PYTHEAS - Dodecanese
The Pytheas is one of those wrecks we always come back to, a proper piece of history lying just off the Dodecanese. She went down in ‘66 after hitting something submerged, a big steamship at 134 meters long, built for wartime in California. Now, she’s a scattering of metal across the seabed at a consistent 10 meters, so it’s a brilliant site for newer wreck divers or those who just want a long, relaxed bottom time. We love finning over the debris field, trying to imagine her full shape. You can still make out her ribs, the plates long gone in places, creating these fantastic swim-throughs where damselfish flit in and out. The light filters through, bouncing off the sandy patches, and often we’ll spot octopus tucked into crevices, their eyes watching you pass. Our favourite part is the bow section; it’s more intact, and you often find schools of barracuda hanging in the slight current, shimmering silver. It’s not a deep dive, but it feels like you're exploring a real ghost from the past, completely taken over by the sea.
- Location
- Dodecanese, Greece, Mediterranean & Europe
- Coordinates
- 36.333300, 27.884068
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 10m
Marine Protected Area: Kremastis - Paradeisiou Dimou Petaloudon Nisou Rodou
Best Time to Dive in Dodecanese
The warmest water temperatures in Dodecanese occur in August, averaging 28.7°C. The coolest conditions are in March at 17.0°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 18.6°C
- February: 17.4°C
- March: 17.0°C
- April: 17.8°C
- May: 20.3°C
- June: 23.2°C
- July: 26.5°C
- August: 28.7°C
- September: 27.7°C
- October: 25.5°C
- November: 23.5°C
- December: 21.1°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Dodecanese
- Achata Arch (cave)
- Achata Cave (cave)
- Amoopi
- ANTHOS - 0m (wreck)
- Archangelos Cave (cave)
- Cape Gatos
- Cape prasso
- Cave of seal (cave)
- CONTI MINI (PROBABLY) - 1m (wreck)
- DHIAS - 28m (wreck)
- Diving boards
- ELIAS - 5m (wreck)
- EVANGELISTRIA - 6m (wreck)
- Faliraki
- GEMAR I (PROBABLY) - 5m (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to PYTHEAS
Marine Life in Dodecanese
Home to 26 recorded species including 8 reef fish, 4 whales & dolphins, 3 other, 3 seagrass & algae, 2 sea snails & nudibranchs, 2 hard corals.
Notable Species
- loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta)
- Red lionfish (Pterois miles) - Reef Fish
- Marbled Spinefoot (Siganus rivulatus) - Reef Fish
- Silver-cheeked Toadfish (Lagocephalus sceleratus) - Reef Fish
- Long-spined sea urchin (Diadema setosum) - Sea Urchins
- Redcoat (Sargocentron rubrum) - Reef Fish
- Studded Pufferfish (Torquigener flavimaculosus) - Reef Fish
- Species code: Hs (Halophila stipulacea) - Seagrass & Algae
- Blue-white Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) - Whales & Dolphins
- Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Mediterranean tapeweed (Posidonia oceanica) - Seagrass & Algae
- Cowfish (Tursiops truncatus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) - Whales & Dolphins
- Goldband Goatfish (Upeneus moluccensis) - Reef Fish
- Slender Seagrass (Cymodocea nodosa) - Seagrass & Algae
- Common brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis)
- Three-tooth Cavoline (Cavolinia tridentata) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
- Black coral (Antipathes dichotoma) - Hard Corals
- Black coral (Leiopathes glaberrima) - Hard Corals
- Abalone (Haliotis tuberculata) - Sea Snails & Nudibranchs
Recommended Packing List for PYTHEAS
Based on average water temperature of 22.3°C, currents 8 cm/s.
- Wetsuit (3-5mm) - comfortable for 22°C water
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories