Mediterranean · Greece
Agistri & Poros
A well-preserved 80 m cargo wreck lying from 16 to 47 m off Dorousa
Photo: Emmanuelbaltasar · CC BY-SA 4.0
Two small islands in the Saronic Gulf, within a ferry ride of Athens. The diving centres on Dorousa, the islet off Agistri where the 80 m cargo ship Avantis III lies well preserved in almost still water. Around it run the walls of Dorousa West Cape and Dorousa Canyon, and on Agistri's south side the steep, current-swept slopes of Cape Skilomagas. Poros has its own dive centre, with dives for certified divers.
About diving in Agistri & Poros
Diving off Agistri runs from a permanent mooring at Dorousa, an uninhabited island off its coast, with the dive sites a stone's throw from the anchorage. The day is built around a trip round Agistri that mixes snorkelling and diving, so snorkellers and divers share the boat; first-time divers are prepared in a protected cove on Dorousa, and the deeper sites for experienced divers are reached by rib. The Avantis III can only be reached by boat, with a permanent buoy in the area for the mooring. The route is adjusted to the weather.
The Avantis III is the main dive: an 80 m cargo ship, 13 m across the beam, lying from 16 to 47 m from bow to stern, too large to see in a single dive. Its large propeller sits at 41 m, with access to the engine room, and penetration through the ship's bars reaches part of the cargo and the crack the collision made. Dorousa West Cape is a wall with rock formations, Dorousa Canyon is a second wall with a small sunken boat on it, and at Cape Skilomagas the slopes drop away abruptly into strong current.
The waters off Dorousa are almost still, but the wreck calls for deep training, above all at the stern and propeller. The wreck has been on the seabed long enough that pieces can come away from the ceilings and walls of enclosed spaces, so going inside needs care. Aponisos suits qualified open water divers and above, and the Old Dock at Dorousa, a long, shallow dive, is where check dives, beginners and easy-going divers go. Cape Skilomagas, with its strong currents, is the exception to the calm water.
Best time to dive Agistri & Poros
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair |
The time to go runs from May to October. The sea passes 20 °C in late May and warms through early summer. July to September is the warmest stretch, with the sea reaching up to 25 °C. September and October bring the best conditions of the year and the fewest crowds, with the water still warm. The sea stays above 20 °C until late November, then cools through the winter to its coldest in February, at about 15 °C.
Dive types & marine life
No single animal sets the calendar here. Cape Skilomagas, on Agistri's south side, has a large variety of sea life, with big solitary fish in its strong currents alongside the cape's resident life, and Dorousa East Cape is a rich fishing spot. The Avantis III and the Dorousa walls are dived for the wreck and the rock formations.
- Wreck
- Wall
Best dive sites in Agistri & Poros
- 1
Avantis III Wreck
Well-preserved 80 m cargo ship lying from 16 m at the bow to 47 m at the stern.
- 2
Dorousa Island West Cape
Wall dive with rock formations, from 10 m down to 40 m.
- 3
Cape Skilomagas
Steep slopes on Agistri's south side, swept by strong currents and visited by big solitary fish.
- 4
Dorousa Island Canyon
Wall dive from 10 to 30 m with a small sunken boat along the way.
- 5
Agistri Island Aponisos
Islet dive from 10 to 30 m for qualified open water divers and above.
Site guides
A route along the south side ending at the Aquarium on the tip
Wreck
A large propeller at 41 m on a cargo ship that struck the islet itself
Reef
Big solitary fish on the steep south-side slopes of Agistri
A small sunken boat along the canyon wall
Great rock formations along the wall on the islet’s western point
Big pinnacles rising from the deep around an offshore rock
How to get to Agistri & Poros
Agistri is about an hour by boat from Piraeus, the large port of Athens, and the diving is around Dorousa, an uninhabited island off its coast. Poros has no airport; ferries and hydrofoils run from Athens, and its dive centre is at Askeli Beach.
Photos from Agistri & Poros
Ggia · CC BY-SA 3.0
Questions divers ask
Can a newly qualified diver dive the Avantis III?+
Yes. The waters of the bay are almost still, so divers of all levels visit the wreck; the propeller at 41 m is a deep dive for trained deep divers only.
Is it safe to go inside the Avantis III?+
Only with care and the right training. The ship has been down long enough that pieces can detach from the ceilings and walls of its enclosed spaces.
Where is the current strongest around Agistri?+
At Cape Skilomagas on the south side, where the slopes drop abruptly and the current runs strong. The water around Dorousa is almost still.
Can snorkellers come along on the dive boat?+
Yes. The day runs as a round-the-island trip that combines snorkelling and diving, and the water over the Avantis III is clear enough for snorkellers to see a large part of the wreck.
Sources
- Interdive - Recreational Diving - Agistri Island — Interdive
- AVANTIS III — Divelog
- Destinations - Grafasdiving — Grafasdiving
- Poros Diving Center — Poros Diving Center
- Scuba diving – Alkyoni Rooms – Agistri — Alkyoni Rooms
- Póros average sea temperature — seatemperature.org
- Diving in the Greek Saronic Gulf — Kudos Life Experiences
- Scuba Diving Near Athens — This is Athens
- Agistri — Wikipedia
- Poros — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- A pen shell crusted with brown algae and small white disc-shaped growths, standing half-buried among Posidonia seagrass blades on sand by Emmanuelbaltasar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A low rocky shoreline backed by pine trees, with clear green water over a rocky bottom in the foreground by Ggia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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