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 13:53
Chania — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · northerly wind picks up after midday
wave 0.8 m head-onwind 7 km/hnoticeable surgevisibility ~4 m
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.
Morning, before the boats and before the walkers off the E4 path. At the height of the season, July and August, boats from Chora Sfakion run all day and the main beach has a taverna. In autumn the water is clearer and the people fewer. All of May is closed in Greece, and night from sunset to sunrise, torch banned.
tide
You do not count level, it is token here. You count fresh water: along this stretch springs from the White Mountains discharge into the sea, and the next beach along is literally called Glyka Nera, sweet water. In the plume the layer is cold and murky and the picture wobbles; move aside or drop deeper and it clears.
shelter
Three small beaches under sheer cliffs just west of Chora Sfakion, separated by sea caves. The mountain wall kills everything coming from the north, so under the meltemi it is calm here, as along the whole south coast. The south is open: with S and SE the wave runs into coarse pebble with nothing to stop it.
conditions
While it blows from the north you work in peace — that is the whole point of the south coast. Do not come on S and SE: the surge hits the coarse pebble head-on and both entry and exit turn unpleasant. Working depths are six to twenty-five metres, shallower than Loutro, so after fresh wave the water clouds faster.
hazard
The caves start at breath-hold depth and are deceptive for it: rock over your head, no way out through the roof, and a torch is banned. Stuff comes off the walls, so do not linger right under the cliff. The coarse pebble entry gets slippery in surge. Chora Sfakion harbour is just over a kilometre east — two hundred metres off it.
access
A short path down from the Chora Sfakion – Anopoli road, ten to fifteen minutes on foot from the village. Leave the car up by the road; the main beach has a small taverna. The two neighbouring beaches are swim-in or boat only. You enter over coarse pebble and the depth builds fast, so the swim is short.
Cave/reef 6–25 m on the Libyan lee near Chora Sfakion; shallower, shore or boat.
Go early: the northerly usually gets up in the late morning and adds by midday. July and August are the peak for both wind and people; September and October are better, water still warm and the beach emptying. Spearfishing is banned across Greece for all of May, and at night from sunset to sunrise.
tide
There is nothing to count on the level — a couple of dozen centimetres. What spoils the water here is runoff: about three kilometres east the Tavronitis riverbed comes out, and after rain a cloudy fresh layer trails along the shore. Add a light flow along the foot of the peninsula — it drifts you along the rocks, not out.
shelter
The village sits at the foot of the Rodopos peninsula, and all that mass covers west and northwest. But the beach looks north into the Gulf of Chania, and a northerly builds wave here across the whole gulf. Locals put it plainly: the sea at Kolymbari is rough more often than it is flat. The rocks start close in.
conditions
Go on W/NW — the peninsula holds and the water over the rocks stands still. Do not go on N and NE: wave comes straight in across the gulf, rolls the grey pebble and at eight to ten metres lifts everything off the bottom. The working depth is shallow, so it clouds faster and settles slower than on the open capes.
hazard
The village has a working fishing harbour. Stay at least two hundred metres from harbour works, anchored vessels and marked nets, and keep out of the harbour mouth where boats run under power. Part of the beach is organised with umbrellas: two hundred metres from swimmers as well. The yellow flagged buoy is compulsory.
access
Entry is simple, straight from the village: park on the street, walk down over fine grey pebble and wade in. The rocks start close to shore and the swim out to eight or ten metres is short. The beach runs about three kilometres east towards Tavronitis — the further you get from the harbour, the fewer people and fewer bans.
Rocky 8–10 m at the foot of Rodopos, lee on W/NW wind; easy village-side entry.
Dawn is better: by day the cove runs on boats. In summer there are sailings Chora Sfakion – Loutro – Agia Roumeli and on to Sougia, Paleochora and Gavdos, plus water taxis. It is busy from June to September. All of May is closed in Greece; night is outlawed too, and an underwater torch is banned separately.
tide
Level barely moves here, there is nothing to plan around it. Something else moves: depth starts right off the rocks, the water is cold and clear, and it pulls hardest in the gap between the islet and the cape. That is where you watch the buoy — you can surface a good way from where you went down.
shelter
Libyan shore under the White Mountains. The village sits on Cape Mouri and a rocky islet covers the mouth of the cove — a natural anchorage that has been used in bad weather for centuries. When the meltemi blows out the north coast of Crete, it is calm and clear here. The open sector is southern, roughly S to SW.
conditions
You come here exactly when N/NW is blowing up north and Chania is off. Do not come on S and SW: the Libyan Sea has a huge fetch and nothing slows the wave down. Watch a hard northerly separately: it falls off the White Mountains in ragged gusts straight onto the water, and that is bad news in a boat.
hazard
Start with the law: the bay of Loutro is a declared underwater archaeological area (ΦΕΚ 514/Β/1997), so ΚΥΑ ΦΕΚ 336/Β/2004 closes it to spearfishing — come with a camera, not a gun. The cave itself sits at twenty to thirty-five metres, a roof over your head at serious depth and by law no torch; on repeated dives that is an easy way to black out on the way up, so not alone. Then the boats: the village has no roads, everything moves by sea, so keep two hundred metres off the quay and anchored craft.
access
There is no road to Loutro. Either a boat from Chora Sfakion, about twenty minutes, or the E4 path on foot, an hour and a half to two hours. From shore you get in off the rocks past the village, but the deep cave is boat work: plan it separately, arrange it in advance and bring your own gear, there is nothing to hire.
Cave 20–35 m in deep clear Libyan water — the southern escape when the north coast blows out; boat or shore.
Plan it as a full-day trip: roughly an hour and a half each way, three hours of driving there and back. Leave in the dark so you get the morning. There is no shade on the beach, no fresh water, nothing at all. Best window is September to November. All of May is closed across Greece, and night from sunset to sunrise.
tide
Level does not matter here: it moves less than half a metre and there is no point planning around it. What you count is the water exchange at the cape. Towards the northern tip of Rodopos the water is colder and clearer, a flow runs along the shore, and the further you push out of the cove the more you feel it.
shelter
A deep pebble cove on the northeast side of Rodopos, at the mouth of the Foundas gorge. Rock walls squeeze it on both sides and the peninsula ridge stands behind, so the winds that usually blow here, west and northwest, hardly reach it — the water stands and stays clear. The open sector runs north to east.
conditions
In the usual northwest you can go, but remember you are on the lee side of a ridge, and hard wind falls off it in ragged gusts. Do not go when it swings N, NE or E — wave runs straight into the cove and help is a long way off. The second check is the dirt road itself: after rain it is badly cut up.
hazard
The ancient sanctuary of Diktynna with Roman remains lies right on the beach, and the area is inside the Natura 2000 network. A stretch like this can be declared an underwater archaeological zone, where the gun is banned outright — I found no act for this exact place, so check with the port authority. No signal, no help, do not dive alone.
access
Tarmac ends past Rodopos village and about twenty kilometres of dirt track follow. A normal car makes it slowly, but high clearance or a 4x4 is far easier. Fill the tank in Kolymbari and buy water and food there — beyond that there is nothing. Boats run occasionally from Platanias. Walk in over pebble.
Deep-blue pebble cove, viz >30 m, a named spearfishing spot with structure below 10 m; lee on W and NW wind, open to the N–E sector. Access only by long dirt track (4x4) or boat.
Get in at first light: boats and swimmers turn up later, and the sea breeze lifts after eleven to one. In July and August the meltemi builds by midday and holds for days on end. Best months are September to November. Spearfishing is banned across Greece for the whole of May, and at night as well.
tide
Tides barely work here — ten to thirty centimetres, nothing to plan around. Count something else: right at Cape Vardies the water exchanges, an alongshore flow runs past, and it is noticeably colder and cleaner than inside the bay. Keep the buoy line short and watch where it drags you on the way out to the point.
shelter
Stavros sits on the north edge of Akrotiri: an almost circular bay closed on three sides by limestone cliffs, with Mount Vardies standing behind it. That mass is what kills the N/NW meltemi — the bay stays flat while the capes around are already white. The open sector runs E to NE, and that comes straight in.
conditions
You can drive out in almost any N/NW: the mountain holds the bay. What switches the place off is E and NE wind — it puts the break straight onto the headland and the rock entry turns nasty. Check the second little cove three hundred metres NW: if it is already breaking there, the point is not worth it.
hazard
The main hazard here is people. Stay at least two hundred metres from where swimmers reach, and keep away from the Stavros jetty and any anchored boats. Craft run fast along the point, the yellow flagged buoy is compulsory and you must stay within fifty metres of it. There are overhangs under the cliffs — not alone.
access
Fifteen to seventeen kilometres of tarmac from Chania, park at Stavros beach. The bay floor is sand and shallow, so you have a long swim out to the rocky point. There is a shortcut: walk three hundred metres NW past the rocks to the second, unkempt cove — from there the swim to structure is much shorter.
Headland structure and a drop beside shallow Stavros bay on east Akrotiri — sheltered from N/NW meltemi; shore entry, park at Stavros beach.
Morning — before the boats and before the breeze, which lifts after midday. Water is warmest and clearest in late summer and autumn, and the visibility holds. In May you do not go out at all: the ban covers the whole of Greece. Night is illegal too and an underwater torch is forbidden, so work the wall in daylight.
tide
Level decides nothing here — it moves a handful of centimetres. Something else does: a weak alongshore flow runs down the wall, and in summer you hit a sharp cold layer at fifteen to twenty metres. While you hang at twenty-five you drift quietly, so give the buoy only a short loop of line.
shelter
Same corner of Akrotiri as Stavros, but the shore here is open, with no ring of cliffs. The bulk of the cape covers you from the N/NW meltemi — that is why you come. What is missing is a bay to kill the leftover swell: long wave from the north bends round the point and reaches the entry slab itself.
conditions
It works in light to moderate N/NW while the cape holds. It shuts down when long wave arrives from the north or the wind swings NE/E: with any surge the concrete slab gets dangerous and getting out is harder than getting in. Judge it by the wash on the slab itself, not by forecast numbers.
hazard
The wall drops to twenty-five metres, and that is already depth where repeated dives end in a blackout on the way up. Time your surface intervals and do not dive alone. Lobsters sit in the holes and under the overhangs — that is where people push in and get cut. Plus boats out of Stavros: the yellow buoy shows at three hundred metres.
access
Public road, park by the Vlamis houses, then about twenty metres on foot to a concrete slab that serves as the entry — you step straight in off it. The south side is the more interesting one: the wall runs down to twenty-five metres, the north side is shallower. The swim to structure is short, so it suits a quick evening session.
Reef 15–25 m in the east-Akrotiri lee; shore or boat, clean deep water.
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.
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≈
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».
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
dusky grouper
Epinephelus marginatus · 8–35 m · EU 1967/2006
Grouper: max 1/day (shared genus-Epinephelus limit).
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).
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
white seabream
Diplodus sargus · 0–12 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.
Mediterranean barracuda
Sphyraena viridensis · 3–25 m · min 150 g
No EU size — the 150 g minimum only. Histamine: bleed and chill at once.
Mediterranean parrotfish
Sparisoma cretense · 2–20 m · min 150 g
Eastern-Med delicacy (Crete/Dodecanese). No EU size — the 150 g minimum only.
brown meagre / corb
Sciaena umbra · 5–30 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.
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.
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.
striped seabream
Lithognathus mormyrus · 2–15 m · EU 1967/2006
striped red mullet
Mullus surmuletus · 3–30 m · EU 1967/2006
gilthead seabream
Sparus aurata · 2–20 m · EU 1967/2006
European seabass
Dicentrarchus labrax · 0–15 m · EU 1967/2006
leerfish / garrick
Lichia amia · 2–20 m · min 150 g
No EU size — only the 150 g minimum applies.
flathead grey mullet
Mugil cephalus · 0–8 m · min 150 g
No EU size — only the 150 g minimum applies.
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 · Chania
Spearfishing in Chania: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Spearfishing in Chania means clear north-Crete water around Akrotiri and Rodopos, plus a south-coast escape to Loutro and Sfakia when N/NW meltemi shuts the north. East Akrotiri gives lee options, Kolymbari sits at Rodopos, and Menies / Diktynna is a known spot with difficult access. The national rules sit on top of that wind choice: keep May out of the plan, do not expect a new post-2014 licence, hunt without scuba, and count the day against a 5 kg limit with 1 grouper maximum.
TL;DR
Chania spearfishing is clear north-Crete water, limestone structure and a wind choice between Akrotiri, Rodopos and the south coast.
Use Stavros / Vardies or Kolymbari for shore logic; Menies / Diktynna needs 4x4 dirt-track access or a boat.
Block May before choosing Akrotiri, Rodopos or the south coast: ΠΔ 373/1985 closes spearfishing throughout Greece for the full month.
Chania trips use the national post-2014 licence setup: no newly issued spearfishing permit, freediving only, 5 kg/day, and 1 Epinephelus grouper per day.
Where can you spearfish in Chania?
The Chania rows stay inside the source language: access, lee and water notes only, because the registry does not rate safety for these spots. The north side takes W/NW through NE exposure, so the south Libyan side is the listed fallback when the north is blown out.
Spot
Type
Depth
Level
Access
Notes
Stavros / Vardies (Akrotiri)
Headland structure and drop beside a shallow bay
Shallow bay with a nearby drop
-
Shore entry, park at Stavros beach
East Akrotiri gives lee from N/NW meltemi. The source gives no difficulty grade.
Kolymbari
Rocky ground at the foot of Rodopos
Shallow rocky water
-
Easy village-side entry
Lee on W/NW wind. It is inside a Natura 2000 advisory zone, not an automatic no-take rule.
Menies / Diktynna (NE Rodopos)
Pebble cove with structure
Structure below the shallow band
-
Long dirt track by 4x4 or boat only
A known spot with visibility listed above 30 m. Lee on E wind, windward on NW.
✓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).
How is the water visibility in Chania today?
Chania has no live visibility measurement in the local notes. Akrotiri and Rodopos are described as often above 30 m, but N/NW meltemi can close exposed capes from late morning. Use the Chania harbour webcam only for surface state, not as proof of bottom visibility.
What fish can you spearfish in Chania, Crete?
The city profile names grouper, dentex and amberjack. The Crete list also includes white seabream, red porgy, saddled seabream, barracuda, parrotfish, brown meagre and octopus. Grouper is 45 cm with a shared Epinephelus cap of 1/day; octopus is 750 g. Dentex and amberjack use the general 150 g minimum in the local notes.
When is the best time to spearfish in Crete?
The local notes gives Chania September to November. The working choice is wind as much as month: Akrotiri and Rodopos need lee, while Loutro and Sfakia are the south-side escape. A May visit does not fit the plan, because the national closure removes that full month every year.
Do you need a license to spearfish in Greece?
For Chania, licensing is handled by the Greek national rule rather than by a Cretan office. The old licence requirement is gone, and Ν. 4256/2014 is the listed marker for no new spearfishing licences after 2014. Before travel, check gov.gr for the free ΟΣΠΑ recreational-fisher registry running until 31.12.2026. The actual hunt must be breath-hold only; scuba or any air-supply apparatus is banned, including aboard. Daily take is 5 kg, or one heavier trophy, with Epinephelus grouper limited to 1/day.
FAQ
Where can you spearfish in Chania?
Use Stavros / Vardies on east Akrotiri, Kolymbari at Rodopos, and Menies / Diktynna when access and wind fit. Loutro and Sfakia are the south-coast fallback when the north is blown out.
Do you need a license to spearfish in Greece?
No old licence is required for a Chania shore or boat day. Since the 2014 change Greece has not issued new spearfishing licences, and gov.gr should be checked for the ΟΣΠΑ recreational-fisher registry.
Is spearfishing banned in May in Greece?
Yes. Chania has no local exception: ΠΔ 373/1985 closes spearfishing across Greece for every day of May.
What is the daily catch limit for spearfishing in Greece?
Use 5 kg/day as the national bag limit. One fish heavier than that can be the trophy exception, but Epinephelus grouper remains limited to 1 fish per day.
Is scuba spearfishing allowed in Greece?
No. Greek spearfishing is a freediving activity, so scuba and other air-supply gear are forbidden even if kept aboard.
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