Greece to open up more ancient wrecks to divers

The Greek authorities have decided to expand the range of ancient wrecks available for divers. So if you are going on holiday to this country, you should find out beforehand where the most unusual attractions will be waiting for you under the water, because after all, how often do you get the chance to dive on an ancient wreck?

Until a few years ago, Greece had extremely strict regulations in relation to diving. However, everything changed in 2019, with the entry into force of a new law regulating diving with special protection sites, such as archaeological sites and old wrecks.

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The next stages of Greece’s opening up in this respect were supposed to take place in the coming years, but the whole process has accelerated somewhat and the archaeological parks being created will open up to diving tourists already this year.

Of course, all this is to encourage more people to visit Greece and check out its hitherto inaccessible attractions. It is an open secret that the accelerated expansion of the wreck offer has been necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit the entire tourism industry, a source of livelihood for many in the country, particularly hard.

The new legislation removes depth restrictions and allows unguided diving to many wrecks and archaeological sites. The law provides unrestricted access to shipwrecks older than 50 years, opening up a wide range of vessels sunk in Greek waters during World War II, as well as those much older, from ancient times.

Under the new rules, the country’s first two archaeological parks should open this summer. The first is in Navarino Bay off the coast of Pylos and the second in the waters opposite the village of Methoni on the islet of Sapientza.

^{Source: greece.greekreporter.com}