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 20:24
Heraklion — solo, off the rocks
Day is over
That is it for today — the day's windows have closed.
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.
Early hours, while the sun is low and fish still hold on the upper steps; by lunchtime the breeze gets up and the point starts throwing whitecaps. The season runs from June into November, with the best window in autumn. All of May is closed across Greece, and from sunset to sunrise hunting is banned.
tide
Tides decide nothing here. What decides is the flow around the point: it wraps the peninsula and speeds up most at the north-west corner, where the bottom runs out to twenty-four metres. Before the first dive let the buoy sit free and watch where it drifts — you will swim back against exactly that.
shelter
What shelters you here is not a bay but the small peninsula itself: the reef runs right around it, so there is always a side in the lee. With north-west you tuck behind the east flank of the point, with an easterly behind the west one. The north-west corner, where the reef drops to twenty-four metres, is open to everything.
conditions
Come on a southerly, or a light easterly — then both sides of the point work and the reef steps from six down to eighteen metres read clearly. From the north-west, around 335 degrees, it is pointless: the wave rolls over the shallow steps, sand and weed hang in the water, and the corner pulls on top of that.
hazard
Three wartime aircraft bombs lie at eleven metres by the point — dive centres show them as a sight. Do not shoot that way, do not foul your line on them and do not reach under them for fish. There is also a through tunnel, entrance at fourteen metres and exit at eight — no place for a loaded gun. Dive boats come daily.
access
Turn down to Lygaria beach off the Agia Pelagia road; parking right by the water and a beach entry, the easiest on this whole shore. Along the rock to the point is ten or fifteen minutes of swimming. By boat it is shorter: under a mile from the Agia Pelagia jetty, the run every local dive centre makes daily.
Rocky cape in the Agia Pelagia lee; shore or boat. Coordinate approximate — enter by the cove.
Go from first light to mid-morning: by then the sun already reaches into the coves and the openings under the rock, and the breeze has not got up. The season is long — June into November, best in September and October. May is closed nationwide. Night is banned, and an underwater torch is banned too, so dark slots rule themselves out.
tide
Nobody counts level here. But in the caves along this shore fresh water seeps through the roof: where it meets salt water the picture shivers and layers, and a cold band sits at the entrances. The floor in those grottoes is hard stone and sand, slow to stir, so the water inside stays cleaner than you expect.
shelter
Between Agia Pelagia and Lygaria the shore is cut into a chain of deep-set coves under a high rock face. West and south-west wind goes over the top and there is calm at the foot of the wall, so you can work along the rock even when it blows outside. Anything from the north walks straight into the coves.
conditions
The water is good here on southerly winds and in the calm that follows: at twelve to thirty metres you see fifteen to twenty-five, and the ground reads all the way down. With north-west at 335 degrees the coves fill with surge, silt hangs at the foot of the rock, and depth no longer saves you — it is milk top to bottom.
hazard
It is easy here to get into somewhere hard to get out of: cave entrances along this shore sit at twelve to seventeen metres, the passages are long, and a spearo is not allowed a torch. There is nothing for you under an overhead with a loaded gun. Add dive boats anchoring right at the mouths, and keep your buoy visible.
access
The simplest way in is from one of the Agia Pelagia coves, then along the rock northwards — entry over stone, boots required. A boat is faster, but if you run out of Heraklion harbour remember: the fairway and port approaches are off limits, Piraeus ferries and cruise ships work them constantly, plus 200 m off moles and marks.
Reef and cave 12–30 m in wind-protected coves; boat or shore.
Get in at first light: the breeze picks up by midday, and in July and August the meltemi builds and stands for days. The best stretch is September to November — warm water, fewer boats, visibility at its peak. All of May is closed for spearfishing in Greece. Night is banned, sunset to sunrise, dive centres notwithstanding.
tide
The level moves ten or twenty centimetres here and is not worth counting. Something else works: a big rock stands out of the water fifty metres off the beach and the flow wraps around its ends — at those corners the pull is noticeably stronger. After days of meltemi an along-shore flow holds silt at the sandy end.
shelter
Mononaftis cove lies a kilometre north of the main Agia Pelagia beach, by Cape Diakoroi, and opens to the east. West and north-west wind is cut by the rock wall above the water, so the cove itself stays in shade. North and north-east set straight into its mouth, and then there is nothing to hide behind.
conditions
Come here on a south or south-west wind: it drops off the mountains and lays the water flat inside the cove. With north-west, especially around 335 degrees, the place is off — the surge hits the rock, silt comes off the shore, and instead of the usual fifteen to twenty metres you get three or four.
hazard
From here the obvious boat run is out to Dia island, and that is where the ban bites: within 500 metres of the island fishing with any gear is prohibited (ΦΕΚ 87/Β/15-02-1988), speargun included. In the cove itself the threat is simpler — dive-centre boats and beach craft, so the buoy is mandatory and you stay near it.
access
Turn off the Heraklion–Rethymno highway down to Agia Pelagia, then a kilometre north on the coast road; park above the cove, the walk down is short. Entry is over pebble and slabs, so wear boots. The rock stands about fifty metres off the waterline — a minute of swimming. The Agia Pelagia dive centre works as a landmark.
Rocky bay 12–20 m; shore entry, sheltered east-side cove, easy access.
Here the hour matters more than the season: the beaches of Hersonissos, Anissaras and Gouves fill up by nine in the morning, so you want to be in the water before daylight and out by the time the rental shacks open. Best months are September and October, when the crowd thins. May is closed across Greece and night hunting is banned.
tide
Tide explains nothing here — the level barely moves. What you count is rain: streambeds reach the sea along this stretch, and after a downpour a murky, freshened layer runs along the shelf and holds for a day or two. On those days fish pull out to the seaward edge of the shelf where the water is cleaner.
shelter
The eastern suburban shore of Heraklion around Anissaras is a low rock shelf with sandy pockets and almost no headlands to hide behind. It faces north, which means it is open to the whole bad sector from 300 to 60 degrees. The only shelter here comes from wind off the land, not from the shape of the coast.
conditions
This shore only works on a southerly that rolls off the mountains and smooths the water from the land side. With north or north-west there is no point driving out: depths are nine to eighteen metres, the wave reaches the bottom, sand from the pockets spreads across the shelf and visibility drops to two or three metres for the day.
hazard
The main trouble is a busy resort shore: jet-skis, banana boats, parasailing and swimming-zone floats. Keeping 200 m off swimmers in summer is close to impossible here, so work well away from the organised strip and hold your buoy where boats can see it. Add the dive centres' house reefs — groups move along them.
access
Twenty to twenty-five minutes east of Heraklion on the north highway, then down to the sea through the village; park by the hotels, get in over low slabs and rock, slippery in places. Ten minutes of swimming takes you to the outer edge of the shelf. The Agios Georgios cave is known at Anissaras and the local dive centres make a landmark.
Reef and cave 9–18 m, dive-centre house reefs, easy access; shore or boat, east of the city.
This is a midsummer shore: exactly in July and August, when the north blows for weeks, you can work here in peace. Start at first light anyway — the gusts off the mountains build by midday. All of May is closed. Night is banned, and here that ban does you a favour, because help takes a long time to arrive.
tide
The level here is as meaningless as anywhere on Crete, and no tide table will help you plan. What actually changes the water is wind off the mountains: it pushes the surface layer away from the shore and colder, clearer water comes up from below. You see a long way on those days, but you chill faster than you expect.
shelter
This is the southern, Libyan shore of Crete under the Asterousia mountains, and its shelter is simply that everything is reversed here. When the north sector is hammering Heraklion, the wind here comes off the land, over the ridge, and the water by the shore stands still. Any southerly, though, has it wide open.
conditions
You come here precisely when the north coast is shut by the meltemi: the harder it blows from the north, the calmer the water under the mountains. Just remember that wind off the land arrives in gusts, tumbling unevenly over the ridge. With south or south-west there is no reason to come — surge and murk stay a day after the wind drops.
hazard
The main risk is remoteness: mobile coverage drops out in places, there are few boats around, and if something goes wrong you will wait a long time. Go with a partner and leave your exit plan with somebody. At Kaloi Limenes a fuel terminal sits on an islet where large ships moor — stay 200 m clear of them and of the anchorage.
access
Getting here is a job in itself: across the Messara plain and over the Asterousia passes, an hour and a half to two hours from Heraklion on narrow switchbacks. Below are a couple of small pebble coves with entry over stone. At Lentas stands ancient Lebena and its harbour moles show underwater — in a declared archaeological zone the speargun is banned.
Reef ~15 m on the south-central Libyan lee, remote; boat. The far southern escape in a meltemi.
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».
connecting to the stream…
Heraklion — Heraklion coast, Crete (meteocam.gr)meteocam.gr (Cybex) live — Heraklion coast, Crete. 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
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 Heraklion
Where can I spearfish in Heraklion?
Heraklion has rock entry points such as Mononaftis / Agia Pelagia, Cape Trypiti / Lygaria and Leguria / Coral Cave (Agia Pelagia). The biggest city with the strongest local scene; best grounds sit west at Agia Pelagia (tucked coves, capes, a deep offshore blue) and east at Gouves (reefs, caves). Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.
When is the best season in Heraklion?
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 Heraklion?
The warmest, clearest water in Greece (~25–27 °C in summer), tideless; deep blue over rock right off the shore.
Is Heraklion 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 Heraklion?
No paid licence is needed in Heraklion — 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 Heraklion?
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 Heraklion?
Yes. May is a TOTAL spearfishing ban for the whole month, every year, across Greece (ΠΔ 373/1985, art. 3§1α) — so in Heraklion 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 Heraklion?
✓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).
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 Heraklion it is the same as everywhere in Greece.
Can I spearfish on scuba in Heraklion?
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 Heraklion 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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