One of the most beautiful shipwrecks of the Greek seas which has been transformed, over the years, into an important habitat for the underwater life, offering the opportunity for an unforgettable dive. On 24th July 1981 the cargo ship “Marianna”, loaded mainly with ore and also barley, sheet metal, tubes, marbles and pesticides crashed into a reef just south of the Amarides islets located in the middle of the crossing between Paros and Naxos islands. The 24 crew members were rescued as the ship was initially stranded and slowly submerged with a large part of it lying above the surface. After about a year and because the shipwreck was obstructing safe navigation it was decided to be destroyed. The ship was cut off and sat partially on the sandy bottom at 23 metres depth. The initial length of the ship reached 91.5 metres and the width 14.5 metres. Today, the bulk of the ship, which is maintained in a very good condition, reaches 37 meters. The stern with the side decks, the bridge, the rooms, and one of the ventilators from the loading cranes emerging a metre above the surface, is almost intact. Due to the small inclination of the shipwreck, the ship stands almost upright ready for a tour around and inside it. “Mariana” is perhaps the top dive destination for scuba divers who choose Paros or Naxos for their holidays.

The most impressive thing about ” Mariana “ is the outer walls that are full with thousands colorful sponges, creating a beautiful canvas. Here you can observe dozens of different sponges that create enormous colonies, such as Aplysilla rosea, Axinella verrucosa, Chondrilla nucula, Chondrosia reniformis, Clathrina clathrus, Dysidea avara, Haliclona fibulata, Haliclona mediterranea, Hamigera hamigera, Ircinia oros, Ircinia variabilis, Petrosia ficiformis, Phorbas tenacior, Sarcotragus spinosulus and Spirastrella cuntatrix. The sponges also attract a large number of nudibranchs such as Thuridilla hopei, Felimare orsinii, Felimare villafranca, Diaphorodoris papillata, Phyllidia flava, Peltodoris atromaculata, Trapania lineata, Trapania maculata, Polycera quadrilineata, Calmella cavolini, Caloria elegans, Cratena peregrina, Edmundsella pedata, Flabellina affinis and Antiopella cristata.

Around the ship there are large shoals of damselfishes (Chromis chromis), blotched picarels (Spicara maena) and bogues (Boops boops), while predators include greater amberjacks (Seriola dumerili) and Mediterranean barracudas (Sphyraena sphyraena). At the base and inside the shipwreck live large individuals of red scorpionfishes (Scorpaena scrofa), Mediterranean morays (Muraena helena), dusky groupers (Epinephelus marginatus), dogtooth groupers (Epinephelus caninus) and mottled groupers (Mycteroperca rubra). Other fish here are European congers (Conger conger), Madeira rockfishes (Scorpaena maderensis), small red scorpionfishes (Scorpaena notata), combers (Serranus cabrilla), cardinalfishes (Apogon imberbis), saddled seabreams (Oblada melanura), black seabreams (Spondyliosoma cantharus), Mediterranean parrotfishes (Sparisoma cretense), brown meagres (Sciaena umbra), brown wrasses (Labrus merula), cuckoo wrasses (Labrus mixtus), blacktailed wrasses (Symphodus melanocercus), axillary wrasses (Symphodus mediterraneus), Mediterranean rainbow wrasses (Coris julis), black-faced triplefins (Tripterygion delaisi), red-black triplefins (Tripterygion tripteronotum), golden gobies (Gobius auratus), striped gobies (Gobius vittatus) and leopard-spotted gobies (Thorogobius ephippiatus).

Big Mediterranean fanworms (Sabella spallanzanii) are all over the walls between the sponges, while in the interior there are colonies of magnificent cylinder anemones (Cerianthus membranaceus). Atlantic tritons (Charonia variegata) and giant tuns (Tonna galea) slide on the walls near the bottom and Mediterranean slipper lobsters (Scyllarides latus) cling on the walls. Fauna is supplemented by corals (Balanophylia regia, Cladocora caespitosa and Parazoanthus axinellae), sea worms (Hermodice carunculata, Bispira volutacornis, Hydroides ezoensis, Protula tubularia and Serpula vermicularis), bryozoans (Myriapora truncata and Schizomavella mamillata) and ascidians (Clavelina dellavallei, Diplosoma spongiforme, Halocynthia papillosa and Botryllus schlosseri).

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