Where is Cauda located in the Bible?

Cauda is a small island mentioned in the New Testament, located south of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea. Today, it is known as Gavdos and is part of modern Greece (Acts 27:16).

What happened at Cauda in the Bible?

During Paul's perilous voyage to Rome, the ship he was on passed the island of Cauda for temporary shelter from a storm. The crew used this brief respite to secure the ship's lifeboat (Acts 27:16-17).

Why is Cauda significant in the book of Acts?

Cauda is significant as a minor geographical marker in the detailed account of Paul's shipwreck. It highlights God's providence in providing a momentary haven during the storm, which was part of the journey where God promised Paul the safety of all aboard (Acts 27:22-24).

Cauda

seaNew TestamentNorth Africa

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Modern Name

Gavdos

Country

Greece

Region

North Africa

Coordinates

34.8333, 24.0833

Cauda is a body of water mentioned in the New Testament, located in the region of North Africa in modern-day Greece. Known today as Gavdos. It appears across 1 verse in Scripture.

Biblical History

Cauda is a small island that appears in Scripture in the dramatic account of Paul's sea voyage to Rome, recorded in Acts 27. After Paul's ship departed from Fair Havens on Crete's southern coast, it was seized by a violent northeaster wind known as the Euroclydon (or Euraquilo). Acts 27:16 records: "Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were able with difficulty to get the ship's boat under control." The shelter provided by Cauda allowed the crew a brief respite in which they hauled in the lifeboat, passed ropes under the ship's hull to hold it together, and lowered the sea anchor to slow their drift. This frantic shipboard activity, described with the vivid precision of an eyewitness — almost certainly Luke, who accompanied Paul — gives Cauda an unforgettable place in the narrative of Paul's mission to Rome. The entire sea voyage of Acts 27 is one of the most detailed accounts of ancient seamanship in all of ancient literature, and Cauda stands as the last recognizable landmark before the ship was driven helplessly across the open Mediterranean toward eventual shipwreck at Malta.

Archaeological & Historical Notes

Cauda is identified with Gavdos, the southernmost island of Greece and of all of Europe, located approximately 35 km south of Crete in the Libyan Sea. The island is small — roughly 30 square kilometers — and sparsely inhabited today. It has not been the subject of significant archaeological excavation, owing to its remote location and limited settlement history. Ancient sources confirm knowledge of the island as a navigational reference point, and it appears in Ptolemy's geography as "Claudos." The natural shelter it provided on its northern coast is consistent with the navigational detail in Acts 27, lending credibility to the Lukan account's geographic accuracy.

Verse Appearances (1)

Acts

Acts 27:16

Sources: ISBE Encyclopedia · OpenBible Geocoding (CC BY) · Pleiades Gazetteer View all →

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