HELLAS UNDERWATER EXPLORERS - Aggalaki Cave Diving Exploration Kefalonia
Aggalaki Cave Exploration - Kefalonia
The Aggalaki cave pit stands as one of the renowned water-filled caves in the Sami region. Our exploration team consisted of George Petrou, Nasos Zervopoulos, Tassos Kipraios, and Ilias Gravanis. We traversed through the magnificent terrestrial cave, encountering colonies of bats, spectacular formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and pristine turquoise pools. Our dive into the lake beneath centuries-old stalactites was truly remarkable. The site presents a spectacular, verdant, luminous atoll with excellent accessibility. While it holds great potential for tourism development, the primary focus remains its environmental preservation.
Geological and Historical Background
The stunning Aggalaki cave pit is located 2 kilometers east of Poulata village near Sami. It forms part of an intricate system of 17 interconnected caves, most featuring underground lakes and rivers containing fresh or brackish water. These cave waters are interconnected through narrow underground passages, formed by limestone wall erosion. Aggalaki stands as the largest and most impressive of these formations, surrounded by olive groves and Mediterranean vegetation. Its entrance features a circular opening 30 meters in diameter, descending to a depth of 50 meters. The cave's age potentially predates the Pleistocene period (2,000,000 - 12,000 BC).
Cave Structure and Characteristics
According to the Hellenic Speleological Society ( www.ese.edu.gr ), the cave develops in a N.NW direction along two primary axes. These axes intersect at the cave's northwestern extremity, connecting the cave chambers formed along each axis, with natural lakes developing at their termination points. The eastern lake's pathway runs below water level, connecting to another inaccessible lake inhabited by blind eels - evidence of a marine connection. The western lake's route lies above water level and hosts significant bat populations.
Conservation Status
In 2007, Aggalaki was incorporated into WWF's "Protection of Greek Island Wetlands" program, recognized as one of 803 wetlands in the Greek islands and one of 21 in Kefalonia. This designation acknowledges its significant ecological importance and the need for its preservation.
