Peristera’s ancient wreck
Wreck description:
Underwater Museum – Peristera’s ancient wreck.
Since August 2020, this archaeological site is accessible to recreational divers with minimum certification level of Advanced diver, making it Greece’s first underwater museum. The shipwreck of Peristera was discovered accidentally in 1985 by a local fisherman, and underwater archaeologists began extensive excavations in the 1990s. The ship was a large commercial vessel that sank around 425 BC. while carrying around 4000 of wine amphoraes.
Today it lies at a depth of 25 meters (80 feet) near the Greek island of Alonissos, right off the islet of Peristera, in the Aegean Sea. Besides the site’s scenic value, the wreck shifted our understanding of the ancient world’s shipbuilding techniques. Marine archaeologists revealed a significant discovery in terms of the technology used to construct the ship. Before discovering the shipwreck, the size of this barge was thought to have been introduced by the Romans 3 centuries after the final voyage of the Peristera ship.
The size of the wreckage proves that Greek shipbuilding technologies were ahead of their time. It’s thought to be one of the most significant shipwrecks ever found in the Mediterranean Sea, and it can tell us about aspects of history otherwise not known. The archaeological excavation is still ongoing, and experts still have a lot to learn from the shipwreck of Peristera.
The departure/arrival for all recreational divers is from the port of Steni Vala, where our dive base is located, just 1n.m from the dive site. Any visitor should make a reservation beforehand through the dive center operator and pay additionally to the diving services offered by the dive center, a state fee of 50euro applied by the Ministry of Culture.
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Underwater Museum – Peristera’s ancient wreck Sporades, Alonissos, Peristera
Information:
Depth above the wreck: 20 m
Depth at the bottom: 28m
Level of diver training: Advanced +
Diving type: Wreck
Diving period: June-September
Dive Time: 35min
Visibility max: 30m
Water temperature: 20-27°C
Available from: Boat
Currents: Rarely
Warnings: None
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