Beechcraft RU-21A Aircraft

The beach where you’ll start your dive is located on Athens-Sounio Avenue, at the end of the Palaiá Fókaia village, 45 kilometers from the center of Athens. Access is relatively easy by road (you should calculate about an hour from the center of Athens), and you can park your vehicle near the pier.

THE COAST

The diving site is located at the old small pier of Palaiá Fókaia. The coastline at this point is rocky. However, those who don’t dive from your group have literally dozens of options, both in the village of Palaiá Fókaia and along the wider coastline known as the Athenian Riviera, whether it’s for swimming, strolling, or having coffee and food at one of the cafes, taverns, and bars in the area, especially during the summer months.

ENTRY TO THE SEA

Set up your equipment and enter the water, walking towards the small pier.

THE DIVE

After conducting the necessary checks, start swimming in a northwest direction. If you have a compass, head northwest at 305 degrees. You’ll need to swim almost 200 meters until you reach the aircraft (100 meters after the coast, you’ll spot a small elongated reef, and continuing swimming with the reef on your right hand after another 100 meters, you’ll see the aircraft). The plane rests upside down on the seabed at a very shallow depth (6 meters). The landing gear is still deployed as at the time of impact, while the tires have fallen into the recesses of the landing gear system. The fuselage and wings are almost intact, while the tail is missing, indicating that the aircraft probably crashed at another point and was then dragged to its current position by the nets of a trawler, breaking off the tail section along the way. After exploring around and inside the aircraft, paying particular attention to your buoyancy, you can explore the surrounding area to discover debris and parts of the aircraft as well as the marine life that has found refuge there. Complete your dive by returning along the same route, and depending on your mood, as the only limiting factor due to the very shallow depth will be your gas supply.

The author of the article and divelog.gr would like to thank Diver’s Corner diving center in Palaiá Fókaia for the photography and guidance.