The Shape of the Grotto

It is difficult for students and divers to visualize the shape of the Grotto under water by looking at its surface. Fortunately, there is a simple analogy that will help the people you bring to the Grotto instantly imagine what they can’t always see.

Most of the Grotto is shaped like an inverted funnel, with walls that slope steeply inward. The only exception to this is the area immediately behind and to the left of the docks, where the walls are mostly vertical, and actually touch the debris cone at its top.

Helping students and divers visualize the shape of the Grotto not only helps satisfy their curiosity, it:

• Alerts divers to the sharply overhanging nature of most of the Grotto’s walls — and, thus, the need to always look up when ascending.
• Helps explain why the top of the debris cone can enjoy a surprising amount of sunshine, but the areas near the base of many walls are almost always dark.

A picture — even a mental one — can be worth a thousand words.

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