Exploring the Heiromiti Reef (38° 41.109'N 20° 45.523'E)
The Heiromiti Reef is a potentially dangerous place and despite being well marked still claims a few yachts each year.
The shoal can be found in the Inland Sea, between Scorpios and Meganissi Island in the
Ionian Sea area of
Greece. It is composed of two hazardous rocky patches and a shoal patch in deeper
water.
The reef can be easily avoided by passing close to the Scorpios or Meganissi coastlines, although occasionally marked can be difficult to pinpoint. During the season the reef is invariably marked with
charter and Flotilla Company
flags but does get knocked down in storms and is often completely absent out-with
charter season.
Most of the vessels that hit the reef are crewed by the curious wanting to closer inspect the
danger. The reef is marked as a
single rock on the
charts and leads the foolhardy into underestimating the size of the reef and sometimes thinking they are clear of
danger bump a slightly deeper part of the reef.
The dangerous part of the reef is on a transit between the NE headland of Vathi Bay and Politi Point on the SE cape of Scorpios island beside Changing Room Bay. Its located 1/3 distance or 1km from the Scorpios shore.
There are two distinct sections 150m apart with 1m of
water above the rock and is possible to see the rock poking just above water surface when there is a really high pressure system coupled with spring tide after period of prolonged southerlies.
The shoal patch, distinct from the rocks lies midway between Scorpios and Meganissi, with 3.5m over it does not usually present any problems to passing yacht but can cause a bit of
alarm when suddenly look at the
depth gauge and see it reading below 3.5m.
Both areas are good spots to
anchor, for a spot of snorkelling, when the nearby bays and coves are mobbed with charter yachts, albeit when the winds are light. The reef is best approached from westerly direction. I like to go astern into about 3-4m and drop the hook. You can manoeuvre very close to the rocks and on closer
inspection will find that they are indeed two huge concrete cubes….. I wonder who placed them there? Was it Onassis when kept his super yacht Christina on Scorpios?
Davie Nairn
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