Approximately twenty years ago in 2003 a US Army Tugboat was sank in the caldera off the island of Santorini. The tugboat dates back to WWII and the wreck is situated near the island of Palea Kameni. The bow of the wreck is in 38 meters of water whilst its stern rests at about 27 meters. The wreck rises to approximately 24 meters and is in excellent condition with much to see and explore. The boat was sunk as a tourist attraction to attract divers and was organised by the Union Boatsmen of Santorini. Tugboats belonged to both the Army and the Navy and in the video one can see the letters US Army writen at the bow on the port side.  This dive is recommended to experienced divers at all recreational levels due to the average depth but also visibility conditions which at times can be poor in the volcano area due to the sulfur. 

The dives were co-organised with Dive in Action and Santorini Active Volcanic Environment. Dive in Action is a team of passionate scuba professional divers, located in Santorini Greece at the Cyclades enrolled and organized to support environmental – ranging diving activities. Santorini Active Volcanic Environment is an Association situated in Santorini Greece in Cyclades and is a Marine Conservation non-profit Organisation, based on protecting the local Caldera formation and its interconnected marine life. It operates for the increased protection of these via the Santorini Active Volcanic Environment program, which involves professional scuba divers, members, and volunteers. The activities range from debris collection, environmental protection, marine observation, to the preparation and training of divers to operate safely in a volcanic environment. An interesting interview was given to us by Mr. Dimitris Kambanos who is the administrator and manages the fore mentioned activities. We thank Dimitris for his help in the making of this video and his ongoing efforts in preserving the fragile environment of the Caldera and many other areas throughout Greece over the past years.

Uppon reaching the dive site the boat was moored up to a buoy and after the necessary preparations the team descended. The wreck is a short distance from the buoy and an iron pole which pokes up from the seabed shows the way. The wreck looms out of the blue as the divers approach. There are beautiful nudibranch Flabellina affinis, hydroids, sponges and damsel fish on the wreck. Although it is mainly the impressive rock formations and lava flows that make the scenery both above and below water amazing.