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 13:53
Rethymno — solo, off the rocks
Day is over
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What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.
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−10 m
The water column
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
What it is
A marine instrument, go / no-go for solo hunting.
spearo.app folds wind, wave, swell period, visibility, tides, water temperature and risk into a single verdict — go to the spot or not. It computes 7 days ahead from open marine models (Open-Meteo, IPMA), with no sign-up and no accounts. Built for solo spearfishing off the rocks, where any mistake costs dearly.
Now live: 1391 spots across 205 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
Early morning: later in the day gusty wind starts dropping off the hills, and by noon the bay fills with holidaymakers. The south coast works almost year-round, September to November being the best months. All of May is closed in Greece, and night is banned — on a shore this remote that is just as well.
tide
Sea level plays no part here, but the cape does: off the point of Melissa the water is colder and clearly clearer, and a steady flow runs along it that pushes you off the corner into open sea. Once you go round the corner, check yourself against the buoy and the shore every couple of dives.
shelter
Cape Melissa closes the bay from the north so well that locals simply call it the windless one. The meltemi does not come here, and the rocks of the south-west corner also kill the side chop. That corner is open only to south and south-west: from there the wave runs in off the Libyan Sea unhindered.
conditions
Any north day is yours: while the island's north coast is a mess, here you get a flat mirror and visibility down the whole wall. With south or south-west wind, and even more with leftover southerly wave, do not come: the steep entry in the south-west corner turns into a trap on the way out.
hazard
Thirty-five metres of wall on a breath-hold in a deserted place: the nearest help is far, the road runs through Sachtouria, and phone signal is patchy. Do not come alone. The rock folds on shore are proposed as a natural monument, so protection could be tightened — ask the port authority first.
access
Tarmac from Sachtouria or Akoumia brings you to the settlement; leave the car above and walk the path down into the south-west corner. The entry is steep, over rock, and climbing back with fish is hard — budget your strength. The wall starts right under the shore; the alternative is to come in by boat.
Wall 30–35 m in the SW corner; steep shore entry or boat, exposed to S swell but sheltered from the meltemi.
Work at first light: the breeze gets up by midday, and in July and August the meltemi builds and holds for days. The best window is September to November — warm water, fewer tourists. All of May is closed for spearfishing in Greece, and night is banned, sunset to sunrise.
tide
Tides barely work here — the level moves ten or twenty centimetres. You count something else: cold freshwater springs come out of the rock around Bali and lay a chilly, blurry layer near the bottom, and after a few days of meltemi a clear along-shore flow runs past the headlands.
shelter
The coast faces north, so the only shelter here is the shape of the land: a chain of headlands splits the shoreline into coves, and the east-facing ones sit in the lee while the wave runs from N and NW. Coves that open straight north take the meltemi head-on and give you nothing.
conditions
Come with S or SE wind: it blows off the mountains and flattens the water in the coves. A light easterly is still workable. With N or NW, especially around 335 degrees, the place is off — at 1–15 m the wave lifts sand and visibility drops to a couple of metres.
hazard
The main threat is boats: Bali has a working fishing harbour and excursion craft, so a buoy is mandatory and you stay near it. Keep 200 m off swimmers at the organised coves and off harbour works. Amphorae and anchors lie on the bottom — the area could be declared archaeological, so lift nothing.
access
Every cove has tarmac and parking right by the water; you get in over pebble and rock, so wear boots. From the shore it is ten to fifteen minutes of swimming to the rocky headlands. By boat it is faster: five to twenty minutes from the harbour out to the outer capes and reefs.
Rocky coves and headlands 1–15 m; east-facing coves give partial lee; shore or boat.
Work at first light, while the sea stands: through the day gusty wind often drops off the mountains, and by evening the cove fills with swimmers. The season here is long, almost year-round, except May — all of May is closed in Greece. Groupers are here, but the law allows only one per day.
tide
Forget the tide — level decides nothing here. What decides is the along-shore current, and on this coast it is serious: in July 2026 the buoy and speargun of a hunter lost off Frangokastello were found several miles east, already off Plakias. Check your drift against the buoy every few dives.
shelter
This is already the Libyan Sea: the whole mass of Crete stands between you and the meltemi, so a north wind is exactly when people work here while the north coast is shut. Ammoudi itself is a small cove between rocky headlands; they cut the easterly chop, but wave from west and south comes in freely.
conditions
It is diveable when north and north-east blow hard — those are exactly the days the local dive centres move over here. Do not come with west or south wind or a long southerly swell: on a 25–40 m reef the water starts moving and the exit over the rocks gets ugly.
hazard
Depth is the main thing: 25–40 m on a breath-hold forgives little, and a blackout on the way up kills quietly. Never work alone, keep a partner on the surface. Ammoudi is an organised beach with umbrellas and a dive centre: 200 m off the swimmers, and watch the boats running out to the sites.
access
Tarmac from the village of Lefkogia brings you right to the cove, and there is enough parking. You get in at the water over a greenish rock — it is soapy slick, put your foot down flat. The reef and wall are a fair swim out, so many take a boat from Ammoudi or Damnoni and drop in above them.
Reef and wall 25–40 m, the name says it all (grouper); SW Libyan, meltemi-sheltered but takes W/S swell; shore or boat from Ammoudi/Damnoni.
Early hours, while the wall is in shade and the fish stand higher. The season runs March to November; in winter the road through the resort to the inlet can be shut. All of May is banned across Greece; night is banned too, and getting in over these rocks in the dark would be suicide anyway.
tide
Level means nothing here, but the wall lives its own life: cold clear water rises along the drop, and at the neighbouring cape the current can be strong enough that dive centres simply close the site. Before the first dive look at your buoy — wherever it is pulled, you will be pulled too.
shelter
A narrow rock inlet between sheer walls — locals call it the pirate fjord. The north wind goes over the top, above the cliff, and barely touches the water below, so in a meltemi it is glass here. But south and south-west set straight into the throat of the inlet, and then everything moves.
conditions
The ideal day is a hard north: it howls above and it is dead calm below, with visibility down the whole wall. With south or south-west the place is off: the narrow inlet fills with surge, and climbing out over wet rock with a gun and fish is a reliable way to cut yourself.
hazard
There is a hundred metres straight under you: if you black out on the way up, there is no bottom to land on and nobody to hold you. Work with a partner and do not chase depth right against the wall — the ascent is easy to misjudge. There are overhangs you should not enter, and dive boats work this shore.
access
The road runs through the resort and a private track leads down to the inlet — find out in advance whether you will be let in. The entry is steep, over rock and steps at the water, and climbing back with fish is hard work. No swim needed: the wall starts under the entry, first ledge at fourteen metres.
Wall 15–100 m, deep drop — advanced; Libyan lee, takes S swell.
Work from first light until about eleven: after that the beach fills, the sunbeds and pedalos come out, and you have to move further off the ends of the bay. The season is long and the water is cold even in summer — bring a thicker suit. All of May is closed, and night is out too.
tide
Level is beside the point. What matters is that cold fresh water comes down from the Finikas valley into the bay, so there is often a noticeably colder layer near shore, and after rain a murky one too. Add a slow drift along the shore to the east: you get in at the rocks and half an hour later you are over sand.
shelter
The place sits in the western part of Plakias bay, behind a headland, so it cuts the westerly chop that the main Plakias beach gets in full. Locals put it plainly: when it blows at Plakias, you can still work at Souda. The meltemi never reaches this coast at all.
conditions
You come here exactly on the days the main beach is already blown out: the west wind is noticeably weaker in this corner. A working range of 3–20 m forgives a little chop. What kills it is a real southerly wave out of the open sea — then the rocks at the ends of the bay turn into a washing machine.
hazard
The main risk here is not depth but people: this is an organised beach bay with sunbeds and rentals, so the middle of it is off limits — 200 m from swimmers, work only at the rocky ends. Watch for pedalos and boats. The rocks at the ends are sharp and overgrown and will cut your hands.
access
Tarmac three kilometres west of Plakias, parking right by the sand. Walk to either rocky end of the bay and get in over rock and coarse pebble. The reef is two or three minutes of swimming away, and from there the depth grows gently to twenty metres, so you never have to paddle far.
Rock/reef 3–20 m on the south Libyan lee (NOT the Souda naval bay); shore or boat.
Get there early, before the breeze: from around 11 to 13 the wind usually freshens and a shallow cove is the first thing to go off. Best months are September and October. All of May is closed across Greece, and night is out entirely — an underwater torch is banned too.
tide
Level does not matter here — a swing of a few tens of centimetres changes nothing for hunting. Watch other things: a weak flow runs along the walls between the rocks, and inside the hollows the water breathes back and forth with the wave. After rain the slope washes silt down for a day or two.
shelter
There is almost no shelter: the little cove opens north and the northerly wave walks straight in. The tall rocks on either side only cut the side wind from east and west — under whichever wall the wind hugs the water sits a little calmer, and that is all you get.
conditions
Come on a south wind — it blows off the land, the surface turns to glass and at 8–10 m you see everything. A light east or west is workable. With north or north-west do not even bother: at that depth the wave stirs the bottom, and the exit over the rocks turns dangerous.
hazard
The danger here is simple and close: eight metres of water and rock right at the shore, so if the wave gets up it will slam you on the way out. Do not linger in the hollows, the surge moves you around. Urchins everywhere — boots and gloves. The cove is wild: no lifeguard, no people, solo is a bad idea.
access
Turn off the old road east of Skaleta, leave the car above and walk a short path down to the strip of pebble. You enter straight off the pebble and are on rock at once. No long swim: the rocks and walls start a few dozen metres out from the shore.
Rocky 8–10 m; easy shore entry, exposed to the meltemi's northerly swell.
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).
red porgy
Pagrus pagrus · 15–40 m · EU 1967/2006
white seabream
Diplodus sargus · 0–12 m · EU 1967/2006
saddled seabream
Oblada melanura · 3–15 m · min 150 g
No EU size — only the 150 g minimum applies.
greater amberjack
Seriola dumerili · 5–30 m · min 150 g
No EU size — only the 150 g minimum applies.
Mediterranean barracuda
Sphyraena viridensis · 3–25 m · min 150 g
No EU size — the 150 g minimum only. Histamine: bleed and chill at once.
Mediterranean parrotfish
Sparisoma cretense · 2–20 m · min 150 g
Eastern-Med delicacy (Crete/Dodecanese). No EU size — the 150 g minimum only.
brown meagre / corb
Sciaena umbra · 5–30 m · EU 1967/2006
common octopus
Octopus vulgaris · 0–15 m · weight ≥750 g
Minimum by weight: ≥750 g (ΠΔ 62/2024). Don't take egg-bearing females.
devil firefish (lionfish)
Pterois miles · 5–40 m · invasive
⚠️ Invasive — removal encouraged, excellent flesh. Venomous spines: never grab bare-handed, cut the spines, treat a sting with hot water (>45 °C).
silver-cheeked toadfish
Lagocephalus sceleratus · 5–40 m · invasive
☠️ Invasive — kill, but DO NOT EAT: deadly toxin (TTX). Sale banned (Reg. 853/2004, Annex III Sect. VIII Ch. V(E)). Powerful beak bites — never string it live on a stringer.
rabbitfish
Siganus rivulatus / luridus · 2–20 m · invasive
Invasive — removal encouraged, edible and tasty. Venomous dorsal/anal/pelvic spines — remove carefully, treat a sting with hot water.
wreckfish / stone bass
Polyprion americanus · 30–60 m · EU 1967/2006
Deep wreck species. Does NOT count toward the grouper limit (different genus). 45 cm — to verify.
striped seabream
Lithognathus mormyrus · 2–15 m · EU 1967/2006
striped red mullet
Mullus surmuletus · 3–30 m · EU 1967/2006
gilthead seabream
Sparus aurata · 2–20 m · EU 1967/2006
European seabass
Dicentrarchus labrax · 0–15 m · EU 1967/2006
leerfish / garrick
Lichia amia · 2–20 m · min 150 g
No EU size — only the 150 g minimum applies.
flathead grey mullet
Mugil cephalus · 0–8 m · min 150 g
No EU size — only the 150 g minimum applies.
Law
✓⚠️ MAY — a TOTAL spearfishing ban for the whole month, every year (ΠΔ 373/1985, art. 3§1α). This is law in force, not a draft.
✓No licence required: the was abolished in 2014 (Ν. 4256/2014) — every standing prohibition stays in force all the same.
•Recreational-fisher registry (ΟΣΠΑ / Μητρώο Ερασιτεχνών Αλιέων): Reg. (EU) 2023/2842 obliges member states to register recreational fishing, and the Greek registry is described as being prepared. We found neither an act in force nor a working registry as of 08.2026 — not confirmed. Check gov.gr before you travel.
✓Age: 16+ (under-16 spearfishing is forbidden; ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§1γ).
✓Daytime only: sunrise to sunset. Night is forbidden (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§1β).
✓Freediving only: scuba/any air-supply apparatus is banned — it may not even be carried aboard (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§2γ).
✓Distances: ≥200 m from bathers, harbours, moored vessels and marked nets; no hunting in fairways or harbour entrances/exits (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§1δ/ε).
✓Buoy MANDATORY: a yellow float + a yellow flag with a red diagonal stripe and the letters «Υ.Δ.», visible from ≥300 m; stay within 50 m of the buoy (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§3).
✓Limit: 5 kg/day (or one trophy heavier than the limit). Grouper (Epinephelus) — max 1/day, not banned (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 2§2).
✓Sale/trade of the recreational catch is prohibited (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 1§7).
✓Load the speargun only in the water — never keep it loaded out of the water (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§2β). Underwater light while hunting is forbidden (art. 3§2ζ).
✓Sea urchins — 20/day per person and 30/day per boat (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 2§2). Nets at any stage of the hunt are banned, and you may not take the catch out of somebody else's gear or nets (art. 3§2). Sponges and corals are off limits to the recreational fisher (art. 1§6).
✓Pneumatic and band guns are ALLOWED (a myth in English guides). Only spears with an explosive/chemical charge — — are banned (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§2δ).
Min. sizes: seabass 25 cm · gilthead 20 cm · white seabream 23 cm · grouper 45 cm · octopus 750 g (ΠΔ 62/2024). Any fish — not under 150 g (ΠΔ 373/85, art. 3§2στ). No-size species (dentex, amberjack, barracuda, parrotfish) — the 150 g minimum only. See the species card.
Safety protocol
Sets: watch the wave trains ≥15 min before entering; Hmax ≈ 2×Hs, the wash can run 50 m past the foam line. A lull >10 min with period >12 s = a big set «overdue», do NOT enter; enter right after a full set passes and re-check at minute 30.
Exit FIRST: find your exit AND a backup before entering. On a rocky/boulder shore a 0.5 m rise in swell can make the exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer.
Headland rip: prominent points often have a permanent topographic rip regardless of the model — locate it, enter/exit on the windward side, never swim against it.
Cold: wetsuit per the SST chip; the first shiver = a metabolic surge and a drop in breath-hold → get out at the first steady shiver. Cap the session at 45–60 min below 15 °C.
Solo discipline: buoy up; tell someone the spot and exit time; conservative breath-hold (never push it in cold/murky/surfy water); visibility <3 m — don't enter.
Afternoon wind: on many coasts the wind builds from midday — plan to be out of the water by midday; the chop builds — get out.
UV 11:00–15:00 (UVI ≥6): sunscreen and cover up on the surface interval.
Solo is a fundamental risk (hypoxic blackout with no buddy). Any doubt = No-go.
Local guide · Rethymno
Spearfishing in Rethymno: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Rethymno spearfishing splits cleanly between the north coast and the Libyan south. Bali and Panormo take the meltemi, while the drive to Plakias, Damnoni and Agios Pavlos gives a real north-wind escape and the densest wall-and-cave cluster in the sheet. The north is best September-November; the south works most of the year. May is still a total spearfishing ban across Greece, so it is not an available season.
TL;DR
Rethymno spearfishing is a two-sea decision: north Bali-Panormo takes meltemi, while Plakias-Damnoni-Agios Pavlos is the Libyan-sea escape.
The north coast is best in September-November in the sheet, while the south works most of the year, always outside the Greek May ban.
The south has walls, caves and clearer water, but Kalypso Walls and Agios Pavlos Wall are not casual first spots.
Greek rules apply: May is fully closed, no licence is issued since the 2014 abolition, freediving only, no scuba or compressed air, 5 kg/day and grouper max 1/day.
Where can you spearfish in Rethymno?
Rethymno spots divide by coast. The north takes northerly swell; the south Libyan coast is the meltemi escape, but some walls are steep or advanced. The registry has no safety ratings, so level only follows exact difficulty wording from the descriptions.
Spot
Type
Depth
Level
Access
Notes
Bali headlands
Rocky coves and headlands
Shallow to moderate, in coves and headlands
-
Shore or boat
East-facing coves give partial lee. The north coast still depends on how hard the meltemi is running.
Spilies, Panormo
Rocky north-coast spot
Shallow to moderate, over rock
-
Shore. Easy shore entry
Exposed to the meltemi's northerly swell. The sheet links it to a Natura advisory, not an automatic blanket no-take.
Grouper Rock / Ammoudi (Plakias)
Reef and wall
Deep wall, kept qualitative here
-
Shore or boat from Ammoudi/Damnoni
SW Libyan lee from meltemi, but it takes west or south swell. The name points to grouper, with the legal max of 1/day.
✓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).
Kalypso Walls (Plakias)
Wall with deep drop
Very deep drop, no numeric depth in the table
-
Advanced
Libyan lee from meltemi, but it takes south swell. Do not treat it as a first Rethymno shore option.
Souda Rocks (Plakias, south coast)
Rock and reef on the south Libyan lee
Shallow to moderate, over rock and reef
-
Shore or boat
The sheet is explicit: this is not the Souda naval bay. It is the south-coast Plakias area.
Agios Pavlos Wall
Wall in the SW corner
Deep wall, kept qualitative here
-
Shore or boat. Steep entry
Sheltered from meltemi but exposed to south swell. The shore entry is described as steep.
What fish can you spearfish in Rethymno, Crete?
Rethymno uses the Crete species list. The south Plakias material names grouper at Grouper Rock, and the broader list includes grouper, white grouper, goldblotch grouper, dentex, red porgy, white seabream, saddled seabream, amberjack, 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 general 150 g fish minimum where no other size is listed.
When is the best time to spearfish in Crete?
For Rethymno, the answer depends on coast. The north coast around Bali and Panormo is best September-November in the fact sheet, with 15-25 m visibility. The south Libyan coast from Plakias to Agios Pavlos is clearer still and works most of the year because it escapes the north wind. May is the hard legal stop: the whole month is closed to spearfishing across Greece every year. Outside May, use the north after summer or the south when meltemi is pushing the north coast.
How is the water visibility in Rethymno today?
The sheet gives a general north-coast visibility range and says the south is clearer, but it has no live visibility number, buoy or station for today. The only infrastructure item is a link-out camera at Georgioupoli, west of Rethymno, not a bottom-visibility reading for the spots. For a same-day call, read exposure first: Spilies and Panormo take northerly swell, while Plakias, Damnoni, Souda Rocks and Agios Pavlos are the south escape from meltemi, with west, south or south swell caveats by spot.
Do you need a license to spearfish in Greece?
Greek national rules apply in Rethymno. No spearfishing licence is issued since the 2014 abolition, but check gov.gr before travel because Greece is rolling out a free recreational-fisher registry. 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 Rethymno?
With north meltemi, look south toward Plakias, Damnoni, Souda Rocks and Agios Pavlos. Bali and Panormo on the north coast need calmer northerly swell.
What fish can you spearfish in Rethymno, Crete?
The Crete list includes grouper, dentex, red porgy, white seabream, saddled seabream, amberjack and octopus. Grouper in Epinephelus has a 45 cm minimum and a max of 1 fish per day.
When is the best time to spearfish in Crete?
For Rethymno, the sheet points to September-November on the north coast and most of the year on the south Libyan coast. May is fully closed by Greek law.
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. Crete has no local exception to that rule.
What is the daily catch limit for spearfishing in Greece?
The recreational limit is 5 kg/day, or one trophy heavier than the limit. Grouper in Epinephelus has an extra max of 1 fish per day.
Is scuba spearfishing allowed in Greece?
No. Spearfishing is freediving-only in Greece. Scuba or any compressed-air apparatus is banned, including carrying it aboard.
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