Kea Channel · Greece · Wreck
Patris Wreck
An 1868 paddle steamer, broken in two with a paddle wheel still in place
Area photo: Allan C. Green · Public domain
The paddle-wheel steamship Patris struck a reef off Kea in February 1868 and now lies cut in two, one of her paddle wheels still on the wreck. Published depths differ — 26 to 52 m across the two sections, or 28 m for the wreck itself — and she is described as the highlight for recreational divers at Kea.
Also known as PSS Patris, Πατρίς.
Where it is and how deep
37.5796° N, 24.2632° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Published depths for the Patris do not agree, and that matters for planning. The Wikipedia account of Kea puts the wreck at 28 m; the dive-site catalogue describes her as cut in two pieces lying between 26 and 52 m. Take the shallow figure as the top of the wreck and the deeper one as the far section, confirm the profile with whoever is running the boat, and plan gas and decompression for what you actually intend to reach rather than for the number you read first.
She reads as a paddle steamer on the bottom: one of her paddle wheels is still on the wreck, and after more than 150 years down it is the clearest reminder of how old she is. The hull is in two pieces, so the dive works section by section rather than as one continuous swim along a hull, and the spread between the shallow and the deep piece is what forces the depth decision.
There are a lot of fish on the structure. Groupers and barracuda hold around the wreckage, goatfish work along the bottom, lionfish sit in the broken sections, and tuna pass through on a good day. That is a lot of life for a profile this deep, and it is the argument for spending the available bottom time on one section of the wreck rather than trying to cover both.
The wreck
- Vessel
- PSS Patris
- Type
- Paddle-wheel passenger steamship
- Length
- 66 m (217 ft)
- Sunk
- 1868
- Cause
- Struck a reef off Koundouros Bay, Kea
- Lies
- Cut in two pieces with one paddle wheel still on the wreck
The Patris was a 66-metre passenger steamer operated by the Hellenic Steamship Co. out of Syros. She struck a reef off Koundouros Bay, on the southwest side of Kea, on 24 February 1868 with roughly 120 passengers aboard, and the proximity to shore meant no casualties were reported. She now lies cut in two on the seabed, where one of her paddle wheels remains on the wreck, and she is described as the highlight for recreational divers at Kea.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Barracuda
- Tuna
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Prime | Good | Good | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Season follows Kea Channel: Expeditions run roughly May–October; the Aegean meltemi blows hardest in July–August and the strait closes over winter.
Know before you go
- Depth figures conflict between sources, from 26 m to 52 m — agree the maximum depth with the boat before the dive and plan decompression for it.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Patris wreck at Kea?+
Sources differ. The wreck is described as lying at 28 m, and also as cut in two pieces spanning 26 to 52 m. Plan for the deeper figure if you intend to reach the far section, and confirm the profile with the boat.
When did the Patris sink?+
She struck a reef off Koundouros Bay on 24 February 1868, carrying about 120 passengers. No casualties were reported, as the ship went down close to shore.
Sources
- Patris Wreck (Πατρίς) — Scubago
- Kea (island) — Wikipedia
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