Diving

Greece offers clear warm water, teeming marine life great for any novice divers while underwater caves and shipwrecks for the more adventurous divers.Thousands of scuba divers plunge into the Greek waters each year. Until recently a law limited diving to only a few dive sites to protect the many ancient underwater treasures.

Now restrictions have been lifted and many new areas have been opened up for scuba divers. Scuba diving is now allowed in all Greek seas, with a minimum of restrictions. In response, there has been a rise in Greek diving centers.

Many Greek scuba dive centers now offer scuba diving lessons and yacht-based diving tours. While choosing a dive centre check that the instructors have PADI qualifications and that equipment is either new or regularly serviced. Diving can be dangerous, especially in unknown waters with underwater currents. It’s always a good idea to get a specialist Scuba diving insurance in case of accidents.

Spear fishing is a popular pastime in Greece. It is illegal to spear fish in Greece without a license. To get a license apply to the port authority of the area you are visiting.It usually takes about a week to get . Visit the PADI site for more information.

The scuba dive centers mostly have their own websites where you can check out details such as qualification, equipment, dive spots and courses on offer. To learn more about diving visit the PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) site. They are dive centers all over coastal Greece so wherever you are you can dive .Below they are a few dive spots in Greece ,truth is that they are many areas undiscovered, which have not yet become popular. Always dive with a certified buddy.Dive safe !

Scuba diving in the Aegean islands

The north-eastern Aegean has many good prospects for Scuba diving in the Greek islands with islands offering diving lessons and activities being Lesvos, Samos and Thassos. Lesvos has a wealth of dive sites right around the coast. There are popular dive spots are off the islet of Agios Georgis, near Petra, where there are several rock slides and some interesting reefs. Even better reefs are found in the northeast at Palios with good visibility and many plants. In the southeast, the islets off Tarti have exceptionally clear water and good marine life while at nearby Vatera are the wrecks of a couple of commercial ships.

Diving in Samos has only recently become more popular so the dive sites around the coast offer almost virgin diving conditions.Sponge wall coverings and many varieties of fish occupy these relatively undisturbed sites. It is are unlikely to meet other diving groups while there, enjoying the clear water with eels, starfish, octopus, lobster and other marine species.

Thassos has several notable dive sites off the coast including popular sites such as Agios Ioannis Bay and off Seagull Island. One of the more interesting is the dive site called Volcano Tears with some remarkable underwater lava formations.

Scuba diving in Crete

Crete’s impressive rock formations such as the Samaria Gorge continue underwater.The south coast is quite impressive. Here divers can find many locations with caverns, gaps and reefs.These environments are home to octopus, moray eel, grouper and a wide variety of other marine life. The Plakias area has interesting depth walls . Besides the many sponges, spiny lobsters, crayfish and cuttlefish, you can also see barracuda, perch and much more.The south coast has popular dive sites such as Skinaria with underwater canyons and interesting marine life.On the north coast ,Panormo has small caves no deeper than 35 meters deep while the Damnoni has a three part cave teemed with marine life.

Scuba diving in the Cyclades islands

The Cyclades offers a wide range of scuba diving sites only a ferry connection away. Most of the MYKONOS dive centers are based in the south coast beach resorts where there are good reefs and caves, with the spectacular dive spot of Prasonisia considered one of the best.Try not to party to hard the night before your dive ,cause Mykonos is considered to be the clubbing mecca of Greece.Another site is the wreck of the Greek cargo ship Peloponniso off the northeast coast but it is considered a particularly difficult dive. To the southeast is the islet of Dragonisi there are some spectacular underwater rock formations.

NAXOS has some notable dive sites including the triple caverns at Padieronissi islet between Paros and Antiparos known as the Mermaid’s Cave, the wreck of the cargo ship Marianna which sunk in 1982 in a severe storm and a British bomber from World War Two off the coast at Cape Kouroupas.

PAROS has the Cathedral dive with impressive rock formations and walls covered in sponges and reefs which home barracuda also there is a wreck of a Greek liner you can explore. SANTORINI has many interesting dive sites around the caldera and off the coast of Kamari.