Glyfada, Attica, Greece

Glyfada Artificial Reef

Off Glyfada, on the so-called Athens Riviera south of the capital, lies a small artificial reef built from concrete blocks and decommissioned structures placed on a sandy bottom at around 22 metres. The site was deployed to provide structure for marine life on what is otherwise a featureless soft-bottom plain along the Saronic Gulf, and it has matured into a compact biological hotspot. The blocks are colonised by encrusting sponges, hydroids, bryozoans and small soft corals, and the cracks between them shelter common octopus, scorpionfish, small dusky grouper and the occasional moray. Schools of damselfish, salema, two-banded sea bream and ornate wrasse circle the structure, while sandy patches between the blocks host weever fish, common stingray and the occasional flatfish. Visibility is more limited than the open Aegean, typically 8 to 15 metres depending on weather and city runoff, but the site is calm, accessible and ideal as an Athens-based check-out dive. Boat access is from Glyfada or Vouliagmeni marinas.