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 13:52
Lavrio — 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.
Go early, while the boat traffic between Legrena and the islet has not started and the light still reaches the bow at eighteen metres. From June through October the water is warm and the bay settles by dawn. May is closed in Greece, all of it, and hunting after sunset is illegal — over a wreck it is also a good way to get tangled.
tide
Tide is not a factor: the level barely moves. The current over the hull is usually mild, which is why beginners are brought here, but the silt inside and around the iron is not — one careless fin stroke by the plating and the whole section goes brown for ten minutes. Work from the side the water comes from.
shelter
The wreck lies in the bight between the mainland and Patroklos islet, and the island body is the shelter: it screens the site from the east and south-east, the quarter that hurts this coast. With wind out of the south and south-west the bay opens and the surface turns short and nasty over the hull.
conditions
Almost any northerly day works: the bay stays quiet and the water over the wreck usually gives you fifteen metres and more, so the bow shows up from the surface. With a southerly the swell wraps in, the sand around the hull lifts and you are left looking into a haze — turn round and go elsewhere. It is a dive here in any case, not a hunt: the whole peninsula is a declared archaeological area.
hazard
The hull sank in 1978 — modern steel, not an antiquity — but the water is what decides: the wreck lies inside the declared underwater archaeological area of the Lavreotiki peninsula (ΦΕΚ 175/ΑΑΠ/2015), and ΚΥΑ ΦΕΚ 336/Β/2004 prohibits spearfishing in every declared one, so the gun stays on the boat. The other trap is going inside: on a breath-hold, an overhead with hanging cables and old net is where people die. Patroklos is private and landing is forbidden. Dive boats work the wreck all summer — expect divers below you.
access
Boat, and nothing else — from Lavrio it is about half an hour round the cape, from the small landings at Legrena rather less. Anchor clear of the wreck, not on it, and drop to the bow at seventeen or eighteen metres; the stern runs away from you down to thirty. The Anavyssos centres run the same site.
Cargo (sank 1978) 18–30 m, bow intact and shallow, boat; off Patroklos islet, a modern hull, all levels. ⚠️ The water is the declared underwater archaeological area of the Lavreotiki peninsula (ΦΕΚ 175/ΑΑΠ/2015) — ΚΥΑ ΦΕΚ 336/Β/2004 bans spearfishing over it.
Early morning, before the beach fills up — this is a popular strip in summer and by ten o'clock there are swimmers everywhere. The season starts on 1 June; May is closed everywhere in Greece, and hunting between sunset and sunrise is illegal. September and October give you an empty beach and the best water of the year.
tide
The level moves a hand's width, no more. What you plan around is the water in the gap between the beach and Patroklos: it is squeezed and it moves, gently most days, harder after several days of northerly. Add a day of rain and the runoff off the road above lays a brown layer over the shallow rock that takes hours to clear.
shelter
The shore here sits on the Lavrio–Sounio road and looks out at Patroklos, and the islet itself is the screen: it takes the sea off the outer side and leaves a quieter strip of water between it and the beach. A wind out of the east or south-east swings round the ends of the island and the strip stops being quiet.
conditions
Northerly and north-easterly days are what you want: the wind comes off the hills, the water in the strip lies down and the rocky bottom stays clear well past twenty metres. On the bad sector, 70 to 180 and worst near 110, the swell drives into the shore, the shallow rock stirs and you will not see far enough to hold a fish.
hazard
One thing to know about the law: the year-round spearfishing ban on this coast starts north of here, from Saronida up to the mouth of the Kifisos, its southern limit at the 44th kilometre of the Athens–Sounio road — Legrena lies south of that line and is open. Keep 200 m off swimmers, and watch the small boats running out to Patroklos.
access
Drive: about sixty kilometres from central Athens down the Sounio road, park by the beach and walk in over sand and rock — boots are worth having. Swim out to the rocky points at either end, where the bottom steps down from twenty to forty-five metres. By boat the outer rock and the Patroklos side are minutes away.
Rock 20–45 m, shore/boat; shore ground on the Lavrio–Sounio road, facing Patroklos.
Dawn, before the channel wind gets organised; by late morning the strait is usually working. The season starts on 1 June and runs to autumn, and September gives the best mix of warm water and quiet mornings. All of May is closed nationwide, and night hunting is banned from sunset to sunrise.
tide
Forget the tide table. What runs here is channel flow: the strait squeezes the water and after several days of northerly the stream builds until you can feel it pulling on the buoy line at the surface. It also carries colder, clearer water in from the north, which is a gift for visibility and a problem for your bottom time.
shelter
This is channel ground: the long body of Makronisos stands to the east and takes the brunt of anything from that side, which is exactly the quarter that spoils Lavrio. The strait itself gives you the lee. What the island cannot do is stop a hard northerly, which funnels down the channel instead of being blocked by it.
conditions
An easterly day is your day — the island holds it off and the strait goes glassy. A settled westerly is fine too. Avoid the strong meltemi: it accelerates between the island and the mainland, drags a chop the whole length of the channel, and on a reef of fifteen to twenty-five metres you will spend the session fighting water instead of hunting.
hazard
The strait is a shipping route and boats hold their line through it, so stay off the middle and keep the buoy where a helmsman can see it. Makronisos itself is a declared historical site: you may hunt in the water around it, but do not step ashore and do not lift anything off the bottom that looks old.
access
Boat only, and the launch is Lavrio: fifteen to twenty minutes across to the reef, less if you keep tight to the mainland side. There is no landing anywhere near — Makronisos is out and the shore opposite has no ramp worth the name. Come with a second engine or in company; the channel is not a place to drift in.
First light, before the day breeze fills the channel and the boat starts snatching at the anchor. The season opens on 1 June — the whole of May is shut across Greece — and the settled weeks of early autumn give the flattest mornings. Night is banned from sunset to sunrise, and at this depth it would be madness anyway.
tide
The level does nothing here — a Mediterranean twenty centimetres, no more. What counts is drift: out in the channel your buoy walks, and after a few days of northerly the whole strait moves as one stream. Drop in up-current of the reef head so the last metres of the ascent are not a fight.
shelter
There is no land to hide behind here: this is an open reef out in the Kea channel, 35–40 m under the boat, with only the long back of Makronisos cutting the west and north-west. From the east and south-east, the bad quarter for this coast, it stands wide open and the sea arrives with nothing to slow it.
conditions
Work it on a westerly or north-westerly, when the wind blows off the land and the channel lies down. Between 70 and 180 degrees, worst around 110, forget it: the swell builds over open sea and the boat will not hold station above a reef this deep. Even a moderate blow makes the drop pointless.
hazard
Thirty-five to forty metres on a single breath is where people black out. One down, one up, never both in the water, and no repeat drops on a short surface interval. One grouper a day, nothing under 150 g, 5 kg in total. Ferries for Kea and Kythnos cross this water — keep the buoy tall and in sight.
access
Boat only. From Lavrio harbour it is twenty to thirty minutes out, longer if the channel is lumpy, and there is no shore alternative — the nearest land is Makronisos and you cannot go ashore there. Take a GPS mark: nothing on the surface shows where the reef head sits. The Anavyssos dive centres are the nearest support.
Rock/reef 35–40 m, boat; deep aspetto for grouper, the name says it all.
First stop of the day, at first light: it sits next to the port, so later on it fills with boats and noise. The season opens on 1 June and the best mornings come in September and October, when the traffic drops off. May is closed nationwide, and from sunset to sunrise you do not hunt at all.
tide
The level is irrelevant; what you feel is the water accelerating around the tips of the islet. At the two ends the flow speeds up and turns, and there is often a lazy back-eddy right behind the rock where fish sit. Read it on the first drop by watching your buoy line, then plan every dive to finish up-current of the boat.
shelter
A small islet with reef around it, sitting at the northern mouth of the Makronisos channel. Being an isolated rock, it always has a lee somewhere: work the downwind face and you can find calm water on most days. In an east or south-east blow the whole thing is on the wrong side of the wind and the shelter shrinks to a few metres of rock.
conditions
North and north-west days are the good ones: the wind comes across the land, the north mouth of the channel stays flat and the fifteen-to-twenty-five metre band around the rock holds decent visibility. From 70 to 180 degrees the sea arrives unbroken from open water and the reef edge turns into a washing machine.
hazard
This is the closest ground to Lavrio and that is the problem: the ferries for Kea and Kythnos leave from the passenger pier on the east side of the harbour and pass right by. Stay 200 m off the harbour works and never cross the fairway. Five ferry operators plus cargo use this port — a buoy without a flag will not save you.
access
The shortest run of the lot: ten minutes out of Lavrio, so it is the obvious first stop of the morning and equally the obvious refuge if the day goes bad further out. Anchor on the sheltered side in fifteen metres of sand, swim to the rock and work outward. There is no shore entry — the islet is not linked to anything.
Islet/reef 15–25 m, boat; more Makronisos-channel structure.
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.
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
white seabream
Diplodus sargus · 0–12 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).
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
gilthead seabream
Sparus aurata · 2–20 m · EU 1967/2006
European seabass
Dicentrarchus labrax · 0–15 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
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).
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.
Mediterranean parrotfish
Sparisoma cretense · 2–20 m · min 150 g
Eastern-Med delicacy (Crete/Dodecanese). No EU size — the 150 g minimum only.
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.
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 Lavrio
Where can I spearfish in Lavrio?
Lavrio has rock entry points such as The groupers' nest, Kyra Eleni wreck (Patroklos) and Makris reef (Makronisos). A working port on Attica's SE face and the launch point for Makronisos and the Patroklos wreck grounds, the richest reef and wreck cluster in the region, viz 15–20 m+. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.
When is the best season in Lavrio?
Long season, June to October (May is the national closed month). The sheltered Saronic opens on most calm mornings; peak is high summer.
How cold is the water in Lavrio?
Warm mediterranean water (~24–26 °C in summer, ~15 °C in winter), tideless; clear over rock but murkier near Athens' shores.
Is Lavrio good for a beginner?
Easy access and mostly sheltered water — a good place to start, with rocky capes and islets a short hop from the city.
Do I need a licence in Lavrio?
No paid licence is needed in Lavrio — 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 Lavrio?
The species cards list 22 species with real presence in this basin; the strongest here are white seabream, common octopus, dusky grouper, common dentex, red porgy and gilthead seabream. Minimum sizes in Greece are NATIONAL, not local: white seabream 23 cm · dusky grouper 45 cm · red porgy 18 cm · gilthead seabream 20 cm · European seabass 25 cm · striped seabream 20 cm · brown meagre / corb 25 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 Lavrio?
Yes. May is a TOTAL spearfishing ban for the whole month, every year, across Greece (ΠΔ 373/1985, art. 3§1α) — so in Lavrio 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 Lavrio?
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 Lavrio 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 Lavrio?
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 Lavrio 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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