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 13:54
Kalymnos — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
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
Nobody is ever here, and that is the main gain: no boats, no beachgoers, you plan by the weather rather than by the crowd. An early start is still better — after midday the northerly breeze almost always adds on. The season opens on the first of June and clarity peaks in October. From sunset to sunrise spearfishing is banned.
tide
After a long meltemi cold water rises along this coast: the temperature drops several degrees, the water turns glassy clear and the fish move deeper. The level, meanwhile, wanders ten to forty centimetres and means nothing. At the same time a steady westward drift runs along the wall.
shelter
Kalavros is a free-standing rock in open water with no cove at all, and it shields nothing from the north: everything from north and north-east arrives here across open sea. The one calm strip is under the northern face when the wind blows from the south, off Kalymnos itself. That strip is about thirty metres wide, chop starts beyond it, and it is gone the moment the wind shifts.
conditions
Read the forecast strictly: on any northerly this is shut, the wave crosses open sea and breaks on rock with no beach to absorb it. It is worth coming on south and south-west, and best in the first hours after the northerly swell has finally lain down — usually a day after the wind stops.
hazard
The danger here is open water and the absence of an exit: if the swell has grown while you worked, there is nowhere to climb out on a sheer rock, and Emborios is a kilometre and a half of sea plus ten minutes' running away. The boat stays alongside with somebody aboard the whole time, and that is not advice. The current along the islet carries you without you noticing, so keep the buoy on a short line and check back against the boat every few dives.
access
There is no shore entry: Kalavros is a separate islet a kilometre and a half off the Kalymnos coast, and nobody swims out to it. Boats are hired in Emborios, about ten minutes' run to the rock; from Myrties it takes longer but a free launch is easier to find. You do not need to land — the dive is worked off the boat, anchored on a sand patch on the lee side.
Steep rocky N coast of Kalymnos; sea bream and dentex, deep water.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
At this depth light decides everything: go between ten and two, when the sun stands high and reaches the hull. The water is at its clearest in late September and October, and June is decent too. Nights are banned across Greece, and there is simply no reason to be this deep at dusk.
tide
Forget the level here — a couple of dozen centimetres. Depth is what works: in summer a thermocline settles at just over twenty metres, and below it the water is several degrees colder and noticeably clearer. Flow out of the channel runs along the hull, and on the bottom it is always stronger than it looks from the surface.
shelter
The mark sits in open water off the Telendos reef with no shore at your back. The island's mass covers it from north and west, but from south and east everything that builds in the channel reaches here. In practice the only shelter is picking a day when the wind never gets up at all.
conditions
Thirty-two to forty metres forgives very little: you go on a flat calm and only with a boat sitting on the mark. Even half a metre of swell on the surface turns the ascent on the line into a lottery. If the water has not settled after a meltemi, suspension hangs over the hull and you will not read the structure — postpone.
hazard
Forty metres on a breath-hold means blackout, and here it happens with no witnesses unless you keep a strict buddy and a strict schedule. Net scraps and line hang on the hull, and going inside is out. The ship went down sixty years ago and already falls under antiquities protection — unscrew nothing, lift nothing, people are prosecuted for that.
access
There is no shore option — you need a boat, exact marks, and better still a local skipper who knows the transit. From Pothia it is about twenty-five minutes round the south end, from Myrties under ten. Drop a buoy with a line to the bottom and hang your safety on it: without a reference at that depth it is easy to miss the hull entirely.
Wreck (Fjellstrand, sank 1966) 32–40 m; boat, advanced, near the Telendos reef; modern hull = structure, but depth+traffic. Coordinate approximate.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Plan to be finished by half past ten: every day the excursion boats from Kos and Kalymnos land a crowd on the island's beaches, and after that you cannot work — the two hundred metres from swimmers still stands. The season opens on the first of June, and September is the best of it. Night is closed.
tide
The tide in these waters is ten to thirty centimetres and changes nothing. The Kos–Kalymnos channel, though, works like a pipe: along the island's outer points there is a steady pull, and after days of meltemi that flow stiffens noticeably. Inside the bay there is almost no current — you feel the difference right at the exit.
shelter
Pserimos is a small island in the middle of the Kalymnos–Kos channel, so here you pick your shelter by wind: northerly means the south side works, southerly means the north side. Vathi bay is cut so that it hides from the prevailing north, though the channel around accelerates the wind more than the forecast suggests.
conditions
Come on a calm day or a moderate northerly, when the bay sits in the island's shadow and the water inside is glass. On a fresh south or south-east, turn around: the wave walks in unobstructed, and the fine sand in the bay lifts instantly and stays as murk until evening.
hazard
A wartime freighter lies on the bottom of the bay, and it is not a target but a monument: in Greek waters anything over fifty years old is protected by law — you may dive the hull, but not shoot around it and not take anything. Add the Kos–Kalymnos ferry channel, excursion boats and local fishermen's nets. Buoy mandatory.
access
Boat only: about half an hour from Pothia to the island, a bit less from Myrties if you run south of Kalymnos. Scheduled boats exist, but they land you at the tourist beach, while you want the outer points — arrange with a boatman to drop you and pick you up at a set time.
Islet with a sheltered bay between Kalymnos and Kos; boat. ⚠️ WWII freighter (Liberty) in the bay — verify/dive-not-spear; ferry strait. Coordinate approximate.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Boats to Telendos start at eight and carry climbers and divers all day; it is quiet only at first light. In Greece the season runs from the first of June and at night, sunset to sunrise, spearfishing is prohibited everywhere. In this strait it is prohibited on any day and at any hour.
tide
Everything here comes down to the strait: water squeezes between Kalymnos and Telendos, and in the narrows it pulls hard enough to carry you a good hundred metres along the wall in an hour. Against that a level of ten to thirty centimetres means nothing. Start upstream so that the way back is the easy half.
shelter
Telendos stands like a wall opposite Myrties and everything from the west breaks on its ridge; in the strait under the island's east flank the water stays flat almost all the time. The meltemi funnels down the channel in gusts with no fetch to build a wave. Fine water to look at — but the speargun is prohibited here.
conditions
The strait is closed at both ends, so even a hard meltemi leaves chop rather than swell; only a stubborn south-westerly pushes surge into the throat and lifts sand off the ledges. You do not bring a gun, though: the whole channel is a declared underwater archaeological site and spearfishing is banned.
hazard
The strait between Telendos and Kalymnos, together with Cape Pnigmenos, is a declared underwater archaeological site (ΦΕΚ 1726/Β/2003). Spearfishing is expressly prohibited under ΚΥΑ ΦΕΚ 336/Β/2004; the Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities patrols it and nothing may be lifted. Propellers too: the channel is narrow and busy all day.
access
From Myrties or Masouri the tarmac reaches the water, you park by the tavernas and get in over rock and pebble; Telendos's east wall is some three hundred metres across, and the shuttle takes five minutes. Leave the gun behind, though: the far side is closed water and spearfishing is not allowed.
Rock complex: reefs, canyons, arches, caverns 5–30 m+; shore or boat, islet W of Kalymnos, all-weather, clear, low current; strait = boat traffic. ⚠️ Cape Pnigmenos and the water between Telendos and Kalymnos are a declared underwater archaeological area (ΦΕΚ 1726/Β/2003), so ΚΥΑ ΦΕΚ 336/Β/2004 bans spearfishing here. Coordinate approximate.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Mornings here are short: the sun comes up over the eastern horizon straight into the mouth, and for the first two hours the light lands on the walls perfectly. By ten, yachts and boats start coming in for breakfast at the Rina tavernas. June and late September are the quietest; night spearing is banned year-round.
tide
The level here is worth no more than a couple of dozen centimetres. What matters is what the valley brings: orange groves lie behind the walls, and after rain a fresh, murky layer comes out of the streambed and sits on top for a day or two. Water breathes in and out through the throat, and below twenty metres a cold layer settles.
shelter
A narrow canyon cut into the east coast: hundred-metre walls on both sides, and the north-west meltemi passes overhead without touching the water. Inside it stays mirror-flat while everything outside is white. The one weakness is an easterly — it sets straight into the throat and rocks the whole inlet.
conditions
This is your place when the meltemi has blown for days and the west and north are all off. The walls drop from five to thirty-five metres right at the shore, the water is clear and cold below. Skip it on a steady east or south-east: then there is surge in the throat and silt drifting along the walls.
hazard
The head of the fjord is the working quay of Rina, with fishing boats and yachts on their lines — you must keep three hundred metres from harbour works and moored vessels, so you only work from mid-inlet outwards. The throat is narrow and boats run down the middle, so it is buoy and wall for you. Abandoned gear turns up below.
access
From Pothia the road climbs east over the pass, about ten kilometres of hairpins, and drops to Rina village with parking by the quay. You cannot enter there because of the harbour zone — walk the path along the inlet's south side for ten minutes and get down onto the rocks. By boat it is easier: a quarter of an hour from Pothia to the mouth.
Fjord-inlet, steep rock walls into deep water 5–35 m; shore or boat, E-facing → the best meltemi lee, deep close-in, calm; small-boat traffic at the mouth. 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).
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.
red porgy
Pagrus pagrus · 15–40 m · EU 1967/2006
gilthead seabream
Sparus aurata · 2–20 m · EU 1967/2006
European seabass
Dicentrarchus labrax · 0–15 m · EU 1967/2006
striped seabream
Lithognathus mormyrus · 2–15 m · EU 1967/2006
striped red mullet
Mullus surmuletus · 3–30 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 Kalymnos
Where can I spearfish in Kalymnos?
Kalymnos has rock entry points such as Telendos "Labyrinth", Vathy / Rina fjord (E) and Pserimos — Vathi bay (islet). The historic sponge-diving island and Greece's freediving mecca — deep, clear, low-current water over a rocky seabed of walls, canyons, caverns, reefs and wrecks. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.
When is the best season in Kalymnos?
A long, mild season, June to October (May closed nationally); the warm south-east Aegean, less meltemi-battered than the Cyclades.
How cold is the water in Kalymnos?
Warm, clear blue water (~25–27 °C in summer), tideless; good visibility over rock and reef around Rhodes, Kos and Kalymnos.
Is Kalymnos good for a beginner?
Easy to moderate: warm, clear water and plenty of sheltered coast, with deeper drop-offs for those who want them.
Do I need a licence in Kalymnos?
No paid licence is needed in Kalymnos — 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 Kalymnos?
The species cards list 22 species with real presence in this basin; the strongest here are dusky grouper, white grouper, goldblotch grouper, common dentex, white seabream and saddled seabream. Minimum sizes in Greece are NATIONAL, not local: dusky grouper 45 cm · white grouper 45 cm · goldblotch grouper 45 cm · white seabream 23 cm · brown meagre / corb 25 cm · wreckfish / stone bass 45 cm · red porgy 18 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 Kalymnos?
Yes. May is a TOTAL spearfishing ban for the whole month, every year, across Greece (ΠΔ 373/1985, art. 3§1α) — so in Kalymnos 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 Kalymnos?
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 Kalymnos 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 Kalymnos?
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 Kalymnos 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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