BYRON 1 shipwreck - Kali Limenes

🚢 BYRON 1 Shipwreck

The shipwreck lies 13 miles from the Mare Sud Diving Center and is accessible by boat and car. It is a sandy beach with a maximum depth of 12 meters. About 150 meters from shore, at 11 meters depth, there is a shipwreck covering an area of one acre. The wreck hosts marine life including tropical species such as the lionfish. There are open spaces for penetration and many interesting parts of the ship to explore.

BYRON I was a cargo ship transporting sugar. On January 17, 1985, at around 11:30 am, Crete was hit by an unprecedented storm with strong winds, heavy rain, floods, and communication breakdowns.

BYRON I ran aground on shallow waters. The SOS signal, for unknown reasons, never reached the Heraklion Coast Guard. The Ministry of Merchant Marine operations center received the signal and sent a rescue helicopter to the area.

As BYRON I broke in half and the salty sea water turned “sweet,” the crew managed to abandon the ship and survive.

Visibility is very good, up to 20 meters. There are no currents and the water temperature is approximately 26°C.

FeatureDetails
Location13 miles from Mare Sud Diving Center
AccessBy boat and car
Max Depth12 meters
Wreck Depth11 meters
Marine LifeTropical species including lionfish
VisibilityUp to 20 meters
Water ConditionsNo currents, 26°C water temperature

Dive site details

  • A

    Suggested level

    Open Water Diver

  • B

    Maximum depth

    12 meters

  • C

    Visibility

    +20m

  • D

    Average temperature

    25 C

  • E

    Depth of interest

    12 meters

  • F

    Marine life

    Tentacled blenny (Parablennius tentacularis), Garpike (Belone belone), Wide-eyed flounder (Bothus podas), Ornate wrasse (Thalassoma pavo), Rainbow wrasse (Coris julis), Mediterranean moray (Muraena Helena), Parrotfish (Sparisoma cretense), Striped red mullet (Mullus surmuletus), Red scorpionfish (Scorpaena scrofa), Black scorpionfish (Scorpena porcus), Brown comber (Serranus hepatus), Comber (Serranus cabrilla), Dusky spinefoot (Siganus luridus), Dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus), Painted comber (Serranus scriba), Bogue (Boops boops), Greater weever (Trachinus draco), White seabream (Diplodus sargus).

Location