The so-called "Crocodiles" area near the Black Sea town of Primorsko is a magnet for thrill seekers. In the summer, this is where the underwater adventure of amateur divers starts with the help of experienced instructors. A necessary condition is that there is no strong wind and the sea is calm. Tourists receive appropriate diving equipment and detailed instructions. "In this area, we have a wonderful lagoon with small fish, where we train people to adapt to underwater conditions, then elegantly, following the relief of the bottom, we go deeper," Todor Popov from the Poseidon Diving Club, says.

While floating in weightlessness, divers observe different types of fish and reefs with bizarre silhouettes. And the most exciting moment is when they come face to face with ... a mermaid. The exquisite stone sculpture was placed here a few years ago, with the idea of sparking the imagination of underwater travelers.

"The life-size sculpture weighs about 700 kg. It represents a woman with beautiful breasts, flowing hair and a tail. She is laying on a clean rocky bottom, so that the sand would not bury her. The mermaid is submerged 12 meters below the surface next to a high wall with small caves where the brown meagre (Sciaena umbra) hide. These are very beautiful fish with transparent fins and a tail with a violet tip. They move slowly near the divers and then return to their caves. The whole wall is covered with black mussels and when there are mussels, there is life. It is full of fish and crabs down there," Todor Popov says.

The mermaid is not the only human creation that "lures" tourists to the seabed. 10 years ago, very close to the stone sculpture, 7 meters under the surface, the chapel of "St. Nicholas the Miracle Worker" was constructed. It is fully compliant with the canons of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church.

A cross and a candlestick are placed on an ancient stone that serves as an altar, while the face of the saint is made out of bronze. In the chapel one can see church texts and other church utensils.

What skills do we need in order to dive to the bottom of the Black Sea in the "Crocodiles" area?

“None! We deal with all kinds of cases, we have had tourists who can't even swim!", Todor Popov says and adds with a sense of humor:

"We can do this because we are better than shamans! Once we catch the hand that is trying to dig its nails into our skin, we manage to calm it down. And we're not going anywhere unless one feels comfortable and gets used to breathing underwater. We take pictures underwater and then one can upload them on social networks like Instagram, Facebook, Tik Tok..."

"We photograph them both near the underwater chapel and with their hands behind their heads next to the beautiful mermaid. People often upload the photos with captions such as ‘We love mermaids’, ‘We love chapels’, ‘We love diving’. At the end, we give them a certificate with a stamp from our club that they have completed the Discover Scuba Diving program,” Todor Popov says in conclusion.

Sea also:

• Primorsko features underwater Orthodox chapel

• Divers arrange first submarine art gallery in Primorsko

• 60 years since the start of underwater archaeology in Bulgaria

English: Al. Markov

Photos and videos: Poseidon Diving Club, Sub Diving