Ikaria spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility & live cameras

spearo.app / Greece / Ikaria
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◈Ikaria · Greece
3.1
thunder
visibility~6m

Nottoday

Today — sit it out — thunder, wave and wind.

Sources: MeteoAlarm · Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2 — high confidence · data 04:41

Sources & confidence

Sources
MeteoAlarm · Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2
Method
spearo sea-state engine: consensus of up to 6 models + satellite clarity (ZSD) + buoy-bias checks
Freshness
Re-read every hour, per coast

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.

Entry pointsNo-take zonesLive cams

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 04:41
Exposed coast — Armenistis & Fourni — solo, off the rocks
DON'T GO
don't go · wind 17 km/h, gusts to 31 — caution
thunderwave 0.3 mwind 17, gusts 31 km/hvisibility ~6 m
today, best window 06:00–09:00
fish · Visibility 6 m · Water 23.1°C
confidence low · verdict for the selected day
Before entering, check the camera and the surge
Whole week — tap a day. is driving swell right now.
›
Solo risk: carry a float · tell someone your plan and exit time · doubt = don't go. A model-based planner; the call is made on site.
Selected day

Windows, hours
and the day's trends.

The day is picked above, in the hero. Here are that day's windows, the hour-by-hour map and the trends. Tap a window to break down the conditions.

Monday · today2026-10-26
06:33–17:23 · full moon
▲ 02:00▼ 09:00▲ 15:00▼ 20:00 · 0.1 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide-0.36 m
Wave0.22 m
Wind3 km/h
Water23 °C
fish activity: moonset 06:47 · moderate · moon underfoot 12:00 · high · moonrise 17:15 · moderate · moon overhead 00:00 · high
Conditions window06:00–09:00
don't go fish
Hs 0.28 m · calmperiod 2.4 swind 17→31surge 0viz 6 mthunder
0.28 mcalm · up to ~0.56 · 163° at an angle
2.4 sswell moderate
17→31gusts 31 km/h
0weak surge
0.08m/s
6 mrecent swell
23.1°C5 mm + hood
▼09:00tide turn near
Atmosphere29 kmovercast
moderatemoonset
  • wind 17 km/h, gusts to 31 — caution
  • thunderstorm in the window
  • dawn/dusk
confidence lowtwilight
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Today
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Map
Best window · next 3 days
goTuesday · 06:00–09:00
you can see ~4 m ahead fish

ℹ️ Conservative visibility estimate kept

〜 tide is minor here

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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: 3016 spots across 406 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.

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−20 m

The seabed

Relief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.

On the rock

The forecast is the plan.
The call is on the rock.

The models set the window. Whether you go in is read only at the water: count the sets, watch the surge on the entry. If in doubt, you don't get in.

Entry points

Where to get in
off the rocks.

Scouted entries, coloured by today. The colour is the sea state at the spot, not a guarantee: the wash and a slippery entry you judge on site.

Open the seafloor map →
Agios Kirykos / ThermaCoast — Ikaria south-east
no data
window
—
tide
Tide decides little here — the level moves ten to forty centimetres. What you do notice is the hot mineral water of the Therma springs seeping into the sea: close in you swim through warm plumes where the water shimmers and layers, and the picture wobbles as if through glass. Further out it fades away.
shelter
The port sits on the south side of the island with a ridge over a thousand metres high above it, so the north meltemi passes overhead. Down at the rock reef in front of town the water stays nearly flat on a northerly. What is open here is south and south-east, and swell from there runs straight onto the stones.
conditions
The perfect day here is a settled north or north-east — the harder it blows on the far side of the island, the calmer it is on this one. A light south-west still works. South and south-east kill the spot: the wave hits at the entry, sand comes off the shallow slabs and visibility drops to a couple of metres.
hazard
The port itself is the main problem: three hundred metres off the moles and moored vessels are not yours, and ferries to Piraeus, Samos and Fourni call here. Get in well away from the harbour and keep your buoy visible. People bathe at the Therma pools, so two hundred metres from swimmers is out too. Dive-centre boats work these same reefs.
access
Shore is the simple option: park on the Agios Kirykos waterfront, walk east or west out of the harbour area and climb down over the rocks — boots, the slabs are slippery. Therma is ten kilometres of asphalt, or a small boat from the port. The house reefs start about fifty metres out; the outer ridges are easier from a boat.

Rock reef + house reefs at the SE port, dive-centre base (Ikaria + Fourni) — leeward. Shore/boat.

Google Maps
Faros / Fanari SE tipCoast — Ikaria south-east
no data
window
—
tide
The level here is a couple of dozen centimetres and nobody watches it. The current is what you watch: the cape stands side-on to the passage between Ikaria, Fourni and Samos, and water pulls along the point all the time. Right on the nose the flow is hardest, and after days of meltemi it stiffens enough that you swim back.
shelter
The island's eastern cape is a narrow tongue of land poking into open sea, so shelter depends on which side of that tongue you work. The south face holds under meltemi: the wind trips over the spine of the cape and carries on past. The north face on the same day is blown out, and an easterly wraps the point either way.
conditions
A moderate northerly is the day to come: the south of the cape sits in the wind shadow and the water is clean and deep. Cancel on east or south-east — the wind accelerates round the point, a hard chop stands up on the rocks and the surf entry will tear your gear. A fresh southerly is no good either: sand lifts on the shallows.
hazard
The bottom here is historical: ancient amphorae lie in the sand and a wartime aircraft wreck sits nearby. Touch nothing and lift nothing — that is a criminal offence, and stretches like this can be declared protected underwater zones, so ask at the port authority first. Ferries to Samos and Fourni pass the point, so a big visible buoy is not optional.
access
Realistically you come by boat: thirty to forty minutes along the south coast from Agios Kirykos, and the dive centres run this stretch regularly. Shore works too — asphalt runs out to Faros past the airfield, then a strip of pebble you can walk straight into, but from there the swim to anything interesting is a long one.

Rock, caves, a WW2 aeroplane wreck (~18 m) on the south side — grouper, barracuda schools. Boat.

Google Maps
Magganitis / SeychellesCoast — Ikaria south-east
no data
window
—
tide
The bottom here drops away almost immediately and a cold layer sits down there, shallow by late summer — that is what you read, not a level that moves ten to forty centimetres. And after the north wind has run for a few days, cold water rises along this south wall, and the fish move with it.
shelter
The tallest part of the island stands over you here, a wall of mountain falling straight into the water, and in meltemi this is the best lee on Ikaria — the wind runs above the ridge. Do not relax though: a squall breaks off the crest now and then, rolls down the slope and hits the water in patches. It is open to south and south-west.
conditions
North and north-east are your days: while the rest of Ikaria is white-capped, under this wall the water is glass and you see a long way. South-west swell ruins it — on sheer rock there is nowhere you can climb out calmly, and the little coves start to surge. On a southerly, do not even walk down the path.
hazard
This is wild coast with no way out: for kilometres under the wall there is no path up, the phone barely works, and the neighbouring cove holds a big cave you should not enter alone. People swim on the beach, so keep your two hundred metres. If you came on the Magganitis boat, remember it only returns late in the afternoon.
access
Two ways in. One is the road to Magganitis: just past the tunnel a path starts and drops down a river bed for about twenty minutes, with parking some three hundred metres from the shore. The other is a wooden venzina out of Magganitis harbour, twenty-five minutes, around ten euro return, dropped in the morning and picked up late.

Steep rock + sea caves on the dramatic south coast — leeward, deep drop-offs. Shore (hard)/boat.

Google Maps
🔒 Plagia Dafnis pointCoast — Ikaria south-east
no data
Pro · subscribers
window
—

The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

Open in the app →
Armenistis / NasExposed coast — Armenistis & Fourni
no data
window
—
tide
Forget the tide: a couple of dozen centimetres over a day. The river is what works — the Halaris runs straight into this cove, and after rain in the hills a murky fresh layer spreads over the salt water and you see almost nothing through it. The cove also flushes along the coast: on a northerly the flow runs out of the throat.
shelter
There is effectively no shelter. The Nas cove faces north-west, straight into the sector Ikaria gets most of its wind from, and the meltemi walks in with its swell unopposed. The rock shoulders at the sides only cut a cross-wind from west or east; on a clean northerly it is merely a little quieter under them, and that is all.
conditions
Coming here only makes sense on a rare windless day or right at dawn, before the meltemi fills in. Once the north is up the cove carries a steep wave and a hard outbound current — this place is known for dragging people off the shore. A southerly or south-west, on the other hand, leaves it like glass.
hazard
The water is the danger, not the fish: deep off the stones, steep wave, current, a bad exit over pebbles. And the boundary: sixty-three metres away begins the declared underwater site of Nas (ΦΕΚ 504/Β/1983), where spearfishing is banned under ΚΥΑ ΦΕΚ 336/Β/2004. Digitised from a ministry chart, unmarked at sea — check at the port authority.
access
Seven minutes west of Armenistis on asphalt, and you leave the car by the tavernas on the lip of the cliff. A proper stone-stepped path takes you down; the descent is short. You get in over big rounded stones by the river mouth — boots are not optional, they are slick and they roll. No long swim: depth starts right behind the surf line.

Rock + sand on the NW/N coast — clear but meltemi-blasted; fish only at dawn or on a rare N-calm. Shore/boat.

Google Maps
Fourni isletsExposed coast — Armenistis & Fourni
no data
window
—
tide
Expect nothing from the tide — ten to forty centimetres, no more. Between the islets, though, the water genuinely runs. In the narrow passes the flow speeds up past what you can swim against, and it turns slowly — start with it and keep the boat downstream of you. After a long meltemi the whole archipelago pulls south harder than usual.
shelter
Fourni is a whole brood of islands and rocks east of Ikaria, and here you pick your shelter by the wind: there is nearly always a lee side on one islet or another. In meltemi the south and south-west shores are the ones that work, while the channels between the islets get funnelled and blown out. Nothing here is fully closed off.
conditions
The limit is not the spot but the crossing: you cross open water to get here, and in a fresh northerly the boat simply does not leave. Plan for light wind, three or four Beaufort at most, and preferably in the morning. When the meltemi hardens, short steep seas stand up in the channels and the walls hold silt for a day or two after.
hazard
Two big minuses. Gear: Fourni lives off fishing, nets and longlines everywhere, keep three hundred metres, tangling kills. Antiquities: five hundred metres away begins the declared site «north and west shores, Kisiria islet» (ΦΕΚ 367/Δ/2025), where spearfishing is banned under ΚΥΑ ΦΕΚ 336/Β/2004. Border digitised from a ministry map, unmarked at sea — ask at the port authority.
access
Boat only. The scheduled ferry from Agios Kirykos to Fourni takes anywhere from half an hour to an hour, and from there you arrange a ride out to the islets with locals — Thymaina and the small rocks west of it. Bring your own boat into Korseon bay carefully: the ferry berth and the fishing fleet are there and you cannot drop in near them.

Rock reefs/walls E of Ikaria — rich, less-pressured grounds, the trophy option. Boat.

Google Maps
🔒 Kalamourida pointExposed coast — Armenistis & Fourni
no data
Ultra · subscribers
window
—

The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

Open in the app →

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…
● LIVE↗
Ikaria — Agios Kirykos new port (~8 km E) (meteocam.gr)Live meteocam player — Agios Kirykos new port (~8 km E). Embedded via the operator's iframe. Read the water before you go. Sometimes offline — the player then shows a link to the source.camera: meteocam ↗
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

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
  • gilthead seabream
    Sparus aurata · 2–20 m · EU 1967/2006
  • European seabass
    Dicentrarchus labrax · 0–15 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).
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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
  • 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.
  • 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).
  • Mediterranean parrotfish
    Sparisoma cretense · 2–20 m · min 150 g
    Eastern-Med delicacy (Crete/Dodecanese). No EU size — the 150 g minimum only.
  • 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 · Ikaria

Spearfishing in Ikaria: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Spearfishing Ikaria is mainly a south-coast plan in meltemi. The island is one of Greece's windier places, with steep rock, deep water and limited harbour shelter. Agios Kirykos/Therma gives leeward house reefs, Faros/Fanari has caves and a WW2 aeroplane wreck around 18 m, and Magganitis/Seychelles brings steep rock, sea caves and deep drop-offs. The north coast is dawn-only or rare-calm territory.

TL;DR

  • Ikaria is wild, steep, deep and windy, with few harbours and a hard split between north and south coasts.
  • In N/NE meltemi, the north coast around Armenistis/Nas shuts down; the south side is the reliable lee.
  • Use Jun and Sep-Oct as the narrow season, with dawn starts on exposed days.

Where should you spearfish in Ikaria?

Start south unless the north is genuinely calm. Treat Fourni as a separate boat and local-rules check, not a casual shore plan.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
Agios Kirykos / ThermaSE-port rock reefShallow to mediumIntermediateShore or boatLeeward house reefs near the dive-centre base for Ikaria and Fourni.
Faros / Fanari SE tipRock, caves and WW2 wreckAbout 18 m at the wreckIntermediate boat planBoatSouth-side structure with grouper and barracuda schools noted.
Magganitis / SeychellesSteep rock and sea cavesDeep drop-offs close inIntermediate to advancedHard shore or boatLeeward south coast, but access and exit need planning.

What conditions matter most in Ikaria?

In N/NE meltemi, use the south side from Agios Kirykos through Faros to Magganitis. Armenistis/Nas on the NW/N coast is clear but meltemi-blasted, so fish it only at dawn or in rare north-calm. Greek legal baseline: May is totally banned (ΠΔ 373/1985); no licence since 2014; freediving-only; 5 kg/day. Fourni sits in a Natura 2000 advisory marine zone, so check local rules.

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    ✓
  • ✓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).
    • ⛔ Corals and sponges — recreational taking PROHIBITED (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 1§6).
    • ⛔ Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) — strictly protected, keep your distance.
    • ⛔ Sea turtles (Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas) — protected, taking/disturbing is PROHIBITED.
    • ⛔ Seahorses (Hippocampus) — protected.

    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 Ikaria?

    No. Greece has required no recreational fishing licence since 2014, but check the state sign-up.

    Is May banned in Ikaria?

    Yes. The national May spearfishing ban applies under ΠΔ 373/1985.

    Which side works in meltemi?

    The south side around Agios Kirykos, Therma, Faros and Magganitis is the reliable lee.

    Can you fish Armenistis or Nas?

    Only with caution at dawn or in a rare calm, because the north coast is meltemi-blasted.

    What is special about Fourni?

    Fourni has rich, less-pressured boat grounds east of Ikaria, plus a Natura 2000 advisory zone to check.

    Sources

    • Greek rules: ΠΔ 373/1985 and Ν. 4256/2014
    • ENALIA underwater archaeological zones

    Nearby towns

    • Patmos conditions today
    • Dive spots near Samos
    • Spearfishing in Leros
    • Chios spearfishing guide
    • Astypalaia conditions today
    Data partners
    dive centres that send us real visibility readings
    Águas VivasMilfontes · Sagres