Greece offers miles of stunning blue coastline, hundreds of isles and millennia of ancient history onshore. Here are 10 reasons to dive the waters of Greece:

1. HIGH-CLASS TRASH
More than a dozen dive sites sit just minutes off Cape Sounion, south of Athens, including one with 1,000-year-old clay jars littering the floor. aquadiversclub.gr/en

2. MEET POSEIDON
Legend says Poseidon’s Temple sits where Aegeus, king of Athens, fell into the Aegean Sea, falsely believing that the Minotaur killed his son. The ruins are famous
for sunsets over these waters, named for the unlucky king. greeka.com

3. CLASSIC HISTORY
Remains of the Parthenon, a monument to Athena built in the 5th century B.C., rise in the center of Athens. Even better: The Acropolis Museum in Athens has glass floors that reveal still-older ruins below. acropolisofathens.gr

4. WALLS AND WRECKS
The island of Mykonos offers excellent viz to dive dramatic walls and wrecks, including the well-preserved Peloponnesos. mykonos-diving.com

5. ROAD TO RUINS
Hop a cruise ship for an orgy of ruins and blue seas in Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Olympia and Dubrovnik. princess.com

6. THE BIG BLUE
Waters off the Peloponnese coast define “blue” with sites that include sponges, stalactite caves and WWII wrecks. costanavarino.com

Have a taste for exploration? Check out our 50 favorite shiprwecks in the ocean.

7. BLUE AND WHITE
Dive sites around the iconic Greek isles of Santorini — sheer cliffs, bright-white buildings, clear-blue sea — include volcanic caves, dynamic walls and hints of the lost city of Atlantis. navyswaterworld.gr

8. SMOKING HOT
Santorini rims a giant caldera that exploded 3,600 years ago. Fumaroles continue to smoke on still-active Nea Kameni, accessible via ferry from Thira village on the main island. visitgreece.gr

9. DIVE THE DOME
Off Naxos Island, south of Mykonos, an underwater cave opens into an air-filled dome that glows a surreal blue from reflected light. Onshore, fill your surface intervals with sites like the Temple of Apollo, Mount Zeus and a Byzantine museum. naxosdiving.com

10. DELICIOUS VIEW
Enjoy an authentic Greek meal in the shadow of the Acropolis — stunningly illuminated at night — on Thissio Café’s elegant rooftop terrace. thissioview.gr