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
Karpathos — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wave 1.0 m + swell period 5 s
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
Dawn: boats out of Pigadia start mid-morning and the meltemi usually builds around noon, peaking between two and four. The best windows are June from the 1st and September into October. All of May is closed season in Greece, and so is sunset to sunrise.
tide
Tides run 10-30 cm here and decide nothing. Water is moved by the along-shore drift past the headland and by days of meltemi pushing the warm surface layer away, so colder, clearer water often comes up at the arch. Drop in up-drift and let it carry you on.
shelter
East coast north of Pigadia, under steep cliffs: the island spine takes the N and NW meltemi off the water, so it still works here when the west side is white. Nothing shields you from the east — anything between NE and S rolls straight into the wall.
conditions
Go on N, NW or W wind, even a fresh one: under the cliff the water stays workable, though gusts fall out of the valley. Cancel on any E or SE wind and on a long wave from about 110 degrees — the arch sits on an open wall with nothing to hide behind.
hazard
Excursion boats from Pigadia work this bay daily and drop swimmers in open water — keep the buoy up and stay 200 m clear of them. The arch is a swim-through from 20 m to 5 m: do not thread it with a loaded gun, and treat the shallow cave 30 m north as an overhead.
access
Boat only. There is no pier at Achata, so you run out of Pigadia and anchor off. The arch lies about 500 m north of the beach: roughly two metres wide, cut into the reef wall, running from 20 m up to 5 m, its top around 10 m and visible from the surface on a calm day.
Arch/reef 15–20 m; boat, E coast N of Pigadia, E lee, deeper structure.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Come at dawn. The taverna and the sunbeds fill up later, and around midday excursion boats bring swimmers into the bay. June from the 1st and September into October give warm water and an empty shore. All of May is closed season in Greece, and so are the hours of darkness.
tide
Level means nothing here, it swings a few centimetres. Read the layers instead: after rain the valley pushes murky fresh water across the bay, and on hot still days you get a warm blurred top with clean cold water under it. There is a light drift toward the north headland.
shelter
A pocket bitten into the rock wall on the east side, with a valley behind it. The ridge kills the N and NW meltemi and local guides call the place rarely windy, which is why it is calm when the rest of the island is not. An E or SE wave walks straight into the bay.
conditions
Works with almost anything blowing from N round to W, which is most of the summer here. When it is flat the water gives 40-50 m of sight. Do not come on an E or SE wind: there is no corner to hide in and the surf starts rolling pebbles right where you get in.
hazard
The danger here is the cave, not the fish. At 10 m a rope marks the entrance and leads 15 m through a tunnel to an air pocket: a marked line is not permission to go in on a breath with a gun. There are more sea caves on the south side of the bay. Overhead ground kills freedivers.
access
From shore. Turn off the main road near Aperi and drive 3.5 km of narrow winding valley with single-car bends. Parking under the tamarisks is free and fills on hot days. Pebble and stone entry, so wear boots. The cave sits about 100 m out; keep 200 m off the swimming area.
Cave 10–15 m; shore, E lee, sheltered bay, easy entry.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Early morning, before the families arrive and before the wind gets up around midday. The honest months are June from the 1st and September into October; in July and August these bays belong to tourists. Remember spearfishing is banned across Greece for the whole of May.
tide
Forget rise and fall, it is centimetres. Read the wind instead: several days of meltemi shift the warm top layer and colder, clearer water comes up at the rocky points between the bays. A slow drift runs along the shore from point to point — set your buoy for it.
shelter
A string of small bays on the southeast corner, behind low hills: the N and NW meltemi crosses land before it reaches the water and arrives already cut down. This is the calmest coast on the island and the reason everyone ends up here. The catch is the opening to the southeast.
conditions
This is your fallback when the rest of Karpathos is switched off: go with anything from N round to W, hard meltemi days included. Skip it when the wind turns S or SE — the bays fill with chop, the sand lifts, and the reefs you came for go blind.
hazard
The main beach is organised — sunbeds, showers, swimmers — so it is off limits: stay 200 m from where people swim and work the rocky points between the bays instead. Small boats and jet skis cut the bays at speed, and the shallow reef is thick with urchins.
access
From shore, 7-8 km from Pigadia by car or the local bus; park by the Agia Apostoli chapel on the little headland. Sand entry on the beaches, rock on the points. Swim 100-200 m out and the bottom settles into reef at 10-15 m; over the sand it stays shallow a long way.
Reef 10–15 m; shore, SE — the best sheltered lee, beginner-friendly bays.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Dawn. This cove is a dive centre home shore site and groups are in the water from mid-morning. The water is honestly warm from June, and September into October gives the clearest days. All of May is closed by Greek law, and so is hunting at night with a gun.
tide
The level plays no part. Water does move around the rock outcrop that splits the cove: a slow but steady exchange with the open sea that carries you out along the reef. On a windy day the top layer drifts seaward — check your buoy every few dives, not every hour.
shelter
A small cove hidden behind the hill south of Amoopi, split in two by a rock outcrop and closed by cliffs on both sides. The meltemi passes overhead, but local air streams tumble down the terraces, so it can be gustier here than in Amoopi. Wide open to the southeast.
conditions
Usable whenever Amoopi is, with one difference: gusts drop off the hill and push you offshore, so do not let the buoy run long. On a S or SE wind the cove shuts down completely — the water goes green and the reef life stops showing itself.
hazard
Rock starts right at the water edge and there are urchins in the shallows — boots, not bare feet. Scuba groups work these reefs: never shoot toward bubbles. The bottom drops away close in and it is easy to overreach; missing spearfishers were searched for off this island in 2025, so do not dive alone.
access
From shore. By car, turn off the Amoopi road at the sign for Castelia Bay Hotel — the parking is right by the water. On foot, take the path over the hill from Votsalakia, 250-300 m. Entry is over rock terraces and the bottom drops fast, so the reef starts almost at your feet.
Reef 10–15 m; shore, SE next to Amoopi, sheltered.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Dawn, and only in a settled window — June from the 1st or September into October. In midsummer the meltemi holds for days on end and this corner is simply shut. Spearfishing is banned across Greece for the whole of May, and from sunset to sunrise all year round.
tide
Tide is centimetres; the strait is the whole story. Karpathos and Saria are separated by a channel about 100 m wide and only some 2.5 m deep — big boats cannot use it, and wind drives a real flow through the gap and around the point. Plan the crossing and the drift, not the water level.
shelter
Almost none. This is the far north tip of Saria, the windward end of everything: the Kasos-Karpathos funnel drives the meltemi straight down onto it, and the bay itself opens north. The cove gives you a lee from the wave only, and only while the wind is genuinely light.
conditions
Go only on a settled, light forecast and be ready to turn back. On a Force 4-6 meltemi day — normal here in July and August — the crossing is the risk, not the diving. If the strait is showing white water at the north point, the trip is over before it starts.
hazard
Remote: hours from Pigadia, no help and no shelter if the wind fills in behind you. Wind and flow can separate you from the boat in minutes. This is Natura 2000 GR4210003 and monk seals live along this coast — keep well clear of the seals and of the cave mouths they use.
access
Boat only, best out of Diafani; do not plan on cutting through the Saria strait unless your hull draws almost nothing. Ancient and Byzantine ruins stand on the shore, and a state underwater survey of this coast logged wrecks and Byzantine anchors — the stretch could be declared an underwater archaeological zone, where a speargun is banned outright. Ask the port authority.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Dawn and flat water, before the meltemi builds. Swallows nest in the dry part of the roof, so keep out of the chamber in the nesting months and work the outside of the cliff instead. Shoulder months are best; all of May is closed nationwide, and so is sunset to sunrise.
tide
Level means nothing; what you feel is the water working back and forth. Even a small wave becomes a push and pull in the entrance, strong enough to put you on rock. Outside, a steady along-shore flow runs under the cliffs — start up-current so the swim back is with it.
shelter
A cave in the sheer cliff on the northeast coast, about a kilometre east of Apella. The high ridge behind still knocks the meltemi down close in, but you are near the corner where the north wind starts to wrap round the island, so the lee here is thinner than at Achata.
conditions
Only on a calm morning. A cave mouth with any wave in it is a trap, and here the wave arrives before the wind does. Light N or NW is fine. An E or NE wind, and even more a long wave from the east, cancels the day outright: there is nowhere to shelter along that cliff.
hazard
This is overhead ground: a big cave with an air chamber and a second entrance around 5 m. That second way in is not an exit to bank on. Boats run to Apella all day long. Do not enter the chamber with a loaded gun, and do not do any of this alone.
access
Boat only, out of Pigadia or Diafani: there is no landing under the cliff and no shore route from Apella a kilometre west, so walking in is out. Anchor outside and swim in. The site is shallow — the floor sits around 10 m, with the underwater entrance at about 5 m.
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.
Local guide · Karpathos
Spearfishing in Karpathos: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Karpathos spearfishing is mostly a wind decision before it is a spot decision. The Karpathos/Kasos strait drives the northerly hard, so Diafani, Saria and the far north can be wild pelagic water or simply unfishable. The steadier plan is the SE/E lee around Pigadia, Achata, Amoopi and Kastelia. May is a total spearfishing ban in Greece, so the local late-May sea window does not create legal fishing days.
TL;DR
Karpathos spearfishing starts with wind: the Karpathos/Kasos strait funnels hard north wind, so the north and Saria are often unfishable.
The practical shore pattern is the SE/E lee: Achata Cave, Amoopi (SE), Kastelia (SE), with boat-only options at Achata Arch and Swallow Cave.
Local timing points to late May-June and September-October, but all of May is legally closed to spearfishing across Greece.
Greek national rules apply: no spearfishing licence is issued since the 2014 abolition, freediving only, no scuba or compressed air, 5 kg/day, grouper max 1/day.
Where can you spearfish in Karpathos?
The recorded spots point to one usable pattern: stay in the east and southeast lee when the northerly is running. There are no safety ratings in the Greek registry, so the level field only follows the wording in each spot description.
Spot
Type
Depth
Level
Access
Notes
Achata Cave
Cave in a sheltered bay
Shallow to moderate, inside the cave and bay
Easy entry
Shore
East lee with a sheltered bay. It is the clearest shore option in the Achata group when you want a land entry.
Amoopi (SE)
Reef in SE bays
Shallow to moderate, over the reef
Beginner-friendly
Shore
Described as the best sheltered lee. The Amoopi bays are the first place to check when north wind is shaping the day.
Kastelia (SE)
Reef next to Amoopi
Shallow to moderate, along the reef
-
Shore
Southeast and sheltered. Treat it as the same lee logic as Amoopi, not as a separate promise of safer or deeper water.
✓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).
Achata Arch
Arch and reef
Deeper structure, kept qualitative here
-
Boat
East coast north of Pigadia, in the eastern lee. It is a boat spot, so do not plan it as a shore fallback.
Swallow Cave
Cave on the NE coast
Shallow to moderate, around the cave
-
Boat
Recorded as a boat-access cave on the northeast coast. Use it only with a day and crew that fit that access.
How does the meltemi wind affect spearfishing in Karpathos?
Karpathos is one of the windier Greek islands in this dataset. The Karpathos/Kasos strait funnels the northerly hard, and the far north around Diafani and Saria can turn into rough pelagic water. With north wind, the working plan is the SE/E lee: Pigadia, Achata, Amoopi and Kastelia. Saria Palatia Bay also sits in a Natura 2000 marine zone with an advisory flag, not an automatic hard no-take in the sheet, so boundaries and local rules still need checking before a boat run.
What big fish can you spearfish in Karpathos?
The city blurb names wild blue water, greater amberjack, dentex and grouper. The Dodecanese species list also includes white grouper, goldblotch grouper, white seabream, saddled seabream, Mediterranean barracuda, parrotfish and brown meagre. Grouper species in Epinephelus have a 45 cm minimum and a shared max of 1/day. White seabream is 23 cm, brown meagre is 25 cm, gilthead is 20 cm and octopus is 750 g. Dentex, amberjack, barracuda and parrotfish have the national 150 g minimum only in the sheet.
When is the best time to spearfish in Karpathos?
The local season note points to late May-June and September-October, with dawn as the steady time of day. The legal filter comes first: Greece has a total spearfishing ban for the whole month of May every year. That means the useful local window starts in June, not during the late-May part of the sea season. In autumn, September and October are the cleaner planning months from the fact sheet. On any date, wind direction matters more than a calendar label.
Do you need a license to spearfish in Greece?
Greek national rules apply in Karpathos. No spearfishing licence is issued since the 2014 abolition under Law 4256/2014, but Greece is rolling out a free recreational-fisher registry, so check gov.gr before travel. Spearfishing is freediving-only: scuba or any compressed-air supply is banned and may not even be carried aboard. The daily catch limit is 5 kg, or one trophy over that limit. Grouper in Epinephelus is max 1/day. Night spearfishing and underwater light while hunting are forbidden.
FAQ
Where can you spearfish in Karpathos?
Start with the SE/E lee: Achata, Amoopi, Kastelia and the Pigadia side. Achata Arch and Swallow Cave are boat spots, not shore entries.
What big fish can you spearfish in Karpathos?
The fact sheet names greater amberjack, dentex and grouper as the local big-fish angle. Grouper species in Epinephelus carry a 45 cm minimum and a max of 1 fish per day.
How does the meltemi wind affect spearfishing in Karpathos?
The north wind is accelerated by the Karpathos/Kasos strait. It often pushes the north and Saria out of play, while the east and southeast lee stay more workable.
Do you need a license to spearfish in Greece?
No spearfishing licence is issued since the 2014 abolition. Check gov.gr before travelling because Greece is rolling out a free recreational-fisher registry.
Is spearfishing banned in May in Greece?
Yes. May is a total spearfishing ban across Greece every year under Presidential Decree 373/1985. The Karpathos late-May sea window does not override that law.
What is the daily catch limit for spearfishing in Greece?
The daily recreational limit is 5 kg, or one trophy fish heavier than that limit. Grouper in Epinephelus has an extra max of 1 fish per day.
Is scuba spearfishing allowed in Greece?
No. Greek spearfishing is freediving-only, and scuba or any compressed-air apparatus is banned. The rule also says it may not be carried aboard.
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