Submarine to Atlantis

December 9, 2004

The Santorini Submarine is a unique attraction. It takes visitors 30 feet below the surface, into the caldera of the dormant volcano that all but destroyed the island of Thira 6,000 years ago, giving rise to the legends of Atlantis and the Flood.

You wouldn't be able to see the ocean floor from a normal military submarine, but the Santorini Submarine was purpose-built by Subibor, in Spain, with a bubble for the pilot and large observation portholes for the passengers to look out.

And there is much to see on the sea bed. There are still amphorae, columns, and statues allegedly from the old city. Sunken fishing boats are more recent additions. And, occasionally, there's a diver, feeding the fish to attract them for the visitors.

The trip is surprisingly inexpensive…about $50 will buy a three-quarter-hour trip. Our only regret was that it didn't leave much time to spend on the rest of the island. Most of our time was spent waiting in line for the chair-lift down to the harbor.

Keith Kellett
For International Living