Answering the phone and hearing the assignment proposal, my first thought was, ?What is it going to be like diving in the Mediterranean in the dead of winter?? It had been years, 33 to be exact, since I last visited the Greek Isles. I hadn?t a clue. The three main Cyclades Islands ? Mykonos, Santorini, and Paros ? are beautiful, known the world over for beaches, dramatic scenery and historic ruins.Sailing the 125 miles between them on a classically designed sailing yacht was supposed to give me a taste of diving and cruising the islands in the height of summer. It being the dead of winter and rather cold, the irony was not lost. And while I was right about the chilly water, the strong winds and the mostly overcast sky, the inconveniences were more than made up for by the people we met and the islands themselves.Eating breakfast at a harbor-side cafe on Mykonos, watching the tame pelicans snap at tourists on the beach, I couldn?t help but think about how much the island had changed. It was always a quiet little haven for the wealthy, known for its international sophistication, artists and intellectuals. Slowly but surely, jet-setters and development money flowed in and the island?s character changed.While the clientele has changed, the beauty and character have not. Mykonos? charm lies in its narrow whitewashed streets. Brilliant white cubist homes are built one on top of the other. Window frames, doors and bannisters are painted fanciful colors, balconies are draped with wild roses and bougainvillea. These living decorations frequently hang down above the street, creating the impression of a Technicolor waterfall. Unlike some of its neighboring islands, Mykonos has a small but well-developed diving industry ? despite the fact that recreational diving has long been illegal in most of Greece. For years the island?s wealthy international clientele and cash helped authorities to overlook this situation. Scuba diving is now legal on Mykonos and its neighboring islands (see sidebar article).Our group made two dives with Mykonos Diving Center at Psarou Beach, a 20-minute drive over the mountain at the center of the island. The gently winding road offered views of beautiful scenery and countless islands floating in the Aegean Sea.Adjacent to the dive center is a small alley leading to a beautiful white-sand beach and the dive center?s 21-foot inflatable boats. In winter they operate only one; in the summer four are kept busy. The shop is small by U.S. standards, with an indoor classroom, retail and rental storage areas. But it has a substantial outdoor courtyard used for training and gearing up. As it was February, the shop?s most important asset was an endless supply of hot water from two showers at the back of the courtyard. The center?s protocol is to do the dive briefing, gear up at the shop and walk the 200 feet to the inflatable. The first dive site was Prasonissia Reef, a half-mile offshore. It rises sharply from deep water to within 18 feet of the surface and has been the site of many wrecks over the last 4,000 years.We anchored near the shallowest part of the reef and back-rolled into the water. The seabed here is volcanic rock covered with temperate-water algae, marine plants and invertebrate life. The gently sloping rock suddenly gives way to a carpet of dense, rich sea grass that stands two feet high. The grass field stretched beyond the limits of the 80-foot visibility.Hidden in the sea grass were hundreds of pottery shards, some obviously from amphorae, ancient clay vessels used to transport and store fluids such as oil or wine. What tragedies had taken place here? How many storms had passed, sinking how many ships? And how many sailors had been lost in the creation of this field?I returned from my reveries to find three separate octopi peering out at me from safe refuge among the clay shards.The southeast side of the reef is large volcanic boulders with several small, tight swim-throughs. Large aggregations of chromis and damselfish and a healthy population of invertebrates covered the area.For 45 minutes I photogaphed the reef, marveling at the amount of invertebrate life and lack of large fish. Sadly, the larger fish appear to have been fished out near the cities. During the summer months, I was told, there is an influx of tuna, grouper and other pelagics that migrate north with the warm water. The next day?s dive site had huge volcanic boulders littering the bottom. The rocks were covered in sponges, small anemones and sea peaches. The visibility was still 70-90 feet and, to my surprise, the water was a pleasant blue. I had expected green water and much lower visibility.The 56-degree winter water was far from its 70-degree August average. Using a 7mm suit with hood and gloves, a 45-minute dive to 74 feet was comfortable. My dive partners, all wearing drysuits, said that 45 minutes was about the comfort limit.They had dropped in convoy formation to 120 feet and ended up back at the boat well before me. I was happy in shallower water, finding a beautiful miniature scorpion fish and several blennies. I also found the largest yellow feather-duster worm I had ever seen, looking like a yellow starburst at a fireworks display.Venturing Out The island of Paros, a comfortable three-hour sail south from Mykonos, was our next destination. Motoring into the northern fishing harbor at Naoussa, it was immediately obvious that the island is significantly less developed and less tourist-oriented than Mykonos. Although visually similar, it is less polished and less sophisticated; some would say more pleasant. Paros only began attracting tourists in the last three or four years, mostly from Scandinavian countries. Besides beautiful beaches, the island is known for its fruits and vegetables, wines and fine marble.The owners of Diving Club Santa Maria met us in their 21-foot inflatable in Naoussa harbor. After gearing up and a quick briefing, we rode to an islet just offshore.After a short underwater swim around a point, we dropped to 72 feet. Our guides located a cluster of pottery remains that had obviously been large amphorae. The base of one jug was almost two feet across. A short distance away was the top of another one about the same size.Further on we found a series of bowl-like impressions left in the sea bottom where amphorae ? probably intact ? stood for eons, and then had been chipped out by looters. This was exactly the reason the Greek government has worked to limit access to historically significant ruins. Leaving Paros, we motored overnight to Santorini and arrived shortly after sunrise. The sun?s orange glow bounced off a thick, low blanket of clouds and bathed the red-rock cliffs inside the island?s collapsed volcano.Believed by some to be the ancient kingdom of Atlantis, the island is one piece of a massive volcano that exploded some 2,000 years before Christ. The explosion blew the cinder cone and created sheer cliffs on the west side of the island. The eastern side forms a wide, gently sloping coastal plain that stretches to the sea.Villages on cliff tops cling precariously to the edge overlooking the water. The balconies of several of the more elegant homes hang over the water 300 feet below. As with the other islands, the whitewashed villages are a maze of narrow streets and alleyways. But here, the streets are so steep that donkeys are used instead of vehicles to transport goods.Our group spent the afternoon just off Paros at nearby Thirassia. Below the island?s cliffs, we geared up and made the giant stride into three-foot-high seas. Underwater, the cliffs continued down as far as visibility allowed.We started at 80 feet and worked our way up the wall, checking small ledges and cracks for critters and marine treasures. The vertical walls were covered with invertebrate life, including large mussels which our guide, Lucas, harvested into a well-worn mesh bag on his waist.Later that evening back on Santorini we were treated to a feast hosted by the deputy mayor. We were seated around a table for 20 on a terrace, 15 feet from the water?s edge, fighting a gale-force wind. What crime, I wondered throughout the meal, had this man committed to deserve an evening with us, particularly when the weather was as bad as it was? And then I realized just how lucky I was to have been able to make the trip.How kind everybody had been. We had visited several of the nicest islands in the Cyclades archipelago and been the guests of some of the most affable hosts anyone could ask for. The diving had been very satisfactory for an off-season whirlwind tour. With any luck an opportunity might develop to return and do it all over again, an opportunity I wouldn?t pass up for all the olive oil in Greece.History RevealedGreece begins to open access to its underwater treasuresThe Greek government recently began a formal review for opening its waters to recreational divers. While divers have been diving all over Greece for years , they often received fines for their efforts.Greek authorities have been trying hard to protect part of their national and cultural heritage ? the enormous wealth of underwater antiquities that comprise some of the world?s oldest underwater archaeological sites. Once the laws are in place, it will be possible for the first time to dive on these historical treasures. For thousands of years Greek traders sailed vessels to distant lands across the Mediterranean Sea. Inevitably, many ships were lost to storms and calamitous accidents. Sunken wrecks, as well as the ruins of cities lost to historically rising waters and natural disasters, are scattered throughout Greece?s coastal waters. Many of the most accessible sites have been excavated, their antiquities catalogued and saved for all time. Others were looted and the antiquities sold on the international black market. But there are many more sites in remote locations. These sites lie off the traditional tourist routes, in deeper waters inaccessible to all but the most intrepid explorers and divers.In the past it was all but impossible to dive without a government permit to a few dive sites in controlled areas, primarily near the beautiful southern Greek islands.Presently, the most dramatic and archaeologically rich sites remain off-limits to recreational divers. But that situation may change.The government plans to create 100 historical marine preserves for divers. Many of the sites are remote, and have never been visited by recreational divers. They hold true archaeological treasures just waiting to be viewed.Now the hard work begins. No less than three government ministries must reach a consensus about the specific rules for reserves, according to Kostas Nizamis, president of the European Scuba Diving Association, a privately funded Greek organization striving to promote recreational diving in Greece.It is easy to imagine archaeologists at the Ministry of Culture as ardent purists, wary of allowing anybody ? much less overly enthusiastic tourists ? near their sites. The Ministry of Tourism, on the other hand, is already holding meetings about how to attract foreign tourists and their money to the sites. The struggle is expected to go on for several years, although divers may be allowed to visit some or all of the sites as the negotiations proceed.The marine preserves raise the same dilemma found wherever eco-tourism bisects a fragile or endangered ecosystem: tourists draw attention and financially support the natural resources, but inevitably they have an impact ? which may ultimately be negative.Archaeologists, while wary of recreational divers in pristine sites, know that these divers and their guides may well prevent looting. They also know that visitation fees could fund their further studies.In the struggle to establish operating guidelines, the marketing gurus appear to be winning. Plans are under way for a live-aboard boat to work the preserves. A similar model is used in the Maldives. Based on my experience and the proposed plans, the idea is solid.