Santorini, Cyclades, Greece

Akrotiri Reef

Akrotiri Reef lies just off Cape Akrotiri at the southern rim of Santorini's caldera and is one of the most-dived sites in the Cyclades. The dive is built around a long volcanic ridge that begins at around 6 metres and steps down through a series of black-rock plateaus to a sandy interface at roughly 35 metres. The dark volcanic substrate gives the reef a striking aesthetic and creates contrast with the sponges, soft corals and sea fans that colonise its cracks. Resident fish life includes dusky grouper, Mediterranean moray, common two-banded sea bream, painted comber, ornate wrasse and damselfish; in late summer pelagic schools of barracuda, amberjack and Atlantic bonito sweep through the deeper edge. The reef sits within Santorini's active geothermal field, so divers occasionally see streams of bubbles emerging from cracks and feel mildly warm patches near the substrate. The site is exposed when the meltemi blows from the north, but on calm days conditions are forgiving and visibility regularly exceeds 25 metres.