The body of a 34-year-old diver who went missing during a dive in the dangerous cave system known as the ‘Devil’s Well’ in Limanakia, Vouliagmeni, south of Athens, Greece, has been located after a three-day search and rescue operation.
The diver, a professional pilot described as an experienced diver, was reported missing at around midday on Sunday, 22 March. He was diving with a buddy, who surfaced alone and alerted authorities.
A multi-day search operation was launched involving the Hellenic Coast Guard, specialist police divers from the Underwater Missions Unit, and experienced cave divers.
Due to the conditions inside the cave system, authorities said the recovery operation could not be carried out immediately and would require specialised planning and equipment. Recovery efforts are expected to take several days.
Search teams located the diver’s equipment, including a fin, tank and underwater scooter, before finding his body on Wednesday, 25 March, in an inaccessible section of the cave at a depth of approximately 30 metres.
Hellenic Coast Guard spokesman Ioannis Georgiou, who led the search and recovery operation, said that an investigation will be launched and the diver’s gear investigated to see if mechanical failure contributed to the incident.
The Devil’s Well – also known as the Vouliagmeni Well – is a vertical underwater shaft approximately 3 metres wide, beginning at a depth of around 11 metres and descending to around 29m.
At the bottom of the vertical shaft is a cave which leads into a narrow horizontal passage, which some believe leads inland to Lake Vougliagmeni, approximately 1km to the north.
To date, only around 150-200m of the passage is thought to have been explored, due to the constant flow of current into the cave, which makes it difficult for those who enter to get out.
In 1978, three American divers disappeared while attempting to explore the cave system. Despite multiple attempts to recover their bodies, their remains were not found until 2007.
An iron grille was subsequently placed over the entrance to the cave, although it doesn’t completely prevent divers from entering.
At some point in the 1980s, a plaque was installed at the entrance which reads ‘Beyond this point, there is nothing to see that is worth more than your life.’
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