Is a sea port of a much lesser importance than nearby Piraeus and Rafina, but the port of Lavrio is changing fast, becoming an important ferry boat hub for the Cyclades Islands and home port for several cruise ships and sailboat companies.
Up until a few years ago, Lavrio was a pretty dismal place. In the last few years Lavrio has gone through an amazing transformation. Restaurants, cafes and shops have opened and Lavrio has new life due to the rebuilding of the port into a major ferry terminal for the Greek Islands and the relocation of several sailboat charter companies and a marina.
DIVING LAVRIO
Because of the location (commercial and cruising boats passage, open sea environment, close to small Cycladian islands) the underwater scenery is extremely interesting with wild reefs, the reefs comes up almost to the surface and it’s characterized by the northern current that’s almost always present. Excellent visibility, big variety of underwater life offers us a drift dive that you will remember for long time.
Dive just underneath the ancient temple of Poseidon. Small caves, canyons with incredible colors and an almost always flat sea make this one of our favorites. Ideal for night diving too.
An underwater canyon starts at a depth of 8 meters and ends at 20 meters. Incredible colors and every kind of underwater life can be seen inside the canyon. And if that is not enough just at the exit of the canyon a very big rock, going down to 40 meters, awaits the divers for an incredible wall dive. Don’t miss this one!
Cargo ship Kyra Leni sunk in 1978 very close to Patroclos island. Today its one of the favorite dives for many divers since the shallow depth and the relatively intact bow of the ship allows for a relaxing wreck dive.
And many – many more….
DIVE SIGHTS DESCRIPTION
1 – TRIPITI REEF
One of our favorite dive sites since you can enjoy any type of diving in this reef. Relaxing shallow dives for the less experienced and exhilarating deeper dives for the more experienced divers.
2 – APOLLONIA II WRECK
The cargo vessel Apollonia II built in 1955 hit the reef the 10th of June 1980. Today it offers a very nice dive to both novice and advanced scuba divers. Two of the biggest parts of the ship (the bow and the stern) are lying in relatively shallow water (18-24 m). Combined with the excellent visibility this site offers it’s definitely a site worth revisiting.
Depth: 18-24 m
Visibility: 20m
Diver level: OW – AOW
3 – PORTUGAL WRECK
The M/V Portugal hit the southwest side of the reef.As a result of this collision the ship broke in to two pieces. The biggest of them sunk on the reef. Today one of those pieces of Portugal is lying in a depth of 26 to 40 meters offering another exciting diving spot in the reef.
Depth: 24 – 40 m
Visibility: 20 m
Diver level: AOW
4 – THE GROUPERS NEST
The north side of the reef is actually a complex of very big rocks that offer shelter to some very impressive groupers. It a dive for the more experienced divers since the depth reaches 40 meters. At the end of this complex a wall begins from about 35 meters deep giving the chance for a multilevel profile which allows the diver to enjoy the biggest part of the reef.
Depth: 35 – 40 m
Visibility: 20 m
Diver level: AOW + Deep Diver
5 – THE LITTLE ISLAND
Very interesting dive at the southeast side of Makronisos island. Small depth and a big variety in underwater life make this dive ideal for underwater photographers. It also offers us some very nice night dives.Depth: 20m
Visibility: 15
Diver level: OW
6 – THE MARBLE ROCK
A little further to the south is our next diving spot the Marble rock. Another excellent dive site for the fans of underwater photography, but also an ideal dive site for novice divers. Small depth allows the diver to remain underwater lot of time. Very interesting also as a night diving site.
Depth: 20m
Visibility: 15
Diver level: OW
7 – PORTUGAL WRECK (PART 2)
This is the second piece of the ship that after the collision detached the rest of the ship and floated some two nautical miles further to the south where it was finally sunk. The exact location of the wreck remained unknown until recently and that allowed nature to convert the ship into an artificial reef.
Depth: 26 – 32 m
Visibility: 25 m
Diver level: ΑOW
8 – MAKRIS REEF
This the middle of the three reefs of Makronisos island. Its position and the almost permanent current result in excellent visibility and a big variety of underwater life. Minimum depth is 4 meters while the edge of the reef goes down to 24 meters.
Depth: 4 – 26 m
Visibility: 25+ m
Diver level: OW – ΑOW
9 – PASAS REEF
Just across the Makris reef but very close to the shore of Attica lies the Pasas reef. The reef begins at 3 meters deep and goes down to almost 20 meters. The big rocks that form the reef create spectacular underwater passageways. Definitely a very unique diving spot.
Depth: 3 – 20 m
Visibility: 20 m
Diver level: OW
10 – MAKRONISOS SOUTH REEF
This is the third reef of Makronisos Island. The reef comes up almost to the surface and it’s characterized by the northern current that’s almost always present. Excellent visibility, big variety of underwater life offers us a drift dive that you will remember for long time.
Depth: 1 – 25 m
Visibility: 25+ m
Diver level: ΑOW
11 – S/S ROSA VLASI WRECK
Rosa Vlasi, a cargo steamship, sunk southwest of Makronisos Island during a storm. It is located intact in a depth of 51 meters lying on its port side. This is a staged decompression dive for very experienced divers.
Depth: 51 – 62 m
Visibility: 25+ m
Diver level: Technical divers
12 – CAPE SOUNION
Dive just underneath the ancient temple of Poseidon. Small caves, canyons with incredible colors and an almost always flat sea make this one of our favorites. Ideal for night diving too.
Depth: 5 – 24 m
Visibility: 20 m
Diver level: OW
13 – THE CANYON
Although we recently discovered this dive site it made it straight up to our list of favorites. An underwater canyon starts at a depth of 8 meters and ends at 20 meters. Incredible colors and every kind of underwater life can be seen inside the canyon. And if that is not enough just at the exit of the canyon a very big rock, going down to 40 meters, awaits the divers for an incredible wall dive. Don’t miss this one!
Depth: 5 – 40 m
Visibility: 20+ m
Diver level: OW – AOW
