Alonissos (Greece) (AFP)
Here "we dive into history", exclaims an Austrian tourist, after his dive on the site of the Peristera shipwreck.
Nearly 30 meters deep in the Aegean Sea, the Underwater Museum, "a mixture of diving and archeology", attracts another form of tourism.
That day, seven divers put on their wetsuits on the Triton, the boat that takes them straight to the coast of Peristera, an islet not far from the Aegean island of Alonissos.
Hans-Jürgen Fercher, 48, is preparing to begin his fourth descent to rediscover this buried treasure.
"He's a legend here," smiles Dias, one of the coordinators of the Triton dive center.
Fifteen minutes later, the explorers jump into the water and embark on the perilous descent, under the wise advice of their supervisors.
The remains of this shipwreck lie almost 30 meters at the bottom of the Aegean Sea, making diving difficult and technical.
Under their palms, more than 4,000 amphorae have rested in the sand for almost 2,500 years.
This collection constitutes the first underwater museum in Greece, opened during the summer of 2020.
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"It is really a special and unique site because it is a mixture of diving and archeology: we dive into history," said Mr. Fercher to AFP, after getting out of the water.
"We are not just in the middle of a marine ecosystem with corals, we are observing the remains of an ancient civilization", also rejoices Lisette Frevelund, a Danish tourist, shortly after the submarine expedition.
Coming especially to see the wreck, the Greek George Giasemidis "had many expectations after the preparatory meeting. Diving answered all of them," he told AFP.
- Visit the wreck ... in virtual reality -
The shipwreck site is only accessible to experienced divers.
There are therefore few chosen to taste underwater tourism.
But the city offers a virtual alternative to dive into the discovery of the archaeological site.
You just have to leave the port and go to the old Alonissos, where, guided by a few signs, the visitor finds, in the middle of traditional houses, the Alonissos museum which offers, via a virtual reality headset, to discover the traces of time deposited at the bottom of the Mediterranean.
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In the room, two tourists turn around, lower their heads, raise and extend their arms.
On the screens, we follow their journey in the middle of the amphorae, as if they were there.
With the opening of the Peristera Underwater Museum, and the hope of making four other nearby wrecks accessible to divers from all over the world, the island of Alonissos intends to become a must-see destination for diving enthusiasts.
"We want to offer another form of tourism to people who come to the island. I don't want intensive tourism that you can see elsewhere," Petros Vafinis, mayor of Alonissos, told AFP. dive with tourists from different European countries.
- "An underwater safari" -
"We are very excited to open other sites like the one in Peristera in the next two years and to be able to develop an underwater safari", says Kostas Efstathiou, co-owner of Alonissos Triton Dive. Center.
The Greek government has made a bet to develop "diving tourism".
He decided to address a "special audience that pays generously to dive and chooses its destination according to the different diving options," said Greek Minister of Tourism Harry Theocharis.
"Our country has many tourist attractions" for diving, he said, telling AFP that around ten underwater parks have already obtained a permit to practice this type of tourism in Greece.
Wrecks, but also nature reserves and projects of "artificial reefs to create life, flora, fauna and become natural curiosities for diving", adds the Minister.
Alonissos has been part of a marine fauna protected park for 30 years.
Among the protected species, the famous monk seal.
Endangered in the world, a large community of these seals reside on the beaches of Alonissos, where they can live serenely.
With a little luck, without even diving, tourists may come face to face with one of these marine beings, daydreaming on the beach.
© 2021 AFP