Skiathos, Sporades, Greece

Tsougrias Reef

Tsougrias is a small uninhabited islet just south of Skiathos in the Northern Sporades, and its sheltered eastern shore hosts one of the most reliable reef dives in the area. The site is built around a stepped rocky structure that descends from a shallow plateau at 6 metres to a sandy interface at around 25 metres, with the substrate broken into low ridges, boulders and short overhangs. Resident species include dusky grouper, Mediterranean moray, common octopus, painted comber, ornate wrasse, two-banded sea bream, scorpionfish and schools of damselfish. The Sporades sit at the southern boundary of the National Marine Park of Alonissos and waters are home to the critically endangered Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus); sightings on dives are rare but documented, and operators brief appropriate behaviour. Currents are usually weak in the lee of the islet, visibility is consistent at 18 to 22 metres in summer and the water temperature is mild from June through October.