Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine · How it works →
The verdict comes from seven water factors and hard safety gates — not ten tabs. Go or stay.
How we score the water
Our own model
Our own forecast engine — not a third-party widget. It weighs these water factors into one go-or-stay verdict for this coast; the 0–10 dial is that verdict, read out as a number.
01
Swell & wave memory
Height, period and direction of the swell, plus the wake of recent storms — an old storm still stirs the water, and the engine remembers.
02
Wind & gusts
Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
03
Tide phase
Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
04
Water temperature
Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
05
Currents & outflow
Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
06
Rain runoff & air clarity
Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
07
Coast shape & exposure
How the coast faces the swell — a sheltered cove keeps the water clean; an exposed, head-on point takes a penalty.
Safety gates
Thunderstorm forecast — an instant red, no exceptions.
An official warning (MeteoAlarm / IPMA) — yellow, or red for the higher ranks.
Missing input data — a would-be green is capped to yellow rather than overstated.
Strong disagreement between forecast models — a green day is pulled back to yellow.
Night hours — where night spearfishing is banned by law the window is forced red; where it is legal (Australia outside NSW, New Zealand, South Africa) it is capped at yellow, never green.
It all folds into a single 0–10 score and one verdict: go or stay.
A forecast, not a guarantee — the sea has the last word.
Where to get in, where to hunt
Entry points with coordinates
Seabed relief — promising ground
This verdict — in your pocket. Open the app for the week's window.
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0 m
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
MeteoAlarm no dataupdated 13:52
Athens Riviera — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · strong wind 25 km/h, gusts 45 — caution
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.
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−10 m
The water column
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
What it is
A marine instrument, go / no-go for solo hunting.
spearo.app folds wind, wave, swell period, visibility, tides, water temperature and risk into a single verdict — go to the spot or not. It computes 7 days ahead from open marine models (Open-Meteo, IPMA), with no sign-up and no accounts. Built for solo spearfishing off the rocks, where any mistake costs dearly.
Now live: 1391 spots across 205 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “Αττική παραλία Λ/Χ Σαρωνικού (εκβολές Κηφισού → 44ο χλμ Αθηνών–Σουνίου) (Απόφαση Λ/Χ Σαρωνικού 2141.1-1/3516/2016)”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Dawn is the only window: from nine in the morning the beach fills with holidaymakers, and by midday the south-west breeze gets up. The water is better from September to November. All of May is closed in Greece and night is out, sunset to sunrise. Even in the open months the gun is outlawed on this shore.
tide
The level moves ten or twenty centimetres and there is nothing to plan around it. After several days of northerly the surface water pulls off the beach and colder, clearer water comes into the shallows — that is the only thing here that really changes. Do not expect any other current on this stretch.
shelter
The stretch between Voula and Varkiza is a long, low shore facing south-west, and there is nothing to hide behind: no headland, no bay. The Kavouri peninsula to the west trims the westerly wave a little, but with wind from the 180-260 sector this whole shore takes it head-on.
conditions
North and north-east flatten the water and at twelve to twenty metres you see eight to ten. With south-west the fine sand and gravel lift straight away, visibility drops to a couple of metres, and getting out over the rocks turns nasty. Spearfishing is closed here all year — train, and take the gun south of the 44th km, to Palaia Fokaia.
hazard
A year-round spearfishing ban under decision 2141.1-1/3516/2016 of the Saronic port authority, 04.10.2016 (ADA Ψ0ΣΜ4653ΠΩ-ΓΕΝ) — the whole shore up to the 44th km of the Sounio road. Second: the coastal bluff here is crumbling, landslides came down at Kanaria in January 2026 and in April a collapse buried two people on the beach. Do not kit up under the slope.
access
The mark stands right by the Athens-Sounio road and the waterline is a good half-kilometre away — you park in a layby and walk down. You get in over gravel and slab, it is shallow, and twelve to twenty metres takes a swim out. This is a training entry and no more: a boat makes no sense on this stretch.
Shore-access rock/sand 12–20 m; easy training entry, swimmer overlap in season.
⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “Αττική παραλία Λ/Χ Σαρωνικού (εκβολές Κηφισού → 44ο χλμ Αθηνών–Σουνίου) (Απόφαση Λ/Χ Σαρωνικού 2141.1-1/3516/2016)”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
First light only: by ten in the morning both Kavouri beaches are full, and after noon the south-west breeze sets in. The water is best from September to November. All of May is closed in Greece and night is out, sunset to sunrise. The gun does not work here in any of the open months either.
tide
The level essentially stands still, ten to thirty centimetres. Something else matters: off the point itself a weak along-shore flow runs once the wind has settled in, and the shallow sandy bottom holds the murk a day after a blow. After heavy rain the storm drains of Voula and Vouliagmeni push dirty water onto the beaches.
shelter
Kavouri is a rocky headland with two beaches and an islet close in that you can wade to. The peninsula itself is the shelter: with a westerly the east side hides behind it, with an easterly the west side does. The overall aspect is south-west, and from that sector the headland saves you on neither side.
conditions
The working day is north or north-east: the wind comes off the land and at the point you see eight to twelve metres. With south-west the 180-260 sector drives swell straight into Megalo Kavouri, the fine sand lifts and visibility falls to two or three metres. Spearfishing is banned here all year; take the gun south of the 44th km, from Saronida onward.
hazard
First: spearfishing is banned all year — decision 2141.1-1/3516/2016 of the Saronic port authority (ADA Ψ0ΣΜ4653ΠΩ-ΓΕΝ) under article 87 §5 of the Saronic port regulation. Second: this is one of the busiest bathing shores in Attica, and in summer 200 m from swimmers is physically unattainable. Onshore at Megalo Kavouri lie an excavated ancient road and an archaeological park.
access
Sixteen kilometres from central Athens along Poseidonos or Vouliagmenis avenue. There is free parking along the road above Megalo Kavouri, and the beach itself runs about nine hundred metres. You get in over pebble and slab, it is shallow, and the rocky point is a ten-minute swim. The islet is a wade, and the nearest dive centres sit on the Vouliagmeni-Varkiza strip.
Limanakia VouliagmenisAthens Riviera
borderline
⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “Αττική παραλία Λ/Χ Σαρωνικού (εκβολές Κηφισού → 44ο χλμ Αθηνών–Σουνίου) (Απόφαση Λ/Χ Σαρωνικού 2141.1-1/3516/2016)”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Come at first light: by midday the coves are packed with swimmers and cliff-jumpers and the daytime breeze gets up from the south-west. The water is at its most honest from September to November. All of May is closed in Greece, and night, sunset to sunrise, is banned. Even in the open months the gun stays banned here.
tide
The level moves ten to thirty centimetres here and decides nothing. You count something else: after a few days of northerly a clear along-shore flow runs past the foot of the cliff, and after rain the runoff from the coast road lays a murky layer at the surface for half a day.
shelter
The rocky coves and slabs south of Vouliagmeni are cut into a cliff, and the cliff itself is the shelter: with north and north-east the wind runs overhead while the water at its foot stays flat. The coves open south-west, so the 180-260 sector comes straight in and surge washes over the slabs.
conditions
Come with north or north-east: the wind blows off the land, the water at the slabs is glassy and you see eight to ten metres. With south-west, especially around 220 degrees, surge hits the slabs, lifts sand out of the crevices and visibility drops to three metres. Shooting is off here in any weather — take the gun south of the 44th km, to Anavyssos and Palaia Fokaia.
hazard
Year-round spearfishing ban: decision 2141.1-1/3516/2016 of the Saronic port authority, 04.10.2016 (ADA Ψ0ΣΜ4653ΠΩ-ΓΕΝ), closes the whole shore from the Kifisos mouth to the 44th km of the Athens-Sounio road. On top of that: the second cove holds the Devil's Well, entrance about 11 m, shaft dropping past 25 into an unmapped cavity — divers have died in it.
access
You turn off the Athens-Sounio coast road and leave the car on the narrow verge above the coves — a busy stretch with nowhere to park in summer. A steep path drops over rock, you get in straight off the slabs, they are slippery and climbing back loaded is hard work. No swim needed: depth starts at the rock.
Rocky coves and slabs S of Vouliagmeni, crevices 0–30 m, shore; popular swim/cliff-jump spot, boat traffic.
Pontikonisi (Vouliagmeni)Athens Riviera
borderline
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Go out at dawn, before the gulf raises its breeze: by midday a chop settles in from the south-west and the boats run in a wall. The most honest water is September and October. All of May is closed in Greece, and night is out, sunset to sunrise. The gun is not allowed here in any open month.
tide
The level means nothing. In open water you count the wind-driven drift: after several days of northerly the surface layer moves off the coast, and the boat and buoy get pulled steadily and visibly. Before the first dive let the buoy go and watch where it heads — that is where you will be taken too.
shelter
The mark sits in open water and there is no shelter at all: the shore is a couple of kilometres off, no headland covers you, and the wave arrives from whatever sector the wind raises. The only weak cover from the north comes from the islands offshore of Vouliagmeni and Varkiza, and only on one heading.
conditions
You go out only with north or north-east, when the gulf lies down: you can hold the boat and you see ten to fifteen metres. With south-west the fetch runs across the whole Saronic, and at 220 degrees there is nothing to do in open water. Shooting is off all year here; go past the 44th km — but Sounio is a declared underwater archaeological zone where the gun is banned too.
hazard
Spearfishing is banned year-round — decision 2141.1-1/3516/2016 of the Saronic port authority, 04.10.2016 (ADA Ψ0ΣΜ4653ΠΩ-ΓΕΝ), covering the whole belt from the Kifisos to the 44th km. About the mark itself: the coordinate is unreliable, it stands some three and a half kilometres east of the real Pontikonisi islet and nearly on the Varkiza mark. Do not plan a dive off it.
access
By boat only: ten to twenty minutes from Varkiza or the Vouliagmeni marina, and you will not swim out from shore. The one sensible use of a boat here is to carry on south, past the 44th km, to Anavyssos, Palaia Fokaia and Legrena: another twenty to forty minutes, but there the banned belt has ended.
Islet/rock with a 20–50 m drop, boat; deeper structure off the Riviera, boat traffic.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Go out at first light, before the pleasure craft wake up. By midday the south-west breeze gets up and the water goes cloudy. The clearest water on the Riviera runs from September to November. May is closed across Greece and night is banned. But even in the open months you cannot shoot here.
tide
The level decides nothing here. Something else does: after rain the Varkiza shore pushes out murky water that spreads over the reef in a thin layer for a day or two. And the drift: its direction swings round over the morning, so you re-lay the anchor or the boat walks off the mark.
shelter
The rock offshore of Varkiza bay stands on its own, and the shelter is nominal. The Varkiza headland and the islets further out kill part of the northerly wave, but the moment the wind swings into the 180-260 sector the fetch opens across the whole gulf and the mark is simply blown out.
conditions
Come with north or north-east: then the reef is clean and you see ten to twelve metres. With south-west the wave builds across the whole Saronic, the boat snatches on its anchor and at twenty to fifty metres there is nothing to work with. The gun is banned in this belt all year — for hunting head south, to Anavyssos and the islets beyond the boundary.
hazard
The ban runs all year: decision 2141.1-1/3516/2016 of the Saronic port authority (ADA Ψ0ΣΜ4653ΠΩ-ΓΕΝ), under article 87 §5 of the Saronic port regulation, covers the shore up to the 44th km of the Sounio road. On top of that, this is the corridor of the Athens pleasure fleet — Varkiza slipways, jet skis, rental boats. A buoy is mandatory and still not enough.
access
By boat: ten to fifteen minutes from the Varkiza slipways and marina. You leave the car in the paid lot by the organised beach, and in summer there are no spaces. Nobody swims out from shore — it is far and the whole way lies under boat traffic. The nearest dive centres sit on the Vouliagmeni-Varkiza road.
Rock/reef 20–50 m off Varkiza, boat; SE Riviera, deeper aspetto, beach clientele inshore.
SOLO is the biggest risk: underwater you can black out from lack of oxygen silently and fatally, with no one around. Solo is never truly «safe». Below are the best weather windows; carry a buoy, tell someone your plan and exit time, and any doubt — don't go.
One morning glance — and you know.
point your camera
≈
Surfacing
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Live cameras, map & reference
Cameras · live
Look at the water right now.
Check the cam BEFORE you leave. Foam, brown/green murk, or waves washing the entry rocks = No-go. At night/in fog the cam is useless — treat it as «unknown», NOT «green».
connecting to the stream…
Athens Riviera — Varkiza beach, Saronic Gulf (Athens Riviera) (meteocam.gr)meteocam.gr (Cybex) live — Varkiza beach, Saronic Gulf (Athens Riviera). Embedded via our proxy (the stream sends no CORS). Read the water and surf before you go.camera: meteocam ↗
National minimum sizes + a 150 g floor (in the table below); grouper 1/day. Spearfishing is closed all May (ΠΔ 373/1985).
In season now
white seabream
Diplodus sargus · 0–12 m · EU 1967/2006
common octopus
Octopus vulgaris · 0–15 m · weight ≥750 g
Minimum by weight: ≥750 g (ΠΔ 62/2024). Don't take egg-bearing females.
dusky grouper
Epinephelus marginatus · 8–35 m · EU 1967/2006
Grouper: max 1/day (shared genus-Epinephelus limit).
common dentex
Dentex dentex · 12–40 m · min 150 g
Premier reef target. No EU size — the 150 g minimum only. Ethical ≥40 cm (not law).
red porgy
Pagrus pagrus · 15–40 m · EU 1967/2006
gilthead seabream
Sparus aurata · 2–20 m · EU 1967/2006
European seabass
Dicentrarchus labrax · 0–15 m · EU 1967/2006
saddled seabream
Oblada melanura · 3–15 m · min 150 g
No EU size — only the 150 g minimum applies.
greater amberjack
Seriola dumerili · 5–30 m · min 150 g
No EU size — only the 150 g minimum applies.
leerfish / garrick
Lichia amia · 2–20 m · min 150 g
No EU size — only the 150 g minimum applies.
Mediterranean barracuda
Sphyraena viridensis · 3–25 m · min 150 g
No EU size — the 150 g minimum only. Histamine: bleed and chill at once.
flathead grey mullet
Mugil cephalus · 0–8 m · min 150 g
No EU size — only the 150 g minimum applies.
striped seabream
Lithognathus mormyrus · 2–15 m · EU 1967/2006
brown meagre / corb
Sciaena umbra · 5–30 m · EU 1967/2006
striped red mullet
Mullus surmuletus · 3–30 m · EU 1967/2006
white grouper
Epinephelus aeneus · 15–45 m · EU 1967/2006
Grouper: max 1/day (shared genus-Epinephelus limit).
goldblotch grouper
Epinephelus costae · 10–35 m · EU 1967/2006
Grouper: max 1/day (shared genus-Epinephelus limit).
wreckfish / stone bass
Polyprion americanus · 30–60 m · EU 1967/2006
Deep wreck species. Does NOT count toward the grouper limit (different genus). 45 cm — to verify.
Mediterranean parrotfish
Sparisoma cretense · 2–20 m · min 150 g
Eastern-Med delicacy (Crete/Dodecanese). No EU size — the 150 g minimum only.
devil firefish (lionfish)
Pterois miles · 5–40 m · invasive
⚠️ Invasive — removal encouraged, excellent flesh. Venomous spines: never grab bare-handed, cut the spines, treat a sting with hot water (>45 °C).
silver-cheeked toadfish
Lagocephalus sceleratus · 5–40 m · invasive
☠️ Invasive — kill, but DO NOT EAT: deadly toxin (TTX). Sale banned (Reg. 853/2004, Annex III Sect. VIII Ch. V(E)). Powerful beak bites — never string it live on a stringer.
rabbitfish
Siganus rivulatus / luridus · 2–20 m · invasive
Invasive — removal encouraged, edible and tasty. Venomous dorsal/anal/pelvic spines — remove carefully, treat a sting with hot water.
Law
✓⚠️ MAY — a TOTAL spearfishing ban for the whole month, every year (ΠΔ 373/1985, art. 3§1α). This is law in force, not a draft.
✓No licence required: the was abolished in 2014 (Ν. 4256/2014) — every standing prohibition stays in force all the same.
•Recreational-fisher registry (ΟΣΠΑ / Μητρώο Ερασιτεχνών Αλιέων): Reg. (EU) 2023/2842 obliges member states to register recreational fishing, and the Greek registry is described as being prepared. We found neither an act in force nor a working registry as of 08.2026 — not confirmed. Check gov.gr before you travel.
✓Age: 16+ (under-16 spearfishing is forbidden; ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§1γ).
✓Daytime only: sunrise to sunset. Night is forbidden (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§1β).
✓Freediving only: scuba/any air-supply apparatus is banned — it may not even be carried aboard (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§2γ).
✓Distances: ≥200 m from bathers, harbours, moored vessels and marked nets; no hunting in fairways or harbour entrances/exits (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§1δ/ε).
✓Buoy MANDATORY: a yellow float + a yellow flag with a red diagonal stripe and the letters «Υ.Δ.», visible from ≥300 m; stay within 50 m of the buoy (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§3).
✓Limit: 5 kg/day (or one trophy heavier than the limit). Grouper (Epinephelus) — max 1/day, not banned (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 2§2).
✓Sale/trade of the recreational catch is prohibited (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 1§7).
✓Load the speargun only in the water — never keep it loaded out of the water (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§2β). Underwater light while hunting is forbidden (art. 3§2ζ).
✓Sea urchins — 20/day per person and 30/day per boat (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 2§2). Nets at any stage of the hunt are banned, and you may not take the catch out of somebody else's gear or nets (art. 3§2). Sponges and corals are off limits to the recreational fisher (art. 1§6).
✓Pneumatic and band guns are ALLOWED (a myth in English guides). Only spears with an explosive/chemical charge — — are banned (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§2δ).
Min. sizes: seabass 25 cm · gilthead 20 cm · white seabream 23 cm · grouper 45 cm · octopus 750 g (ΠΔ 62/2024). Any fish — not under 150 g (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§2στ). No-size species (dentex, amberjack, barracuda, parrotfish) — the 150 g minimum only. See the species card.
Safety protocol
Sets: watch the wave trains ≥15 min before entering; Hmax ≈ 2×Hs, the wash can run 50 m past the foam line. A lull >10 min with period >12 s = a big set «overdue», do NOT enter; enter right after a full set passes and re-check at minute 30.
Exit FIRST: find your exit AND a backup before entering. On a rocky/boulder shore a 0.5 m rise in swell can make the exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer.
Headland rip: prominent points often have a permanent topographic rip regardless of the model — locate it, enter/exit on the windward side, never swim against it.
Cold: wetsuit per the SST chip; the first shiver = a metabolic surge and a drop in breath-hold → get out at the first steady shiver. Cap the session at 45–60 min below 15 °C.
Solo discipline: buoy up; tell someone the spot and exit time; conservative breath-hold (never push it in cold/murky/surfy water); visibility <3 m — don't enter.
Afternoon wind: on many coasts the wind builds from midday — plan to be out of the water by midday; the chop builds — get out.
UV 11:00–15:00 (UVI ≥6): sunscreen and cover up on the surface interval.
Solo is a fundamental risk (hypoxic blackout with no buddy). Any doubt = No-go.
Local guide · Athens Riviera
Spearfishing in Athens Riviera: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Spearfishing Athens Riviera is possible, but it is not a wilderness plan. The useful ground is rocky headlands, slabs and posidonia between organised beaches. Limanakia has coves and crevices, Kavouri has rock and posidonia, and Varkiza/Pontikonisi are deeper boat marks. The limiting factor is usually people, not fish: if you cannot keep 200 m from bathers, do not enter to hunt.
TL;DR
Athens Riviera is a crowd-managed fishery: rocky points and posidonia, but heavy swimmer and boat pressure.
The realistic window is dawn and shoulder season, with 5-12 m visibility and less afternoon S/SW sea-breeze trouble.
Limanakia and Kavouri can work, but the 200 m distance from bathers decides whether you can fish at all.
Where can you spearfish on the Athens Riviera?
Treat every choice as yellow caution. The Riviera has structure, but swimmers and boats shape the plan more than the seabed does.
Spot
Type
Depth
Level
Access
Notes
Limanakia Vouliagmenis
Rocky coves and slabs
0-30 m
Intermediate
Shore
Good structure south of Vouliagmeni, but it is also a popular swim and cliff-jump area.
Kavouri points
Rock, islet and posidonia
Shallow to medium
Intermediate
Shore or boat
Grouper holes and amberjack are noted, but summer swimmers make the 200 m rule decisive.
Varkiza reef
Offshore rock and reef
20-50 m
Advanced
Boat
A deeper SE Riviera mark with inshore beach traffic nearby.
What conditions matter most on the Athens Riviera?
Use the Varkiza camera as a first look, then make the decision at the entry. The meltemi arrives weakened here; the afternoon S/SW sea breeze is often the nuisance. Dawn and shoulder season are the cleanest windows. Greek legal baseline: May is totally banned (ΠΔ 373/1985); no licence since 2014; freediving-only; 5 kg/day. Also keep 200 m from bathers, harbours, moored boats and marked nets.
✓Full ban on taking: Pinna nobilis (πίννα), corals and sponges (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 1§6 + Habitats Directive 92/43).
✓Invasives: taking the lionfish (λεοντόψαρο) is encouraged — ⚠️ venomous spines. The silver-cheeked toadfish (λαγοκέφαλος) ☠️ DO NOT EAT — deadly toxin (TTX), sale banned (Reg. 853/2004, Annex III Sect. VIII Ch. V(E)), it bites. The rabbitfish (γερμανός) is edible — venomous spines.
✓In ANY declared underwater archaeological site, and in the submerged historic sites, spearfishing is BANNED — the act names ψαροντούφεκο in so many words (ΚΥΑ ΥΠΠΟ/ΓΔΑΠΚ/ΑΡΧ/Α1/Φ41/11228/1865, ΦΕΚ 336/Β/2004, part Α §2 δ + part Β). It reaches the sites our map does not draw, too. Do not touch antiquities (Ν. 3028/2002). Map of the zones — the ENALIA geoportal (thalchor-2.ypen.gov.gr/layers/geonode:ENALIA).
•The national marine parks of Alonissos/N. Sporades and Zakynthos (Laganas): spearfishing is BANNED in the park. But Alonissos zone Β4 is not solid — ΦΕΚ 1741/Β/2011 reopened four stretches inside it (the N shore Αγ. Δημήτριος–Άκρο Απύθμενο, Μηλιά–Σπαρτίνες, όρμος Κλήμα on Περιστέρα, the Μεγάλος Αδελφός shore), while the same act creates the ΕΕΑΧ Περιστέρας, where fishing IS banned. Our layer paints the park whole, i.e. stricter than the act. Check the limits with the park authority.
•The Southern Kynouria/Arcadia diving park: Ν. 4688/2020 establishes underwater parks, but we have not read a spearfishing prohibition inside it in the act — we treat that as NOT PROVEN rather than as confirmed. The park's boundary is not on our map either (the act publishes no coordinates). Ask the Leonidio/Tyros λιμεναρχείο before you go.
•Local bans: on top of the national rules, every port authority issues its own (ΓΚΛ/ΕΚΛ and λιμενάρχης decisions). In the ΛΣ-ΕΛ.ΑΚΤ registry we counted ~163 of them that reach a speargun, across 48 ports — our map does NOT draw them. Check your own port: alieia.hcg.gr/prohibitions/local/local17.php.
•Locally STRICTER than the national rule: Corfu (Kerkyra) — from 01.04 to 31.10 spearfishing is banned within 200 m of the shore, even where nobody is swimming (απόφαση Λ/Χ Κέρκυρας 2141.1/2939/2024, ΦΕΚ Β΄3269/2024). In practice that closes shore entry on Corfu for the season. We read the act in the registry, not in the ΦΕΚ — confirm with the λιμεναρχείο.
•Locally STRICTER: Lefkada — 300 m instead of 200, and not only the speargun: ψαροντούφεκο, nets and longlines are banned within 300 m of those sea areas, beaches and shores of the port district THAT ARE USED BY BATHERS (απόφαση Λ/Χ Λευκάδας 2131.13/1477/2022, in its own words «όπου χρησιμοποιούνται από λουόμενους»). The act ran to 30.09.2022 and we found no extension; an expired act is not proof that the ban is gone. Ask the Lefkada λιμεναρχείο.
•Locally STRICTER: Symi — from 15.06 to 15.09 fishing BY ANY MEANS is banned within 200 m of beach areas and in inhabited coastal areas WHERE BATHERS ARE PRESENT OR GATHER (απόφαση Λ/Χ Σύμης 2131.13/882/2016). Separately, year-round: fishing by any means is banned inside the port and its sea zone, except line/rod fishing from land (ΓΚΛ Σύμης, art. 151, ΦΕΚ 362/Β/2004). The acts were copied from the registry, not checked against the ΦΕΚ.
•Locally: inside the ports of Lavrio and Kea spearfishing is banned across the WHOLE port water, not merely under the 200 m rule; separately, in front of the hotel beaches (ΓΚΛ Λαυρίου, art. 240, ΦΕΚ 460/Β/1978). The act was copied from the registry, not checked against the ΦΕΚ.
•Coming: two new national marine parks are being created (Ionian + South Cyclades, ~27,500 km²). NOT yet in force (ΠΔ under review, mid-2026). Once live — a trawl ban + a seasonal coastal closure 15.04–31.05; in the strict zones spearfishing will be banned. Check before the season.
⛔ Pinna nobilis (πίννα, fan mussel) — full ban on taking/killing (Habitats Dir. 92/43 Annex IV; critically endangered).
Rules change, and the local Λιμεναρχείο (port authority) may impose local restrictions. Before heading out, check the current rules and the declared archaeological zones (ENALIA).
FAQ
Do you need a license to spearfish in Athens?
No. Since 2014 the recreational licence is no longer required; still check the current state sign-up.
Is May banned for spearfishing?
Yes. The national May ban applies along the Athens Riviera under ΠΔ 373/1985.
What is the main Athens Riviera risk?
Swimmers and boats. Many good-looking entries become unusable because the 200 m distance cannot be kept.
Which spot is easiest?
The Camping Voula/Varkiza area is the easiest training-style shore entry, but it overlaps with swimmers in season.
What can you target?
The area is described around sea bream, saddled bream, octopus and occasional dentex, grouper or amberjack.
Portugal
Spain