Greece Highlights Its Underwater Cultural Heritage on International Day

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Greece marked the first International Day of Underwater Cultural Heritage on August 21, highlighting the country’s millennia-old maritime heritage and efforts to protect and promote archaeological treasures beneath its seas.

August 21 was designated the International Day of Underwater Cultural Heritage following a decision by UNESCO’s 43rd General Conference.

Greece, with its deep maritime tradition and thousands of years of seafaring history, possesses one of the Mediterranean’s richest and most diverse forms of underwater cultural heritage, the Ministry of Culture said in a statement.

The country’s underwater landscape includes a remarkable range of monuments and archaeological sites, from submerged settlements, some dating to prehistoric times, to ancient and Byzantine merchant and warship wrecks.

It also includes the ports of ancient cities, Byzantine harbour facilities, modern underwater infrastructure and shipwrecks from the two World Wars.

Greece Expands Protection of Underwater Heritage

The Ministry of Culture said Greece has taken major institutional initiatives since 2019 to protect and showcase its underwater cultural heritage.

Among the key measures are:

• The adoption of a comprehensive institutional framework for underwater archaeological sites and shipwrecks open to visitors.
• The creation and opening of Greece’s first accessible underwater archaeological parks at the Peristera shipwreck in the Northern Sporades and three underwater areas in the Pagasetic Gulf.
• The establishment, through a Joint Ministerial Decision, of rules governing diving, notification procedures and other obligations for diving-service providers and visitors undertaking recreational dives at designated shipwrecks of vessels and aircraft.
• The completion of documentation for the above wrecks and the launch of recreational diving activities at them.

In July 2026, the Ministry of Culture established the Management Organisation for Accessible Underwater Cultural Heritage Sites as a public-law legal entity supervised by the ministry.

Working alongside the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities within their respective responsibilities, the new organisation will address the technological, environmental and tourism challenges involved in protecting and promoting Greece’s underwater heritage.

Underwater Heritage and Diving Tourism

The Ministry of Culture stressed that managing underwater cultural heritage requires cooperation across multiple fields.

Archaeologists, marine scientists, technology specialists, conservators, lawyers, local authorities and tourism organisations all have a role to play in protecting and promoting these sites.

The global growth of cultural diving tourism has also changed how countries approach their underwater heritage. The international market for underwater themed experiences continues to expand as travellers increasingly seek authentic, immersive experiences that combine culture and nature.

Across Greece, authorities have created and planned new underwater archaeological sites, allowing both divers and non-divers to safely experience archaeological treasures beneath the sea.

The creation of the new management organisation and the establishment of the National Museum of Underwater Antiquities at the Silos in Piraeus represent, according to the ministry, tangible examples of the state’s commitment to protecting, managing and showcasing Greece’s underwater cultural wealth.

Heritage, Respect and Economic Development

The Ministry of Culture said it will continue creating new accessible underwater archaeological sites while maintaining the respect and sensitivity required at locations where people often lost their lives.

At the same time, the ministry aims to support local economic development in areas that preserve underwater cultural wealth by developing infrastructure capable of attracting diving tourism.

Greece has developed an integrated strategy for protecting and promoting its underwater cultural heritage, aligned with European policies.

The Ministry of Culture said it is building a coherent, modern and sustainable management model for underwater archaeological sites.

It described the creation of the new management organisation, together with the National Museum of Underwater Antiquities, as a strategic choice of national importance, combining cultural protection with economic development, scientific innovation and a stronger international presence for Greece.

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