Sveti Nikola Island
Montenegro · Montenegro
Sveti Nikola, the largest island in Montenegro's territorial waters just off Budva, offers a remarkable labyrinth of underwater caves, swim-throughs, and rocky reef walls draped in orange and red gorgonian sea fans. The cave systems penetrate deep into the limestone karst, creating cathedral chambers where light filters in dramatically and the walls are colonised by cup corals and encrusting sponges. Scorpionfish rest motionless against barnacled rock faces while long-snouted seahorses cling to posidonia grass fronds on the sandy shallows flanking the caves.
Conditions
Depth
5 to 38 m
Advanced depths
Current
Usually still
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
10 to 20 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
12 to 28°C
3mm wetsuit
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 12 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 16 | 13 |
| Vis (m) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Current | Still | Still | Still | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | Still | Still | Still | Gentle | Gentle | Still |
Your chances of seeing each animal
Great Crested Grebe
Last confirmed Jun 28, 2026 · 63 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Ornate Wrasse
Last confirmed Jun 22, 2026 · 101 records
Almost always
Nearly every dive
Common Wall Lizard
Last confirmed Jun 18, 2026 · 50 records
Very likely
Most dives
Moray Eel
Last confirmed Jul 7, 2026 · 12 records
Very likely
Most dives
Common Octopus
Last confirmed Jun 15, 2026 · 9 records
Very likely
Most dives
Scorpionfish
Last confirmed Aug 15, 2025 · 1 records
Likely
About 6 in 10 dives
Long-snouted Seahorse
Expected
Known here, not yet in recent logs
Gear