Katavothres in Argostoli

Aside from being a lovely, waterfront location, Katavothres is the site of a rare geological phenomenon which had trumped scientists for generations. Here, seawater pours through fissures in the rocks near the coast and dissappears underground. Noticing the regularity in the water’s movement patterns, water mills were placed here by an Englishman (Stevens) in the early 1800’s to take advantage of this occurrence. While many attempts were made since that time to explain this peculiarity, many theories were advanced, but none was verrifyable. Finally, the puzzle was solved in the 1960’s by a group of Austrian scientists, who added a coloring agent to the water in order track its course. The water that had been dyed at one of the sink holes at Katavothres, emerged 14 days later at the seaside village of Karavomilos, near Sami. Following the trail using radioisotopes, the group was able to chart the full course of the water’s journey, which includes passage through underground limestone crevices and a stop at Melissani cave before flowing on to its final destination.