Rhodes, Dodecanese, Greece

Kallithea Springs

Kallithea Springs lies off the small headland just north of the historic Kallithea thermal spa, an art-deco-era bathing complex restored as a cultural venue, on the east coast of Rhodes. The dive begins along a rocky shoreline with shallow boulders at 4 to 8 metres and follows the substrate down through a series of small caverns and cracks to a sandy interface at around 25 metres. The most distinctive feature is a chain of short swim-throughs in the 10 to 18 metre range, well-lit and short enough to stay within the cavern definition, with the back walls colonised by yellow cluster anemones and red sponges. Resident fish life includes dusky grouper, Mediterranean moray, common octopus, ornate wrasse, two-banded sea bream, painted comber, scorpionfish and damselfish, and the deeper sandy zone often hosts common stingray and weever fish. Currents are typically weak in the lee of the bay, visibility regularly exceeds 25 metres, and the dive is reached by short boat ride from Faliraki or Rhodes Town.