Dear Friends,

On July 20 through 22, Pavlopetri Watch Day 2018 will convene in Neapolis, Lakonia, on Elafonisos, and at Pavlopetri itself. Pavlopetri Watch Day 2018 is sponsored by the Alliance for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage (ARCH) and the Municipality of Elafonisos.

Friday, July 20^th:

• At 11:00 am, at the Archeological Museum of Neapolis, Dr. Maria Tsouli and Aphrodite Maltezo, archeologists at the Ephorate of Antiquities of Lakonia, will offer a special program for children in 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades entitled “In search of the ancient cities of the Malea Peninsula.”
• At 7:30 pm, the feature-length film Dolphin Man will be screened at the  Limira Mare Hotel Conference Center, Neapolis. Dr. Aimilia Drougas, Biologist, Geologist-Oceanographer and Co-founder and Secretary General of ARION, will give an introduction to Dolphin Man, stressing the importance of protecting the dolphins and whales in the marine environment of Vatika Bay.

Saturday, July 21^st:

• At 9:30 am, archeologists Dr. Maria Tsouli and Aphrodite Maltezou will present a guided tour in Greek and English and special screening of 20-minute film Akra Malea at Archeological Museum of Neapolis. Our Museum is an undiscovered gem.
• At 11:00 am, guided snorkeling tours over the archeological site of Pavlopetri — the oldest underwater city in the world — will be led by archeologist Despoina Koutsoumpa in both Greek and English. Foundations of houses, community buildings, streets, courtyards, cist graves and chamber tombs, buried pithoi, and more, are visible in two to three meters of water throughout seven hectares of the large submerged city. Bring your own mask, snorkel and fins.
• At 7:30 pm,featured speaker Dr. Paraskevi Kalamara, Director of the Ministry of Culture’s Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities, will introduce a proposed Management Plan for Pavlopetri at the Limira Mare Hotel Conference Center in Neapolis. Dr. Elena Korka, Director General of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage at the Ministry of Culture, will make a presentation about managing underwater cultural heritage sites. Commander Panagiotis Triponitikas of the Greek Navy will speak about Pavlopetri as a case study. 

Sunday, July 22^nd:

• At 7:00 am, the Pavlopetri Fun Run/Walk and Bike Ride will start at the Liminaki Tavern in Neapolis, run along the beach road to Neratziona Beach, past Mangano Beach, to Pavlopetri, and finish at Restaurant H Pounta (9 km). Walkers will finish at Neratziona Beach (4 km).
• At 9:30 am, archeologist Despoina Koutsoumpa will lead guided snorkeling tours over the archeological site of Pavlopetri — the oldest underwater city in the world.
• At 1:00 pm at Agios Spiridon Church on Elafonisos, Despoina Koutsoumpa will lead activities for children.
• At 7:30 pm, the feature-length film Dolphin Man will be screened on Elafonisos. 

Since the World Monuments Fund designated Pavlopetri to its 2016-2018 Watch as one of fifty endangered cultural heritage sites world-wide, ARCH has organized an annual Pavlopetri Watch Day in Neapolis and Elafonisos. At Pavlopetri Watch Day, everyone in the larger community is encouraged to participate in the guided snorkeling tours, the Fun Run/Walk/Bike Ride, movie screenings, and presentations at the Museum of Archeology and the Limira Mare Hotel Conference Center. Children are welcome.

In April 2017, the international marine conservation organization Mission Blue designated Vatika Bay/Myrtoon Sea as the first Hope Spot in Greece, in recognition of the unique underwater archeological site of Pavlopetri within the exceptional marine environment of Vatika Bay. Loggerhead turles, Carretta carretta, nest along the beaches of Vatika Bay; monk seals, dolphins, and whales, live in its waters. Posidonia grass, the “lungs of the ocean,” grows on the seabed, offering shelter and sustenance to hundreds of species of fish and sea creatures. The archeological site of Pavlopetri and the plants and animals of Vatika Bay are all threatened by the pollution in the Bay caused by the large commercial tankers and freighters that anchor there. The Posidonia grass is being demolished by the gigantic anchors of the tankers and freighters.

Both cultural heritage organizations, ARCH International, and marine conservation organizations, including ARION, Mission Blue, the Cetacean and Pelagic Institute, ARCHELON, Medasset, and Oceana, recognize the dangers facing Pavlopetri and Vatika Bay and are working to preserve and protect them.

ARCH International and the Municipality of Elafonisos invite everyone to come to Pavlopetri Watch Day 2018 and learn about Pavlopetri and Vatika Bay and demonstrate support for their protection.

*A special thank you to Magda Sotirianos who will provide simultaneous translations for all lectures and to Dimitri Delakovias who will be in charge of all film and photo coverage.