Cave diving in Greece

Greece offers cave diving of every kind: deep freshwater springs in the mountains of Argolida and Arcadia, sea caves along the coasts of Attica, Corinthia and Kynouria, the warm, deep Lake Vouliagmeni near Athens, and caves and caverns on Crete, Rhodes and Ionian islands such as Kefalonia. The levels run from sea caverns you dive from open water with a dive centre to Sintzi, the deepest flooded cave in the country, to -255 m and only for experienced trimix cave divers. The water differs by site: 22–29 °C in Vouliagmeni, 13–21 °C in the sea caves and 10–12 °C in the mountain springs, which lie at 700 m or higher, so you dive with altitude settings.

From Nafplio you drive ~1–1.5 h to Kefalovrysos, Sintzi, Korfos and the Kynouria coast; for Vouliagmeni and the Devil's Well you are better off staying in southern Athens, and the islands are a trip of their own. Vouliagmeni has been closed to general diving since 1995: only with a permit from the management company and under the supervision of an affiliated cave instructor. Melissani on Kefalonia is closed and may only be dived with permission from Athens. Greek diving law requires a buddy on every dive and forbids touching or photographing antiquities, and apart from Paros Divers on Paros (nitrox, trimix, oxygen) no trimix or oxygen fill station is known: arrange helium, O₂ and sorb in advance.

Don't miss

• Lake Vouliagmeni: a lake formed when the roof of a large cave collapsed, with water of 22–29 °C and, at -105 m, ~730 m from the entrance, a ~5 m speleothem; permit only and under the supervision of an affiliated cave instructor.
• Karavomilos: visibility up to 40 m, many eels and large formations in the last chamber, in a cave that runs under a church, the main road and part of the village; Martyn Farr called it 'one of the best recreational cave-dives in Europe'.
• Korfos cave: two large chambers full of stalagmites and air chambers where you can surface, with the odd visiting monk seal; one of the first caves where Greek divers complete their cave training.
• Elephant Cave (Drepano, Crete): a once-dry cave with stalactites and stalagmites over 8 m tall, haloclines over golden sand and fossil bones of elephants.

On a rest day

• Mycenae: Walk through the Lion Gate into the citadel of the Mycenaean civilisation overlooking the Argolid plain, with its massive walls and tholos tombs.
• Epidaurus: The sanctuary of Asklepios, god of medicine, with a 4th-century BC theatre known for its proportions and acoustics.
• Palamidi: Climb the long flight of steps to this early 18th-century Venetian fortress, which looks out from a 216 m hill over Nafplio, the Bourtzi and the Argolic Gulf.
• Cape Sounion: The Temple of Poseidon from ~444–440 BC on the southern tip of Attica, a coastal drive when you dive near Athens.

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