Nova Pošta

A quiet bay on Vis island's northernmost peninsula is where it starts. The boat anchors in sheltered water, and divers descend into a small canyon at 2-3m. The first tunnel opens just below the surface and exits at 6m into a natural rock pool, enclosed by walls that reach the waterline. Octopus and nudibranchs are common here. From the pool, the route passes under a wide stone arch over a bottom that drops in steps toward the deep cave at 40m. Yellow sponges coat the overhanging entrance, their colour appearing almost fluorescent under torchlight at depth. John Dory and spiny lobsters patrol the passage beyond. The chimney is the route's centrepiece: a vertical tunnel entered at 30m and exited at 17m, rising through the limestone like a natural lift shaft. The return follows a wide canyon back to the pool, or loops around the small peninsula.

Vis island was closed to civilians as a Yugoslav military zone until 1991. That isolation left its underwater geology largely undisturbed. Nova Posta is a product of karst processes that shaped these limestone and dolomite formations tens of thousands of years ago, when the Mediterranean was far lower. The result is a site that packs four distinct overhead environments into one dive: a shallow tunnel, an arch, a deep cave, and a vertical chimney. Few sites in the central Adriatic offer this kind of geological variety at recreational depths. The peninsula itself carries a second layer of history. Yugoslav navy tunnels with open embrasures line one side (now used as sunset viewpoints), while Parja Bay on the other side holds a former boat service tunnel, now a convenient surface interval spot between dives.

A torch is essential. The tunnels and cave sections lose natural light, and without artificial light the yellow sponges at 40m appear dark rather than vivid. The multi-depth profile (surface to 40m and back) demands careful gas planning. Start deep, ascend through the chimney, and finish in the shallows. Nitrox is worth considering for the 30-40m sections. Nautica Vis charges a 15 EUR TEC surcharge for dives involving decompression stops or depths beyond 40m. Morning boats run 2-dive trips lasting around 5 hours. The site sits 1.8 nautical miles from Vis town, so transit is short.