In October 2017 the Hellenic Tourism Organization hosted a diving conference in Kefalonia and invited journalists and diving photographers from the UK, Germany and Poland to experience what the island has to offer.
With its amazing shoreline, breathtaking and diverse diving and a host of shipwrecks, Kefalonia offers an impressive destination for divers visiting Greece. Our calm and crystal clear waters are ideal for scuba, cavern and wreck diving and because underwater visibility exceeds 40 metres the island’s giant rocks, walls, reefs, wrecks and caves provide exciting diving sites for all levels of divers. There is a rich variety of sea life, in all its forms, from the smallest creatures such as nudibranch to bigger marine life like seals and sea turtles.
I spoke with Gerasimos (Makis) Sotiropoulos, a native Kefalonian and researcher of the seabed and the history of the area, who returned to the island in 1997 to establish the first diving centre on the island. In 2017 his Aquatic Scuba Diving Club celebrated 20 years of passion for the underwater world and a commitment to sharing it with others. He told me about the cave and cavern diving, his favourite dive and his latest discoveries.
Cave and cavern diving provide some of the most spectacular dives in Kefalonia. The caves of the island are known for their unique formations of stalactites stratifications and stalagmites providing a beautiful natural backdrop. There are the more well-known caves such as Melissani, Karavomylos and Zervatis with easy access, and then the caves with more difficult access (requiring decent with ropes) such as Chiridoni-Sotira and Agia Eleousa.
Having said that Makis’ favorite dive is the HMS Perseus, a WWII British submarine preserved in excellent condition and at a reasonable depth of 52m. Diving at the HMS Perseus site provides a fantastic experience to discover its history and secrets, and it is impressive to see this huge vessel lying on the seabed.
You can find out more about HMS Perseus in this video
Makis is credited with locating several WW2 Wrecks in the Ionian Islands, and for 2018 he is planning to dive with a mini submarine to explore them. If you’d like to find out more about the history and discovery of these wrecks click here.
Whatever your level of diving experience there is something to explore and discover. So come and join us and see a whole new and exciting perspective of Kefalonia.
Photographs provided by Gerasimos (Makis) Sotiropoulos.
There are 3 other diving centres on the island, here you can contact Aquatic Scuba Diving Club