Wreck Diving in Chania, Crete

Plan wreck diving in Chania: dive SS Minnewaska III now and learn about the future Nestor and Folegandros wrecks at Apokoronas Diving Park.

Category: Dive Sites

Date: September 29, 2026

Read time: 11 min read

Dive Sites

September 29, 2026

11 min read

Plan wreck diving in Chania: dive SS Minnewaska III now and learn about the future Nestor and Folegandros wrecks at Apokoronas Diving Park.

Surviving metal structure of SS Minnewaska III on the sandy seabed near Chania

SS Minnewaska III: Chania’s historic wreck dive

The future: Apokoronas Diving Park

R/K Nestor

Folegandros

How deep are the wreck dives in Chania?

What certification do you need?

Historic wreck vs artificial wrecks

When will the new wrecks be available?

Wreck diving with Kefi Divers

Wreck diving in Chania combines a genuine First World War story with a new generation of deliberately scuttled artificial wrecks. The important distinction is timing: Kefi Divers regularly dives SS Minnewaska III today, while R/K Nestor and Folegandros are expected to become recreational options only after the Apokoronas Diving Park officially opens and access is approved.

This guide focuses on recreational wreck-diving opportunities relevant to Kefi Divers. For reefs, caves, shore dives and the wider region, read our complete guide to scuba diving in Chania.

Available now and expected later

Available now: guided boat diving at SS Minnewaska III for appropriately qualified and comfortable certified divers. Not currently available as normal recreational Kefi dives: R/K Nestor and Folegandros, pending the Diving Park’s official opening and approved access.

Built by Harland & Wolff and launched in 1908, SS Minnewaska III began as a transatlantic passenger liner before serving as a troop transport during the First World War, including voyages carrying Australian troops for the Gallipoli campaign. On 29 November 1916, it struck a mine at the entrance to Souda Bay. Captain Gates brought the damaged vessel into shallow water, and the Australian War Memorial records no loss of life.

The ship was later salvaged and broken up in situ. Divers now explore surviving structural remains rather than an intact vessel. The boat-only site extends from approximately 12 to 19 metres, has no penetration routes, and can suit Open Water divers or equivalent when appropriately guided and comfortable with the conditions.

Surviving hull structure of SS Minnewaska III resting on sand near Souda Bay

SS Minnewaska III is a historic First World War wreck made up of open structural remains, not an intact ship.

Current recreational wreck dive

SS Minnewaska III is one of Kefi Divers’ regular certified-diver boat sites. Its maximum depth is approximately 19 metres, and each dive is planned around certification, recent experience, comfort and the day’s conditions.

For its full history and detailed dive profile, read the SS Minnewaska III diving guide.

At Ombros Gialos, the Municipality of Apokoronas is the management body for a planned recreational diving park covering approximately 60,000 m², or 6 hectares. The project includes 37 main artificial habitat structures in four clusters, seven milestone habitat units, three recreational diving routes and two artificial shipwrecks: R/K Nestor and Folegandros.

These wrecks offer a different experience from Minnewaska. They were deliberately prepared and scuttled as part of a modern recreational diving and artificial habitat project. The structures are in place, but the park is not yet open for recreational diving. Kefi Divers does not operate or manage the park and expects to offer trips only after it officially opens and access is approved.

See the complete Apokoronas Diving Park guide for detailed project information and status updates.

R/K Nestor is an approximately 21-metre tugboat according to the municipal project documentation. It was deliberately scuttled on 2 April 2025 as the park’s first artificial shipwreck. Based on Kefi’s current site knowledge, its maximum depth is approximately 19 metres.

Nestor is not currently available as a normal recreational Kefi dive. Its future routes, participation requirements and any penetration assessment must wait for the park’s official opening and operational approval.

Bow and wheelhouse of R/K Nestor underwater at the Apokoronas Diving Park

R/K Nestor is already on the seabed, but the Diving Park is not yet open for recreational diving.

Folegandros is a former military landing craft, approximately 42 metres long according to the municipal project documentation. It was deliberately scuttled at Ombros Gialos on 10 June 2026. Based on Kefi’s current site knowledge, it reaches a maximum depth of approximately 19 metres. It is not currently a normal recreational Kefi dive.

Read the dedicated Folegandros article for the vessel’s story and the latest park context.

Bow ramp and deck of Folegandros resting on the seabed at Ombros Gialos

Folegandros was deliberately scuttled on 10 June 2026 and awaits the Diving Park’s official opening.

The three wrecks sit within broadly accessible recreational depth ranges, but access status and suitability are not the same. The park’s wider 8–25 metre bathymetric boundary should not be confused with each wreck’s actual depth.

Approximately 12–19 m; maximum approximately 19 m. Currently dived by Kefi.

Maximum approximately 19 m based on current site knowledge. Future access depends on the park opening.

Minnewaska can suit Open Water divers or equivalent when appropriately guided and comfortable with the conditions. Depth is only one factor: recent diving history, buoyancy, comfort and the day’s conditions also shape the plan.

Nestor and Folegandros also sit at approximate depths within normal recreational ranges, but Kefi will not promise future certification or participation requirements before official access and operating conditions are established. Advanced Open Water is not presented as universally required.

Minnewaska is a historic casualty of the First World War. More than a century underwater, salvage and time have left open sections of hull and ribs rather than an intact ship. Its value as a dive lies in that authentic history, the surviving structure and the marine life around it.

Nestor and Folegandros are artificial wrecks: vessels deliberately prepared and placed to support recreation and new habitat. “Artificial” describes how they reached the seabed, not a lesser experience. Their planned setting, scale and developing marine communities will complement rather than replace Chania’s historic wreck diving.

Expected for summer 2027 — subject to approval

The Apokoronas Diving Park is expected to open for the start of summer 2027, subject to the required approval. This is an expectation, not a guaranteed opening date.

Until the official opening, Nestor and Folegandros must not be treated as normal recreational Kefi dives or bookable wreck sites. The dedicated park guide carries the fuller status and project detail.

Kefi Divers already visits SS Minnewaska III regularly through its certified-diver boat programme. Small groups allow the guide to tailor the route and pace to certification, experience, comfort level and recent diving history.

Once the Apokoronas Diving Park officially opens and access is approved, Kefi expects to add its wrecks to the recreational options available to guests. No Diving Park price is published here.

View Certified Boat Dives

Looking beyond wrecks? Return to the complete scuba diving in Chania guide.

For a separate look at Kefi’s support for archaeological fieldwork on a British Landing Craft—which is not a recreational dive offered by Kefi—read Marine Archaeology in Crete.

Historical source

Australian War Memorial — SS Minnewaska wartime record

Wreck diving in Chania FAQs

What wrecks can you dive in Chania?

Kefi Divers currently visits SS Minnewaska III as a regular recreational boat dive. R/K Nestor and Folegandros are in the Apokoronas Diving Park and are not yet available as normal recreational Kefi dives.

Can you dive SS Minnewaska III?

Yes. Kefi regularly visits Minnewaska with appropriately qualified and comfortable certified divers as part of its boat-diving programme.

How deep is the Minnewaska wreck?

Its surviving remains lie at approximately 12–19 metres, with a maximum depth of about 19 metres.

Can Open Water divers dive wrecks in Chania?

Minnewaska can suit Open Water divers or equivalent when appropriately guided and comfortable with conditions. Future requirements for the Diving Park wrecks will be set after access and operating conditions are established.

Is the Apokoronas Diving Park open?

No. Its main wrecks and artificial habitats are in place, but it is not yet open for recreational diving.

Can you dive R/K Nestor now?

No. Nestor is not currently available as a normal recreational Kefi dive because the Diving Park has not officially opened.

Can you dive Folegandros now?

No. Folegandros is not currently available as a normal recreational Kefi dive because the Diving Park has not officially opened.

When is the Apokoronas Diving Park expected to open?

It is expected to open for the start of summer 2027, subject to the required approval. That timeframe is not guaranteed.

Are the Chania wrecks suitable for penetration?

Minnewaska has no penetration routes. Kefi does not promise or describe penetration on Nestor or Folegandros before the park opens and an operational assessment is completed.

What is the difference between Minnewaska and the Diving Park wrecks?

Minnewaska is a historic First World War casualty. Nestor and Folegandros were deliberately prepared and scuttled for a modern recreational diving and artificial habitat project.