A new dive park has moved a step closer to opening after the Hellenic Navy sank a second vessel off Ombrosgialos beach in Apokoronas, on Crete’s northern coast, this week.
The landing craft Folegandros now rests on the seabed alongside the tugboat Nestor, scuttled in the same waters last year, and existing artificial reefs. Supporting infrastructure for the park has also been completed.
Apokoronas Mayor Haralampos Koukianakis said the park is expected to open toward the end of the tourist season, around October or November, and will operate year-round. The site will be monitored around the clock by cameras and physical surveillance. The municipal council meets June 29 to adopt operating rules, after which a management agreement will be signed with the local development agency.
Scuba diving was banned – to protect underwater antiquities from looting – across most of Greece until 2006, when restrictions were eased to open up the sector. The industry has been catching up since, with artificial reefs and purpose-built dive parks increasingly seen as a way to extend the tourist season and diversify beyond sun-and-beach offerings.
