Lefteris Reef

Lefteris Reef is a rock at Skopelos in Greece that carries a long history. The reef is about 180 m long from north to south and 80 m wide.

The historian Herodotus describes how, during the Persian invasion of Greece, at least three of the galleys of King Xerxes ran into this reef and sank. Xerxes then ordered the Persians to carry stone blocks weighing 700 to 1,200 pounds to the top of the reef to build a stone column, warning ships of the danger and ensuring safe navigation. It is considered one of the most ancient architectural feats in the area, erected 2,800 years ago. Divers helped to pull up segments of the column in 1928.

Diving: the site offers a mix of archaeology and ecology, with a maximum depth of about 64 m, rated technical. A short way beyond the two shipwrecks there is another route, along vertical walls that fade into deep blue, with meadows of corals and plenty of life.