A well-known spot off coastal southeast Athens for scuba diving enthusiasts is getting heightened attention this week due to the disappearance of a diver at the undersea site on Sunday.
The 34-year-old local man was diving at the spot with a partner – as is standard scuba protocol – just off the “Limanakia” (little harbors) site, when he failed to return to the surface. Such an incident involving a scuba diver at the specific site has been reported.
A search effort was called off on Monday and set to resume to Tuesday.
Although the name of the site sounds ominous, the site, otherwise known as the “Vouliagmeni Well”, is actually one of the most interesting diving spots in Attica prefecture (greater Athens-Piraeus).
The Devil’s Well is a small natural cove, fully protected on all sides except for its southern side, which is open to the Saronic Gulf.
The diving spot is located at the second tiny harbor of Vouliagmeni, about 25 kilometers southeast from the center of Athens.
The impressive entrance to the well and the ‘forbidden’ cave dive
The “Devil’s Well” is essentially an underwater hole or an underwater “well,” located a short distance from the shore’s rocks at a depth of 11 meters. Its entrance offers divers an impressive sight.
According to the website divelog.gr, divers who proceed can move eastward along the sandy seabed, which gradually deepens.
At 11 meters depth, one encounters the circular rim of the well, with a diameter of 3 meters.
At 17 meters depth, a second small well or side shaft begins, descending parallel to the main well but is very narrow.
At 29 meters depth, divers reach the bottom, from where they can see the blue of the sky above, while in front of the opening lies the dark entrance to the cave beyond the well.
The length of the cove is approximately 150–200 meters, and the width of its sides at the widest point is around 50 meters.
The seabed is sandy with some clumps of seaweed, but due to heavy visitor traffic, it is somewhat polluted.
At the site, there is a large iron railing designed to prevent (without fully blocking) divers from entering the tunnel, while also protecting them from being accidentally swept away by strong currents.
