Steni Vala (which means firth in the local dialect) is 8km away from Patitiri, built next to one of the few natural harbors in the island. It hosts the famous Care Center of the Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk Seal (MOm) boasting its very own research vessel Odyssia, manned by biologists hired to observe and record changes in the marine environment. Steni Vala had its very own mascot called Thodoris for a few years, a particularly friendly seal taken in by MOm. He was the most photographed seal in the world, but in 1993 he disappeared and hasn’t been seen ever since. The biologists believe that Thodoris found a mate and returned to his natural environment.
Steni Vala also features an organized camping site at the village beach.