A stunning underwater ecosystem surrounding the arid and uninhabited Cyclades isle of Gyaros was documented last summer by the University of Patras’ maritime geology and oceanography department for the WWF Hellas.

Research showed that some 50 percent of the mapped underwater area, some 24 square kilometers, is covered by Neptune Grass or Mediterranean tapeweed (Posidonia oceanica) and dense coral seaweed, two significant ecosystems that clearly show the pristine nature of the waters off the island – a notorious place of exile since Roman antiquity.

In total, 57.3 square kilometers of the seafloor around Gyaros was mapped, making the area one of the best charted maritime regions amongst the Natura 2000 protected areas in Greece.