![Faro di Prassonissi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Faro_di_Prassonissi.JPG)
Prasonisi (also Prassoníssi) cape is a part of the island of
Rhodes
Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the S ...
. It is located 92 km from
Rhodes town; 40 km from
Lindos, at the southern part of Rhodes.
Overview
Prasonisi is the Greek word for "green island". During summer time, and when water levels are low enough, this island is a peninsula attached to Rhodes. During the winter time, and when water levels are high enough, Prasonisi becomes an island. The southernmost tip of Prasonisi contains the
Prasonisi Lighthouse. The closest Greek village is
Katavia; however, there is a purpose-built settlement on Prasonisi that contains motels, convenience stores, restaurants, and windsurf rentals which are open seasonally. Near Prasonisi is
Vroulia, an ancient settlement that contains an old mosaic tiled floor.
Watersports
![Prassonissi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Prassonissi.JPG)
Prasonisi is noted to be a good place for
windsurfing
Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...
and
kitesurfing
Kiteboarding or kitesurfing is a sport that involves using wind power with a large power kite to pull a rider across a water, land, or snow surface. It combines aspects of paragliding, surfing, windsurfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and wak ...
due to predictable and reliable winds with certain qualities (not gusty, constant direction and during particular times of the day). From one side of the cape there is the
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea ; tr, Ege Denizi (Greek: Αιγαίο Πέλαγος: "Egéo Pélagos", Turkish: "Ege Denizi" or "Adalar Denizi") is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans ...
with good waves and views for advanced surfers. From the other side, there is the
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...
with flat water which is better suited for beginners. The area has its high season for tourists in July and August and the flat side of the water becomes very busy.
Prasonisi Environmental Deterioration
Due to the big number of tourists that gather there, Prasonisi has lost its pristine beauty and there is great evidence of environmental damage. Visitors (mostly tourists) used to drive all around the beach with scooters and cars. As such, the sand has a solid feeling now and it is almost like concrete at certain parts of the beach although this is changing since the creation of a line that cannot be crossed by vehicles. The protected turtle known as
Caretta caretta
The loggerhead sea turtle (''Caretta caretta'') is a species of oceanic turtle distributed throughout the world. It is a marine reptile, belonging to the family Cheloniidae. The average loggerhead measures around in carapace length when fully ...
used to hide its eggs at the specific region but this rarely happens anymore due to the lack of environmental management of the territory. For this reason rigorous protective measures have to be undertaken to protect virgin nature landscapes and ancient archaeological sites in the area.
The local authorities have been unable to organise any services or take the appropriate steps to ensure the preservation of the area. Large motor homes are allowed onto certain areas of the sandbar without any charged fees which could have been a source of revenue to provide services such as sanitary, water etc. to the motor home users and other Prasonisi visitors.
References
External links
Rhodes map
{{Dodecanese Islands
Rhodes
Dodecanese
Windsurfing
Landforms of Rhodes (regional unit)
Islands of the South Aegean
Islands of Greece
Landforms of the South Aegean
Peninsulas of Greece