A marine park, one of just a few of its kind in the world, is being launched off the island of Kea, with historic shipwrecks and consisting of three protected sea areas, each covering 36 hectares.

Certified divers will be able to to dive down to the Titanic’s twin sister, the HMHS Britannic, the French ocean liner SS Burdigala, and the paddlewheel steamboat Patris. The fourth wreck, that of the German Junkers Ju 52 airplane, will be added soon, explains Yiannis Tzavelakos, a Municipality of Kea councillor in charge of diving tourism, owner of the Kea Divers center and the main driver of the project.

“The new marine park places three protection zones around the historical monuments, prohibiting all forms of fishing,” he notes, adding that “the island is finally acquiring protected marine zones. We estimate that in three to five years the stocks will increase dramatically to unbelievable levels for the Mediterranean.”

This article was previously published at ekathimerini.com.