside [3] .
Between 10 and 13 hours [1], the sun penetrates most heavily through the natural underwater [4] entrance into the grotto. Its rays passing through the water column and reflected from the white bottom fill the cave with bright radiance, from light aquamarine to deep blue and even silver [3] . More than 10 thousand tourists come to admire this unusual sight, as a rule they also visit the nearby Green Grotto .
The blue grotto of the island of Bishevo is often compared with a very similar attraction - the Blue grotto of the island of Capri [5] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Otok Biševo - Jadranski biser (Croatian) (link not available) . Archived January 21, 2007. at nautic-apartments.com
- ↑ Bishevo Island (English) (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment September 6, 2014. Archived on September 6, 2014. at nika-adventure-tours.com
- ↑ 1 2 Bishevo Island on the site dalmacija.net
- ↑ Steve Davy, Mark Schlossman. Unforgettable Islands to Escape to Before You Die (2007), p. 110, ISBN 1-55407-255-7
- ↑ Bisevo Island and the Blue Grotto (link not available) . Date of treatment September 6, 2014. Archived on September 6, 2014. (English) on croatiatraveller.com
Links
- Blue Grotto (English) (inaccessible link) . Archived March 4, 2016. on showcaves.com
- Tourists in the Blue Grotto on YouTube Video 0:02:50