The Cathedral

A dramatic volcanic arch and cavern system on Saint Helena's eastern coast, The Cathedral is named for the soaring basalt pillars that frame the entrance to a cavern system where shafts of light penetrate from surface chimneys, illuminating walls encrusted in black wire corals, colonial tunicates, and large sponges in orange and yellow. The site drops from a shallow terrace at 8 metres to a rubble-floored cavern base at 22 metres, with the deeper zones hosting congregations of soldierfish and glassfish that cloud the interior. The near-complete absence of dive tourism means all species here are unhurried and approach divers with curiosity rather than wariness.