Agistri & Poros · Greece · Wreck
Avantis III Wreck
A large propeller at 41 m on a cargo ship that struck the islet itself
Area photo: Emmanuelbaltasar · CC BY-SA 4.0
An 80 m cargo ship that sank off Dorousa, the islet beside Agistri, after striking it in 2004. The hull is well preserved and lies on the bottom from the bow at 16 m to the stern at 47 m, in the almost still water of Evidavros bay. The ordinary wreck dive stays between 16 m and 32 m; the propeller is a separate deep dive.
Also known as Avantis III, Avantis 3.
Where it is and how deep
37.6787° N, 23.3127° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The bow is the shallow end of the wreck, at about 17 m, and the hull runs deeper from there towards the stern at 47 m. The water of the bay is almost still, so there is no current to fight along the hull.
The ship’s large propeller lies at 41 m, below the ordinary wreck dive, which stays within 32 m, and the seabed under the stern reaches 48 m. At 80 m long and 13 m wide the wreck is too big to see in one dive. Inside, the enclosed spaces are fragile after years on the seabed.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Avantis III
- Type
- Cargo ship
- Length
- 80 m (262 ft)
- Sunk
- 2004
- Cause
- Collided with Dorousa islet off Agistri and sank 20 minutes later
- Lies
- On the bottom from the bow at 16 m to the stern at 47 m
The Avantis III left Mesolongi on 19 November 2004 on what became its last voyage. The cargo ship ran into the islet of Dorousa off Agistri and sank 20 minutes later, taking with it its 35-year-old chef, Vasilis Koronis. The hull now lies on the bottom off the islet, where it has stayed well preserved.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Agistri & Poros: May to October is the time to go; September and October bring the best conditions and the fewest crowds.
Know before you go
- Pieces can come away from the ceilings and walls of the enclosed spaces inside the hull, which has grown fragile on the seabed.
Dive videos
Avantis III Wreck Diving *Greece* · Explore Underwater Greece on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What certification does the Avantis III wreck need?+
Deep training. The wreck dive runs from 16 m at the bow to 32 m, and the propeller at 41 m is a separate dive for deep divers only.
Sources
- AVANTIS III - DIVELOG — Divelog
- Interdive - Recreational Diving - Agistri Island — Interdive
- Avantis III (Wreck) - ScubaGo — ScubaGo
- Doroussa - Grafasdiving — Grafasdiving
More dive sites in Agistri & Poros
A route along the south side ending at the Aquarium on the tip
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
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