On July 12, 2025, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee inscribed the “17th-century Port Royal archaeological complex” in Jamaica on its list. Pavlopetri, in Greece, is not included, contrary to what this page had previously stated.
Everything has been revised. For each submerged city, you will find what can really be dived, with what supervision, and under what rules.
If it is the legend that attracts you, our dossier on Atlantis, between myth, research, and dives sorts out the story from archaeology. The gods worshipped by Greek sailors are in our top 10 Greek marine deities.
Which submerged cities can you really dive?
Of the eight sites on this list, only two officially welcome the public: the Baiae underwater park in Italy, and Pavlopetri in Greece, which can be explored with a mask and snorkel. Alexandria, Yonaguni, and Shi Cheng are accessible through private operators. Port Royal, Thonis-Heracleion, Atlit-Yam, and Dwarka remain closed to recreational divers.
| Site | Country | Indicative Depth | Recreational Access | Level and Rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baiae (Baia) | Italy | A few meters | Guided diving, snorkeling, glass-bottom boat | Marine protected area (2002), Zone A with authorized guided visits |
| Pavlopetri | Greece | 3 to 4 m | Snorkeling | Protected site, scuba diving with authorization |
| Alexandria (Qaitbay) | Egypt | 6 to 8 m | Local center | Authorization and level to be verified |
| Thonis-Heracleion | Egypt | About 10 m | No | Excavation site |
| Port Royal | Jamaica | 6 to 12 m | No | Special authorization from JNHT |
| Shi Cheng | China | 26 to 40 m | Specialized operator | Experienced divers |
| Dwarka | India | Variable | No | ASI explorations |
| Yonaguni | Japan | Up to about 26 m | Island operators | Strong currents, level set by the center |
| Atlit-Yam | Israel | 8 to 12 m | No | Israel Antiquities Authority |
The depths in the table are indicative and are based on the archaeological publications cited below, without recent measurements on site.
Why so many closures? An underwater archaeological site deteriorates quickly. A fin that stirs up sediment or a shard taken as a souvenir erases information that no one can reconstruct. The 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage prioritizes in situ conservation. And each country adds its own rules. In short, what level? That question comes after the authorization one.
Baiae and Pavlopetri: what can you see in the Mediterranean?
These are the two easiest sites to access on the list. At Baiae, near Naples, the marine protected area created in 2002 can be visited by guided diving, snorkeling, or from a glass-bottom boat. At Pavlopetri, in Laconia, the ruins lie at 3 or 4 meters and can be viewed from the surface.
Baiae, the Roman seaside resort
Baiae was the vacation spot of the Roman aristocracy. The bradyseism of the Phlegraean Fields, this slow ground movement linked to volcanism, caused part of the city to sink beneath the sea. You can see mosaic floors, some around 4 meters according to the official Italian tourism portal. Statues from the nymphaeum of Claudius are exhibited at the Baiae castle museum. Thus, what you will see depends on the route.
The ministerial decree of August 7, 2002 prohibits diving in Zone A, except for authorized and limited guided visits by the managing organization.
Ask the authorized center for its exit zone and the required level. Our article on Baiae, a Roman city frozen under the sea details the remains.
Pavlopetri, 5,000 years of history at 4 meters
Pavlopetri was discovered in 1967 by geoarchaeologist Nicholas Flemming, then surveyed in 1968 with a Cambridge team. The project led from 2009 by the Greek Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities and the University of Nottingham established an occupation from at least 2800 to 1100 BCE.
Then there is UNESCO.
Pavlopetri is not listed on the World Heritage List. It appeared in 2016 on the World Monuments Watch, the list of threatened sites by the World Monuments Fund. Boundary markers followed in the same year.
The Greek tourist office presents it as a snorkeling outing, without picking anything up or walking on the remains. Scuba diving in a declared archaeological zone in Greece requires authorization from the Ministry of Culture. The WMF has noted guided tours by the Ephorate since 2016. The excavations are described in our article on Pavlopetri, the oldest submerged city in Greece.
Thonis-Heracleion and Alexandria: what can you dive in Egypt?
Thonis-Heracleion remains closed: the site is an excavation site about 6.5 km from the coast, in the Bay of Aboukir, at about ten meters depth. In Alexandria, local centers take divers to the ancient blocks at the foot of the Qaitbay fort, between 6 and 8 meters.
The city was located in 2000 by Franck Goddio’s team (IEASM), who work with the Egyptian antiquities authorities.
The old page said it was mentioned by Homer. The text describing it is that of Herodotus, who mentions a great temple of Heracles and the passage of Helen and Paris. It sank in stages until the 8th century. The excavations have yielded a 5.4-meter red granite god Hapy.
For Alexandria, the situation is different. The excavations of the Alexandria Studies Center, launched in 1994 under the direction of Jean-Yves Empereur, have inventoried nearly 3,500 architectural elements at the foot of Qaitbay, including sphinxes and obelisks. But visibility there is often poor, according to published descriptions. Required level and authorization: ask the center before booking. For the Red Sea, our guide to diving holidays in Egypt reviews the regions.
Port Royal, Atlit-Yam, Dwarka: why are these sites still closed?
These three submerged cities remain closed to recreational diving. Port Royal is under the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, Atlit-Yam under the Israel Antiquities Authority, and Dwarka under the campaigns of the Archaeological Survey of India. No public diving offers on their remains have been found.
Port Royal, Jamaica
Port Royal, captured by the English in 1655 (and not founded in the 16th century as was read here), was destroyed by the earthquake of June 7, 1692. About 2,000 people died instantly according to National Geographic, and much of the city slid under the sea. In July 2025, UNESCO inscribed it on the World Heritage List, noting that its submerged remains have stayed in place under the sediments. However, this inscription does not open the site to divers.
According to publicly available information, diving on the submerged city requires special authorization from the JNHT, and snorkeling on the ruins is not allowed.
Atlit-Yam, Israel
Atlit-Yam is a Neolithic village dated about 9,250 to 8,000 years before present, at 8 to 12 meters depth and a few hundred meters from the shore, south of Haifa. Research, led by Ehud Galili, began in the early 1980s. The hypothesis of a tsunami linked to Etna remains debated.
Dwarka, India
Off the coast of Dwarka, in Gujarat, marine archaeology campaigns conducted from the 1980s under the direction of S. R. Rao have identified cut blocks and stone anchors. Their dating remains debated. In 2025, the ASI resumed underwater explorations. Nothing indicates an opening to recreational divers.
Shi Cheng and Yonaguni: what level for these two dives?
These are the two most demanding dives on the list, for opposite reasons. Shi Cheng rests between 26 and 40 meters at the bottom of a reservoir lake, while Yonaguni starts at shallow depth but is dived in a strong current, off an isolated island of the Ryukyu.
Shi Cheng, the Lion City
Shi Cheng was built under the Eastern Han and established as a county seat in 208. It was flooded in 1959 by the Xin’anjiang dam reservoir. The old page credited it with 290,000 inhabitants. This figure, repeated everywhere, actually refers to all the people displaced by the dam project in the valley. The press describes an exploration reserved for experienced divers.
However, the current offer from operators is impossible to judge from here.
Yonaguni, the disputed formation
Spotted in 1986 by Kihachiro Aratake (the previous page said 1985), the site has divided geologists for nearly forty years. Masaaki Kimura sees man-made structures there. Robert Schoch reads a sandstone cut by natural fractures. Neither the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs nor Okinawa Prefecture recognize it as a cultural property. For us, the geological arguments carry more weight, even though the debate remains open.
The site is dived with the island operators despite strong currents, so ask the center what level and current experience it requires before booking your spot on the boat.
How to prepare a dive on a sunken city?
Start with the local rule, then the level. Before booking, ask the operator under which authorization they work, in which area the outing takes place, what maximum depth is planned, and what fallback plan exists if the sea deteriorates.
A photo of columns in clear water says nothing about the current. On an archaeological site, buoyancy matters more than usual, because a fin kick near the bottom stirs up sediment that covers the remains. Do not touch anything. Taking an antique object is prohibited in the mentioned countries. Our article on why you should never touch marine life applies the same logic to living organisms.
The briefing will tell you the rest.
The cost is counted in time and margin. A snorkeling at Pavlopetri or a guided outing at Baiae fits into a vacation day. However, a dive at Shi Cheng or Yonaguni requires an appropriate certification, recent experience, and reserve days if the weather closes the outing.
FAQ
Is Pavlopetri listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site?
No. Pavlopetri is not on the World Heritage List. It was selected in 2016 on the World Monuments Watch of the World Monuments Fund, a list of threatened sites. The site remains protected by Greek law.
Can you dive on the sunken city of Port Royal?
Not for recreational diving. The site, listed as a World Heritage in 2025, falls under the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, which issues special permits. Snorkeling on the ruins is not allowed.
Are the structures of Yonaguni a sunken city?
Nothing proves it. Geologist Masaaki Kimura defends a human origin, other geologists like Robert Schoch see a natural sandstone formation. Japan does not recognize it as a cultural property.
Sources
- Pavlopetri (World Monuments Fund, World Monuments Watch 2016)
- Decision 47 COM 8B.32 : The Archaeological Ensemble of 17th Century Port Royal (Jamaica) (UNESCO, 2025)
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