Kikynthos Shipwreck (Amaliapoli, Pagasetic Gulf)
The Kikynthos wreck is a mid-Byzantine merchant ship (11th-12th century) with a pile of large fragmented transport vessels in 3.5-12 m off the north-west coast of the uninhabited islet of Kikynthos, at the entrance of Amaliapoli bay in the western Pagasetic Gulf. It was found in 2005. The Ministry of Culture approved it as a Visitable Underwater Archaeological Site together with the Telegraphos wreck (Late Antiquity, about 17-23 m) and the Glaros Byzantine anchor site; divers would be escorted from the Amaliapoli port by certified dive centres. A 2024 report said the three sites were being prepared to open around the end of 2025, and no confirmation of the opening could be found, so the status is unverified. The position is only an estimate near the Amaliapoli port.
Facts
- Region: Greece – Mainland, Attica & Sporades
- Area: Pagasetic Gulf
- Depth: 3.5–12 m
- Level: beginner
- Current: low
- Type: wreck
- Coordinates: 39.16294, 22.90426 (approximate)
- Highlights: mid-Byzantine wreck, 11th-12th century, shallow, 3.5-12 m, Visitable Underwater Archaeological Site (approved)
- Permit: Visitable Underwater Archaeological Site approved by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, supervised by the Ephorate of Marine/Underwater Antiquities. Guided-only: divers go with certified dive-centre boats and guides trained by the Ephorate, using only the Amaliapoli port; permanent moorings, anchoring banned. Opening status not confirmed, check with the Ephorate. (Source: Divernet, March 2024)
- Issuer / contact: Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, Hellenic Ministry of Culture
- Phone: +30 210 92 35 105
- Email: eena@culture.gr
- Website: https://www.culture.gov.gr/
- Unverified: Opening to divers was planned for around the end of 2025 and could not be confirmed; exact position not published.
- Tips: Check the opening status and book through a certified dive centre. If open: groups of up to eight with guides trained by the Ephorate, stay at least 1.5 m above the seabed and 1 m from the remains, no anchoring.