The clarity and visibility of the water in the mine was poor in the beginning and got better at some pints as the dive progressed further. The temperature of the water is 16 Celsius. Percolation from the exhalation of bubbles and fin movement during entry create poor visibility conditions.

The divers laid approximately 200 meters of cave line in three different passages they explored. Getting the divers and equipment to the dive site is a great challenge. The team walked approximately 500 meters on old rail tracks used by the miners to extract the ore. Following this they descended 100 meters in depth assisted by rope in many steep parts of the mine in order to reach the dive location.

It is worth noting that when exploring the second passage after approximately 50 meters of penetration the divers heard water flowing near to their location. The further the divers progressed the louder the noise got. It seems there is an underground stream flowing in parallel to the underwater passage the divers were exploring. This may have been the reason why this mine was eventually abandoned due to the constant influx of water.

A new mineral “Stergiouite” was first discovered in 2018 by Mineral Researcher Dr. Branko Rieck at the Plaka mine (“Filoni 80”) of Lavreotiki included in the Lavrio Mines. Rieck, B., Giester, G., Lengauer, C. and Topa, D. (2019) IMA 2018-051a. CNMNC Newsletter No. 47, February 2019, page 203; European Journal of Mineralogy, 31: 199–204. Rieck, B., Giester, G., Lengauer, L.C., Chanmuang, C., Topa, D. (2020): Stergiouite, CaZn2 (AsO4) 2 · 4H2O – a new mineral from the Lavrion Mining District, Greece. Mineralogy and Petrology: 114 (online).

It owes its name to the Greek minerologist and researcher Vassilis Stergiou, in recognition to his contribution to the Mineralogy of the Lavreotiki Mines. Vasilis is also a key member of the Lavrio Mine Exploration project.