The underwater car graveyard in Legrena

Dive site

Max Depth: 35m | Average Temp: 17°C (April 2024)

An eerie sight, unknown to the general public, remains hidden until just before we reach the ancient temple of Poseidon at Sounion. At the 59th kilometer of the Athens-Sounion coastal avenue, opposite the island of Patroklos, in the bay of Legrena, at a maximum depth of 35 meters, lies the largest known underwater car graveyard in Greece.

The site, known since the 1980s, has been associated with tales of lawlessness and police mystery that have always fascinated its underwater visitors. The car dumping point is marked by a small solar lighthouse on the edge of the cliffs that form one of the two bays in the area. This impressive sight stretches over a length of about 200m, with the first underwater exhibits encountered from 15m down, scattered along the steeply sloping bottom.

Many explanations can be given for the creation of this original underwater site, but most of them are intertwined with illicit activities.

Car thefts for the removal of spare parts, involvement in robberies, or other criminal activities and their being thrown into the seabed after unsuccessful attempts to steal them for ransom are the most prevalent, according to the police crime investigation services.

In the past, before barricades and special road safety measures were implemented, the area served as a venue for impromptu speed races, but this scenario seems too innocent.

Today, shock absorbers, wheels, sheet metal, mechanical parts, and carcasses of cars have been turned into artificial reefs with rich marine life and biodiversity.

Acknowledgments

Top2Bottom Diving Team in collaboration with Up Stories who visited the underwater car cemetery in Legrena on 30/04/2024. We want to thank Scubalife Dive Center, its owner Nikos Vardakas, and the excellent skipper George Bekiris for the hospitality on their dive boat MAC D.

In this dive participated: Andreas Andrikopoulos, Nikolas Margaritis, and Akis Seasidis.

Text editor and archive research: Andreas Andrikopoulos

Underwater Camera: Nikolas Margaritis

Drone Operator: Spyros Tapas (UpStories)