Previously,
Greece’s politicians had feared that freely opening her seas to divers would result in pillaging of ancient, as-yet-unknown shipwrecks by professional looters. However, thanks to diver/government adviser Manilos Alifierakis, new laws will allow
access to 18,000 miles of coastline, rather than the meager 126 dive sites designated currently.
In an effort to curtail thieves, dive centers will have to apply for licenses, and the government plans to create a system of marine parks in order to monitor and manage diving tourism. This is, of course, a wonderful idea – for recreational divers, generally, and wreck-diver enthusiasts, specifically; for Greece’s tourism industry as a whole; and for the marine life that will benefit from the development of the parks.
