The Caves AKA The Grotto

Tobermory is most famous for its wreck dives since there are almost two dozen to choose from!  The Caves is a dive site that is fairly unique in Ontario , featuring a large Mediterranean Grotto and underwater passages.

Being campers, we took the long way to this dive… along the over 2 km of trail, up and over rocks and uneven terrain to get to one of Ontario ’s most gorgeous natural formations simply referred to as “the Grotto.”  Though, scuba organizations would list this dive as “The Caves” after the underwater tunnels and caverns. 

This is a great novice dive because of its relatively low depth (supposedly set

at 20 feet but many will tell you that they’ve logged in readings from their gauges at over 40 feet).  The site is normally accessed by divers by boat (due to the lengthy hike from the campground—not fun when you’ve got to lug a lot of equipment around with you but not so bad if you’re snorkeling). 

Veteran divers will tell you that the challenge in this dive isn’t navigating the tunnels underwater but ensuring that your encounters with bathers are friendly.  Since the Grotto is a part of the National Park, which does play host to MANY people on a daily basis, you’ll have lots of unequipped but equally brave company.  That is, people will be hopping into the water to join you… not only within the grotto but from the top of the cliffs high-above water level.  This really surprised me because without knowing exactly how deep the water is, there’s no way you’d find me jumping off of a cliff!  When I saw it for the first time, I was convinced that the guy was preparing to commit suicide.  Of course, my friend pointed to at least three other people obviously not preparing for imminent death but rather for an exhilarating dive into the icy cold waters of Georgian Bay.  In a nutshell, be cautious and aware of your surroundings, especially inside the Grotto’s “swimming pool” and along the edge of the exterior cliffs.

Overall, this is a pretty quick dive but you’ll have fun going back and forth through the tunnel a couple of times.  In terms of geology, there are plenty of big boulders and rocks to check out and hanging out in the Grotto for a bit to admire your surroundings is a nice treat too.