Diventures Magazine | English Edition May 2020 | Page 28

CAVE DIVING
the city's wealth. Abandoned in the 1st
century BC, the mines were reactivated
in 1864 and mined for their lead by
French and Greek companies until 1978.
Many remnants of these mines (shafts,
galleries, surface workshops) are still
Mine Exploration: The origins
A group of cavers visited the Mines of
Lavrion and the story of the underwater
exploration began….
Lavrion is a small city approximately 50
Km from the Greek Capital, Athens. It is
an area located at the south-east point
of the Athenian Coastline. Lavrion is a
very beautiful and picturesque place
with rich history and culture. There lies a
vast complex of mines and other
facilities of the industrial past of Greece.
The mines were exploited in prehistoric
times (3000 BC) as a source of copper
and galena, a lead ore. During the
classical period (5th-4th Century BC)
mining in the area resumed. The Ancient
present in the region.
At one of these mines, a group of cavers
visited the area in order to descend at a
five level mine complex that had flooded
chambers at its deepest part. One of
these cavers, knowing the work of the
Addicted2H2O team, contacted and
informed the two divers about the site.
Upon receiving the first photos, the
team were thrilled about this site and
preparations for the first dive began
soon
after.
The
team
gathered
information, visited the site to evaluate
any issues concerning the transportation
of the equipment and conducted the
first dive and filming of the underwater
passages, all within a month.
Athenians used large numbers of slaves
to mine the area, with the silver
produced contributing significantly to
DIVENTURES MAGAZINE
MAY 2020