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
Rhodes — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wind-wave — choppy surface
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
Daylight only: night spearfishing and underwater torches are banned in Greece, and without light there is nothing to do in a cave. The best window is the morning, before the pleasure boats come out. All of May the season is shut nationwide. Decent water comes in June and September–October.
tide
Sea level is no argument here — it moves a few centimetres. What you compute is the swell and how it bounces off the wall: under the overhangs and in the cave throat even small waves give a clear back-and-forth surge. After several days of meltemi a cold clean flow runs along the bottom.
shelter
The cave sits in the same NE corner as Ladiko: the rocky headland kills the NW meltemi and a calm strip holds under the shore. But the cave mouth faces open sea, so E and SE swell reaches it undiminished and starts surging inside.
conditions
Diveable in N and NW even when it is fresh up top; with E/SE from 3–4 m/s do not go into the cave — the surge slams the walls and lifts silt. Simple rule: if you can see white foam on the rocks at the entrance, turn round and work the open Ladiko wall instead.
hazard
Depths are 10–20 m, but the danger is the ceiling, not the depth: going under the roof on a breath-hold without a buddy is the classic accident — nobody works this solo. Tourist boats pass overhead all day, a buoy with a flag is compulsory. Urchins on the entrance rocks, don't grab with bare hands.
access
Effectively boat only: walking in along the cliffs is long and awkward. Moor off Ladiko and run a couple of hundred metres north along the rocks. If you take your own boat, drift clear of the excursion-boat lane and put the buoy out immediately, not after the first descent.
Cave 10–20 m; boat, NE lee adjacent to Ladiko; boat traffic.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
The monument is open 08:00–20:00 from 1 May to 31 October and until 16:00 in winter — that is, every daylight hour in which hunting is legal has people in it. On top of that, all of May is closed in Greece and night is banned. In practice no free window for a gun is left on this stretch.
tide
Tides in this corner of the Aegean are a few centimetres; the level plays no part. The only water movement worth noticing is a weak alongshore drift past the rocky spurs and a warm murky surface layer on windless days. There is no channel and no permanent current here.
shelter
The Kallithea coves are cut into the east coast and screened by rocky spurs: the NW meltemi never reaches them and the water stays flat most of the summer. They open E and SE — and it is from there, on the less frequent winds of those quarters, that both swell and murk arrive.
conditions
On wind alone the place works with N/NW almost always and switches off with E/SE. But be honest: diveability is secondary here, because you cannot hunt inside the bay itself. As a place to scout the coastline it still serves; with a gun, go north or south to the wild rocks outside the fence.
hazard
The main risk here is not the sea but the paperwork. This is a paid monument with organised bathing, sunbeds and a café, a dive centre works alongside and excursion boats moor all day. The 200 m rule from swimmers closes the whole bay; turning up with a gun means a guaranteed talk with the port police.
access
Entry to the grounds is paid: €5 in summer, €3 in winter, with plenty of parking. You get in over rocks and off concrete platforms, and the depth close in is already decent. As a snorkelling spot it is excellent, but do not treat it as a hunting spot: take the wild rocks outside the fence instead.
Reef 4–12 m; shore or boat, NE protected coves; ⚠️ paid, fenced monument with organised bathing, a dive centre and excursion boats — spearfishing inside the cove is effectively impossible (the 200 m bathers rule covers it): hunt the wild rocks outside the fence.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Get there at dawn: until 11–13 h the bay is empty, then the breeze builds and the excursion boats arrive. The meltemi blows from mid-May to mid-September and is strongest in the afternoon. Best months are June and September–October, water 20–28 °C. All of May spearfishing is banned in Greece, and so is night.
tide
Tides barely count here — tens of centimetres, the level decides nothing. Watch other things: an alongshore drift runs past the mouth along the wall, divers report no permanent current, but after several days of meltemi the surface layer is pushed off and cold clear water arrives from below.
shelter
The bay opens east and the rocky headland to the north cuts the NW meltemi — this is the main lee on the east coast. N and NW pass overhead and the water inside stays flat. Only E and SE come in head-on: then the swell drives straight into the mouth and the wall silts up.
conditions
Diveable in N, NW and W of almost any strength — the coast holds; light E and SE up to 3–4 m/s is still workable. Don't come with settled E/SE: the swell walks straight into the bay, the usual 20–30 m of visibility drops to a couple, and the wall starts to surge.
hazard
The main danger is pleasure and tour boats: neighbouring Anthony Quinn Bay is packed with them all summer, the buoy is compulsory and you must stay within 50 m of it. The wall drops to 34–35 m and alone it is easy to overreach on depth. In summer the beach has sunbeds and swimmers — keep 200 m off them.
access
From shore: turn-off at Faliraki, parking 50–75 m from the water, entry over sand and stones straight off the small beach. From the water's edge to the drop at the bay mouth is a couple of minutes' swim, and there the wall begins. In summer the beach is organised, with sunbeds and a bar, so get in before it opens.
Wall 20–34 m; shore or boat, NE lee (the best in a meltemi); ⚠️ Anthony Quinn Bay = heavy tour-boat traffic — diver flag.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Get there at dawn: until 11–13 h the wind is usually lighter, then the meltemi builds and holds into the evening, sometimes for several days on end. It is strongest from mid-May to mid-September. Real windows are late April, calm days in June and October. All of May spearfishing is banned in Greece.
tide
This is the one place on the list where water really moves. Tides are still tiny, but in summer at low level the isthmus is dry, while in winter it floods and the cape becomes an island. Around the tip the two seas spill into each other: the cross-flow drags along the shore and is strongest right at the point.
shelter
Shelter does not exist here as a concept: a narrow sand isthmus links the shore to the islet, and its two sides face opposite seas. The W side takes the NW meltemi head-on while the E side lies calm at the same moment — and the other way round in an easterly. You pick the side by the wind; there is no third option.
conditions
The rule is simple: in N/NW you work only the east side of the isthmus, in E/SE only the west side. Above 8–9 m/s do not come at all: at the very tip the two flows meet, with waves from both sides plus a cross-current. Station average wind is about 11 knots, dominant direction NW.
hazard
The cross-current at the point is what carries you off: enter with margin against the flow and always with a buoy, staying within 50 m of it. On the west side windsurfers and kites run all summer, and a board at speed is worse than a boat. There is no help here and the nearest habitation is far — do not work this cape alone.
access
Shore only: 92 km from Rhodes town, the last stretch on dirt, parking by the isthmus, free entry, you walk in straight off the sand. The 5–25 m range comes on not far from the rocks on either side. Plan the return in advance: swimming back against wind and flow takes markedly longer than the way out.
Tombolo cape "two seas" 5–25 m; shore. ⚠️ VERY EXPOSED on both faces, strong wind + cross-current — advanced only; windsurf crowd on the W.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
From June to September the bay is packed from early morning to evening; real windows exist only at the edges of the season. All of May is closed in Greece, night too, and the dawn window here is eaten by the first boats. In practice you are left with April and late October, and only outside the bathing cove.
tide
Level means nothing here — swings of about ten centimetres. What actually moves water is the narrow throat of the bay: on any swell there is a noticeable exchange in and out through it, and the murk off the beach gets flushed out. Beyond the throat the usual alongshore drift runs along the cliffs.
shelter
The bay is almost closed: the rocks meet and leave only a narrow opening to the sea, so inside the water sits like a bowl in any N, NW or W wind. From E and SE the swell still squeezes through the throat and gets in, and under the acropolis itself you get gusts falling off the rock.
conditions
Inside the bay it is nearly always calm; outside, E/SE decides everything. In that wind, exiting the throat onto the open coast turns into surf over rocks — stay out. But the real limiter here is not weather: in summer this is an organised bathing cove and you cannot work a gun inside it.
hazard
The legal risk here outweighs the natural one. Inside there are sunbeds, a café, swimmers and a boat landing: the 200 m rule and the port-structure ban close the cove entirely. Right above stands the Lindos acropolis, a declared monument; the water below it may be a designated underwater archaeological zone with a total gun ban — check with the port authority.
access
From shore: down from Lindos by the path or by road to the southern beach; there is parking at both beaches. Entry is sand and fine gravel, then rock. If you carry a gun, swim out through the throat and continue north or south along the cliffs, never closer than 200 m to swimmers and well clear of the landing.
Sheltered bay 10–20 m; shore, E/SE lee under the Lindos acropolis; swimmers in summer.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind (city-level)
window
Dawn and early morning, before the speedboats and the watersports off Stegna beach get going. In summer there is banana boat, parasailing and water-skiing here — better not to occupy the place by day. Clear-water season is June and September–October. All of May is closed in Greece and night is banned year-round.
tide
Sea level here neither helps nor hinders — centimetres. What you compute is wind set-up and where you drift relative to the buoy: between the islets and the shore, in fresh wind, water runs along the gap and pulls gently. No known permanent current on this stretch, but at eight metres the silt hangs for a long time after a blow.
shelter
The islets sit off the NE coast, and the mainland side itself screens them from the NW meltemi — on the lee side of the rocks the water stays flat. From E and SE there is no cover at all: the swell reaches the islets unobstructed and starts hitting straight away over shallow ground.
conditions
Diveable in N, NW and W, fresh meltemi included — there is always a quiet side behind the islets. In E/SE it switches off faster than the deeper spots nearby: only 8 m of water, the swell stirs everything to the bottom and visibility goes first. Even a light easterly wave is reason enough to postpone.
hazard
Shallow and deceptively safe: at up to 8 m it is not depth that kills you but motor traffic. Speedboats from the beach and rental boats run exactly between the shore and the islets, a buoy with a flag is compulsory and you stay within 50 m of it. The rocks are slick and full of urchins — and that is your way in and out.
access
Effectively boat only: from Stegna it is a short run, with a launch straight off the beach. Swimming out from shore is long and crosses the speedboat lane. Parking and tavernas in Stegna, about 500 m from Archangelos down to the coast. From the drop-off to the rocks is a few dozen metres, and all the work is along them.
Islets, max ~8 m; boat, NE coast, shallow 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.
Live cameras, map & reference
Cameras · live
Look at the water right now.
Check the cam BEFORE you leave. Foam, brown/green murk, or waves washing the entry rocks = No-go. At night/in fog the cam is useless — treat it as «unknown», NOT «green».
connecting to the stream…
Rhodes — Rhodes Tourist Port (meteocam.gr)meteocam.gr (Cybex) live — Rhodes Tourist Port. Embedded via our proxy (the stream sends no CORS). Read the water and surf before you go.camera: meteocam ↗
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 · Rhodes
Spearfishing in Rhodes: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Spearfishing in Rhodes is mostly about choosing the right coast. NW meltemi hammers the west, while the east and northeast around Faliraki, Ladiko, Kallithea and Lindos are clearer and more sheltered. May is a total spearfishing ban in Greece. Since 2014 no spearfishing licence has been issued, but legal hunting still means freediving-only, no scuba or compressed air, and a 5 kg per person daily limit.
TL;DR
Rhodes is a side-selection island: in NW meltemi, avoid the west and work the east.
Ladiko, Kallithea and Lindos are useful, but summer boat traffic and swimmers shape the legal window.
Prasonisi is an advanced exception with wind, cross-current and windsurf crowd, not a casual fallback.
Where can you spearfish in Rhodes?
Use the east-side lee in NW meltemi and keep clear of swimmers, excursion boats, harbours and moored vessels. Busy coves are legal only when distance rules can actually be met.
Spot
Type
Depth
Level
Access
Notes
Ladiko Wall / Bay
NE lee wall and bay
20-34 m
Moderate to deeper
Shore or boat
One of the best meltemi options, but Anthony Quinn Bay has heavy tour-boat traffic.
Kallithea Springs
Shallow reef in protected coves
4-12 m
Shallow, busy
Shore or boat
Accessible and protected, but swimmers and excursion boats can close the practical window.
St Paul's Bay, Lindos
Sheltered bay under Lindos
10-20 m
Calm-hour shore option
Shore
E/SE lee, but summer swimmers make timing and distance rules decisive.
Prasonisi
Two-sea tombolo cape
5-25 m
Advanced only
Shore
Very exposed on both sides, with strong wind, cross-current and windsurf activity.
Conditions and season essentials
The useful Rhodes windows are June and September to October. May is fully closed nationwide. In NW meltemi, the east and northeast coast is the normal answer; if wind or swell turns east or southeast, re-check even the sheltered bays. Greek rules require freediving only, forbid scuba or compressed air, and set the daily catch limit at 5 kg per person. Grouper-family fish have a separate max of 1 per 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).
FAQ
Which side of Rhodes is best in meltemi?
In NW meltemi, use the east and northeast coast around Ladiko, Kallithea and Lindos.
Is Prasonisi beginner-friendly?
No. It is exposed, windy and current-prone, with windsurf traffic on the west side.
Is spearfishing banned in May?
Yes. May is a total spearfishing ban throughout Greece (ΠΔ 373/1985), including Rhodes.
Do you need a licence?
No spearfishing licence has been issued since 2014. Check gov.gr for current registry requirements.
Is scuba spearfishing allowed?
No. Greek spearfishing is freediving-only; scuba and compressed-air gear are banned.
Portugal
Spain