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
Gavdos — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · northerly wind picks up after midday
wave 0.3 m head-onwind 11 km/hvisibility ~4 mwindow 15:00–21:00
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.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Morning, before the heat — in the evening it blows in off the sea here. The season honestly opens in June, but the best conditions come in late September and October: water still warm, winter swell not yet running. In summer people come down to the beach from the tavernas above, so keep well clear. May is closed, night hunting banned.
tide
After a settled southerly the bay keeps a haze of pebble silt for a long time, and a weak along-shore flow runs past the rock edges — those are the things to read. The level goes ten to thirty centimetres either way and never enters it. In summer the thermocline is felt at fifteen to twenty metres, below which the water is noticeably colder.
shelter
Korfos is cut into the southern shore and the whole bulk of the island covers it from the meltemi — on a northerly you can nearly always work here. The price is paid the other way: south and south-west set straight into the bay, and then the place is dead. The rock edges hold a side wind but do nothing against frontal swell.
conditions
North and north-west are your winds; with them clean water stands along the edges of the bay. A light easterly is still workable. On a southerly do not come: the pebble gets churned, silt hangs in the water and the wave at the entry throws you onto the rocks. After a southern swell the bay needs a day to settle.
hazard
People swim off this beach — hold the two hundred metres honestly. Karave port is a couple of kilometres along the coast: if you drift that way, remember three hundred metres off the quay and off boats lying there. The bottom at the edges is sharp, urchins everywhere, wear boots. A buoy is mandatory: boats from Crete come into the bay and keep a poor lookout.
access
The road from Kastri drops straight down to the bay, you leave the car by the tavernas and walk in over fine pebble — no rock jumps, no surprises. The rocky edges start some thirty metres off the waterline, so it is a short swim. By boat it is fifteen to twenty minutes from Karave along the coast, anchoring on sand.
Fine-pebble bay, rocky edges, near Karave port; boat/shore, sheltered. Coordinate approximate.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Set off early and with time in hand: the approach eats the clock and after midday it nearly always blows. June and the first half of October are the best; in August the water is warm but the island is busy. The beach itself is usually empty. Cross May out entirely, and night hunting is banned across the country.
tide
Forget tides here — the level moves ten or twenty centimetres. Something else works: inside the caves and gullies the water breathes back and forth with the wave, and you feel it even on a calm sea. A weak flow drags along the western edge, and in summer noticeably colder water sits down deep.
shelter
The bay is cut into the western flank of the island and is well covered from the southern swell. The meltemi, though, comes round from the north-west and sets in almost head-on: then it is restless inside and only the rock spurs at the edges give narrow bands of calm. An east wind is the best here — it blows off the land.
conditions
Come on an east or south-east wind, when it blows off the island and the water lies down. A light southerly will do too. On north-west it is not worth it: the wave gets into the bay, drags sand off the bottom and the surge at the cave mouths gets strong enough to make going in dangerous. It is too far out here to waste a trip.
hazard
The caves are the main risk: do not go in without a light and a buddy, and a loaded gun has no business in a narrow passage. The place is deserted, the signal drops out, and evacuation off the island is slow and hangs on the ferry. A buoy is mandatory. Gavdos is inside Natura 2000 — that does not ban hunting, but lift nothing off the bottom.
access
Only for those ready to walk: no asphalt, a dirt track from Ambelos and then a footpath down to the sand — thirty to forty minutes with gear. A boat is simpler: from Karave around the northern tip is about half an hour. The entry off the sand is soft, and rock and cave mouths start right at the edges of the bay.
Isolated golden-sand bay with caves on the W side; boat, remote western flank. Coordinate approximate.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
An early start is compulsory: the wind here usually freshens by eleven. June is good, but the honest window is September and October, when the water is warm and the meltemi has let go. During the day charters come in for a swim. May is closed by law outright, and hunting at night, sunset to sunrise, is banned as well.
tide
The tide here is measured in a handful of centimetres — background, not a factor. What you really count is the murk: under any run of wave the sandy bottom goes first, and clean water only starts at the rocky edges. With a settled meltemi a drift appears along the shore, and in summer a cold layer lies down deep.
shelter
The north-west corner of the island is the most meltemi-exposed of all the bays here. North and north-west arrive across open water from the Gavdopoula side with nothing in the way. In exchange, the southern swell of the Libyan Sea never reaches it: the whole island stands at the bay's back.
conditions
It works only on southerly winds and in a calm: then the sand lies still and the visibility is a pleasure. North and north-west turn the bay to soup — the bottom is sand, the silt comes up at once and stays a day after the wind drops. When the meltemi is in, you drive to the other side of the island, full stop.
hazard
The danger here is domestic rather than underwater: the beach is wild, nobody around, the signal on this side is poor, and getting off the island means waiting for a ferry that gets cancelled on wind. Charters drop anchor right over the working edges, so a buoy is mandatory and you keep it in sight. Two hundred metres off their swimmers.
access
A dirt track from Ambelos, the last few hundred metres rough; you leave the car up top and take a path down to the sand. The entry is gentle, straight off the sand, no jumping. Seven to ten minutes' swim to the rocky edges of the bay. By boat from Karave around the northern cape it is about twenty-five minutes.
Sandy bay in the N, a charter swim/dive stop; boat, N-facing lee of a S wind. Coordinate approximate.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Work from first light until nine or ten: after that the breeze gets up and boats come into the cove. The best months are June, then September and October, when the water is at its clearest. In August the beach is full of tents, so move out to the far rock edges. All May is closed in Greece and night is banned, sunset to sunrise.
tide
The level here moves ten to thirty centimetres and changes nothing for hunting. Count something else: a steady flow runs the channel between Gavdos and Crete, you feel it at the mouth of the cove and hardly at all inside. In summer a cold layer sits at twenty metres — the step is sharp, do not skimp on the suit.
shelter
The cove looks north-east, and its real shelter is the bulk of the island itself: the southern swell of the Libyan Sea never gets in here. A north-west meltemi spills over the ridge and arrives weakened, while a straight north or north-east wind walks into the mouth unhindered.
conditions
It is worth coming on a south or south-west wind: it blows off the island and the water in the cove sits like a mirror. A light north-west is workable — you fish under the western rock edge. With a fresh northerly do not bother: the bottom is sand, the wave lifts silt and at ten metres visibility halves.
hazard
The real issue here is people and boats: this is the busiest cove on the island, swimmers on the sand, craft lying at anchor. Keep two hundred metres off swimmers and three hundred off moored boats and the works of Karave port. A buoy is mandatory. Turtles nest on this sand, so keep vehicles off the beach.
access
From the shore it is easy: the dirt road from Karave and Kastri runs almost to the water, you leave the car by the junipers and walk in off the sand. Five to ten minutes' swim to the rocky edges of the cove. By boat it is ten minutes from Karave, but there is no dive centre on the island — bring air, weight and spare bands.
Sandy cove with junipers, "first dive of the charter", fishy spots on the rocky edges; boat/shore, N-facing, sheltered from S. Coordinate = bay centre.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
You go out in the morning only, and only on a fresh forecast: by the afternoon the sea off the southern edge nearly always gets up. June and October are the honest windows; July and August are hot, but southern swell arrives without warning. May is out by Greek law, and a gun at night is banned from sunset to sunrise.
tide
Tidal level decides nothing here — a couple of dozen centimetres. But the water at the point lives its own life: the flows down both sides of the island meet at the tip, and on the drop you can be pushed along the wall. In summer a cold layer sits below twenty metres, and that is usually where it is clearest.
shelter
There is no shelter at all on this tip. The rock peninsula with its three arches sticks out into the open Libyan Sea and everything arriving from the south hits it without a single obstacle. The east and west flanks give only a narrow lee: under whichever side the wind hugs the water is slightly calmer, and that is the whole reserve.
conditions
You come out here only in a flat calm or on a settled northerly, when the island covers the tip from behind. Any southern system shuts the place at once and for a long time: the swell arrives before the wind and holds for a day after it drops. The chop right at the arches is dangerous even in a small sea.
hazard
The place is deep and utterly empty of people: no help to wait for, the chamber is on Crete, and the phone signal comes in patches. Solo is not on. The arches and gullies are pretty, but going into them on an empty chest is the worst idea on the island. Buoy mandatory, keep the boat in sight, and lift nothing off the bottom.
access
The practical option is a boat: from Karave around the east coast is about forty minutes. On land a track runs to Vatsiana and then a footpath drops to the arch, but it is a long descent in the heat and the same climb back with gear, and the entry from the path is awkward. Easier to lie off and go in from the water.
The southernmost point of Europe; rock peninsula with three natural arches, a drop into the South Cretan Sea; boat, exposed tip, deep. Coordinate approximate.
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.
FAQ — spearfishing in Gavdos
Where can I spearfish in Gavdos?
Gavdos has rock entry points such as Sarakiniko bay, Tripiti / Cape Trypiti and Korfos bay. Pristine, deep, remote triangle island 26 nm S of Chora Sfakion — boat/charter only (day and two-day spearfishing expeditions from Paleochora/Sfakia). Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.
When is the best season in Gavdos?
Greece's longest season — good from June to November (May closed nationally), warmest and clearest; the south, Libyan-sea coast is the lee when the north wind blows.
How cold is the water in Gavdos?
The warmest, clearest water in Greece (~25–27 °C in summer), tideless; deep blue over rock right off the shore.
Is Gavdos good for a beginner?
Intermediate: superb water and easy south-coast entries, but deep drop-offs and open exposure on the north — apnea comfort helps.
Do I need a licence in Gavdos?
No paid licence is needed in Gavdos — the amateur one was abolished (Law 4256/2014), but a free ΟΣΠΑ registration is being introduced (check gov.gr). Breath-hold only (no scuba), a mandatory «Υ.Δ.» buoy, 16+, daytime only, and the whole of May is closed. See the guide.
Which fish can you spear in Gavdos?
The species cards list 22 species with real presence in this basin; the strongest here are dusky grouper, white grouper, goldblotch grouper, common dentex, red porgy and white seabream. Minimum sizes in Greece are NATIONAL, not local: dusky grouper 45 cm · white grouper 45 cm · goldblotch grouper 45 cm · red porgy 18 cm · white seabream 23 cm · brown meagre / corb 25 cm · wreckfish / stone bass 45 cm · common octopus 750 g. Species with no EU size carry the 150 g floor only. Grouper (Epinephelus) — max 1/day, not banned (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 2§2).
Is spearfishing banned in May in Gavdos?
Yes. May is a TOTAL spearfishing ban for the whole month, every year, across Greece (ΠΔ 373/1985, art. 3§1α) — so in Gavdos too. It is law in force, not a draft, and there is no local exemption. Plan June to April.
How many kilos of fish may I keep per day in Gavdos?
The daily limit is 5 kg, or one trophy heavier than the limit (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 2§2). Grouper (Epinephelus) — max 1/day. Every fish must be at least 150 g (art. 3§2στ), and selling a recreational catch is prohibited (art. 1§7). The limit is national — in Gavdos it is the same as everywhere in Greece.
✓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).
Can I spearfish on scuba in Gavdos?
No. Freediving only: scuba and any air-supply apparatus are banned — they may not even be carried aboard (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§2γ). In Gavdos the rest of the national frame applies too: 16+, daytime only, ≥200 m from bathers, harbours, moored vessels and marked nets, and a mandatory «Υ.Δ.» buoy you stay within 50 m of. Pneumatic and band guns are allowed; only powerheads are banned.
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