Sources:MeteoAlarm · Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2 — high confidence · data 04:41
Sources & confidence
Sources
MeteoAlarm · Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2
Method
spearo sea-state engine: consensus of up to 6 models + satellite clarity (ZSD) + buoy-bias checks
Freshness
Re-read every hour, per coast
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.
point your camera
0 m
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
MeteoAlarm no dataupdated 04:41
Exposed coast — Samos west (Limnionas) — solo, off the rocks
BEST WINDOW
best weather window · solo, stay careful, run the checklist · calm conditions: swell, wind and visibility all normal
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.
point your camera
−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: 3016 spots across 406 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
You work here only in the first hours after sunrise, before the wind sets in — by midday the point is nearly always chopped up. The best weeks are September and October, when the water is calmer and clearer than at the height of summer. May is closed outright, and by law the hunt ends at sunset.
tide
Level decides nothing here; the flow in the strait decides everything. Right off the point the water speeds up and swaps direction through the day, and after several days of meltemi a clear pull runs through the narrows. Watch your buoy before the first dive — wherever it goes, it will take you off the wall.
shelter
Cape Prasso is the island's east tip, a bare point with no bay behind it. There is no shelter here from anything: open to the north, open to the east, with only its own rock flank cutting the south. The only lee you get is when the wind comes off the land from the west, over the ridge.
conditions
You come here only in a flat calm or a light westerly, when the wall sits in the lee of the land. North and north-east build a short vicious chop on the point, and with the drop falling away the swell wrecks visibility right to the edge. In an easterly do not bother: it will drag you off the wall.
hazard
The wall under you drops past forty metres — black out on the way up and there is nothing to land on. Work with a partner and do not chase depth against the rock. Do not go east of the point: that is the median line and foreign water, and the coast is patrolled. Never enter the caves with a loaded gun.
access
Boat only: the point itself is cliff and there is no way down to it from land. About fifteen minutes from the Posidonio jetty, half an hour from Vathy. An anchor will not hold on the drop, so run a live boat with someone on the wheel. Plan your way back early — it is a long run from the point to any shelter.
Deep wall and caves at the E tip, 20–40 m+ — grouper/dentex on the blue drop. ⚠️ Deep, current, border. Boat.
An east-facing bay: light gets into the water early, and the first hours after sunrise are the best — fish still stand on the upper edge of the ledges. By midday the breeze is up and boats come into the cove. Season is June, then September and October, when the water is clearest. All of May is closed in Greece and night is banned.
tide
Tides barely count in the Aegean — the level moves ten to thirty centimetres. What counts is the water pulled through the Mycale Strait along this coast: at the head of the bay you hardly feel it, at the mouth between the rocky shoulders you do. After days of meltemi that flow gets noticeably stronger.
shelter
Kerveli is a deep notch in the east coast, closed on both sides by rocky shoulders. The north meltemi runs over the ridge above and barely reaches the water at the head of the bay. An east or south-east wind, though, sets straight into the throat and then the whole cove is choppy.
conditions
Come on a north or north-west wind: the ridge cuts the meltemi and the bay keeps flat water with visibility across the whole reef. A light south-west is fine too. On east or north-east, stay away: the swell hits the throat, lifts sand off the ledges and at ten metres you see three.
hazard
You are on a state border here: the Turkish shore is a couple of kilometres off, and the ferries from Vathy and Pythagorio to Kusadasi plus patrol boats run the strait. Never let yourself drift east past the shoulders of the bay. A buoy is mandatory and you stay within fifty metres of it; the dive centre's ribs also work this cove.
access
From Vathy it is asphalt over the pass, about fifteen minutes' drive, with parking right by the water next to the hotel and its dive centre — that is your landmark. You get in over pebble and slabs, so wear boots. Five to ten minutes' swim to the reef; the outer ridges near the mouth are easier from a boat.
Reef 10–30 m in a secluded E cove, dive centre nearby — the friendliest of the E-cluster entries. ⚠️ Faces the Mycale Strait. Shore/boat.
Get here first, before nine: after that the dive boats from Pythagorio start arriving and the site gets crowded. The season is long, June through the end of October, with the best light in September. May is closed nationwide, and night hunting is banned from sunset to sunrise, no exceptions.
tide
The tidal range here is token. Dive centres describe the site as mild current, which is true, but after heavy rain the Pythagorio plain sends a murky freshwater layer over the top, and in high summer past twenty-odd metres you drop into a cold layer near the bottom — the fish stand right on its edge.
shelter
Klima sits on the south-east coast and gets the north meltemi only after it has crossed the island ridge — the water under the rock stays workable even when the north blows for days. It is open to the south and south-east: as soon as the wind swings there, the wall loses its quiet side.
conditions
This is the all-round choice on the island: with north or north-west you can almost always come, and the wall runs clean from eight metres down to forty. A light easterly is workable. South and south-east push surge onto the rock, silt lifts out of the sand pockets at the foot, and the clear water turns into a murky carpet.
hazard
The real issue here is a bottom with history: an old anchor lies at twenty-five metres with scattered pieces around it, and a cannon sits at twelve. Lift nothing, touch nothing — if the patch is declared an underwater archaeological zone, a speargun becomes illegal on it. Pythagorio is close: stay out of the fairway and 200 m off harbour works.
access
From shore: asphalt along the south-east coast out of Pythagorio, leave the car above and scramble down the rocks to the water. The wall starts close in, so no long swim is needed. By boat from Pythagorio harbour it is ten to fifteen minutes, and that is easier if you want the deep part of the drop.
Rock/wall 8–40 m near Pythagorio (mild current) — sheltered, the easiest all-round Samos spot. Shore/boat.
Arrive at dawn and be finished by nine: these are organised beaches with tavernas and sunbeds, and after ten in summer there is no room left. The best months are June and then September and October, fewer people and clearer water. All of May is closed and night hunting is banned by law.
tide
The usual Aegean twenty or thirty centimetres of level actually matter when the whole ground is under eight metres: with a push out of the strait the water rises and clouds, on the way back it drops and clears. After a hard blow the sand hangs in the column for another day — waiting is pointless, go somewhere else.
shelter
The south-east shore of Samos lies behind the island's ridge, so the north meltemi arrives here already broken — which is why this side is the reliable summer lee. It is open to the south and south-east, towards the strait; with wind from there the shallow water goes cloudy within an hour.
conditions
You work shallow here — sand with rocky ends, from the waterline down to eight metres — so what decides the day is not the wind so much as the silt. With north or north-west the water is clean and stays that way. With south or south-east there is no point coming: the wave stirs the sand and visibility drops to arm's length.
hazard
Two hundred metres from swimmers is not a formality here — it decides where you may work at all: in summer the beaches are packed, plus paddleboards and rental boats. Nor can you push out to sea: out there is the strait, with a border and shipping. The band between those two bans is narrow — respect it honestly.
access
Asphalt from Pythagorio or from Vathy, about twenty minutes' drive, with parking straight behind the beach. The entry is over sand — the easiest on the island, you can put your fins on standing up. But from the water to the rocky ends, the only places worth working, it is three or four hundred metres of swimming along the shore, past the bathing area.
Sand with rocky ends, 0–8 m, on the SE coast — explicitly protected from the meltemi; mormyra/sargos/octopus on the soft bottom. Shore.
Katergo / Plakas ReefExposed coast — Samos west (Limnionas)
borderline
swell on the quarter today (city-level)
window
Work early: the western corner takes the breeze from mid-afternoon on, and by three the surface is already restless. The season is June, then September and October, when the water is warm and there is almost nobody on the shore. May is closed across Greece and night, sunset to sunrise, is out.
tide
The tide here is the usual Mediterranean one — a dozen or two centimetres, nothing to plan around. What you do count is the old west swell: it holds for another day after the wind dies and rolls the surface in a flat calm. A weak along-shore drift runs at the foot of the mountain; you read it off the buoy.
shelter
This is the western side of the same south-west corner, in the back yard of Mount Kerkis. The relief blocks the north wind here as reliably as at Limnionas, but the shore is turned further west, so anything arriving from west or south-west gets in unhindered and meets you head-on.
conditions
Come with north, north-east or east: the mountain holds the wind and the water along the shore stands still. With west or south-west, make no plans — the open corner takes the swell head-on, and below fifteen metres the silt hangs for another day after the wind has dropped.
hazard
The real risk here is emptiness. There is almost no road along this stretch, phone signal is patchy, and if something goes wrong help will come from the sea and not soon. Go with a partner and a boat covering you. Depth builds fast and there is no shelf under you, so plan the ascent with a margin.
access
The simple way is by boat: leave Ormos Marathokampou and run west along the shore — reckon half an hour to the outer rocks. A dirt track drops to Katergo, and it is better to walk the last part than to punish the car. Bring water, food and spare weights: there is nothing at all on the shore.
Reef 15–40 m in the SW/W corner — deep grounds, sheltered from the north. Boat (Katergo also shore).
Limnionas CapeExposed coast — Samos west (Limnionas)
borderline
swell on the quarter today (city-level)
window
This is the one corner where you can still work in the afternoon on meltemi days. Morning is better anyway: calmer water, no boats. Season is June, then September and October; August is busy and noisy here. All of May is closed by law, and the hunt ends at sunset.
tide
Nobody counts level here. What you count is the pull in the throat of the cove: between the cape and the shallows the water swings back and forth, gently, but you feel it working right against the rock. After a couple of days of hard northerlies the water in the corner turns over and comes up noticeably clearer next morning.
shelter
The island's south-west corner is where you go when the north has been blowing for days. The Kerkis massif, a kilometre and a half high, stands like a wall between you and the meltemi, and the cape by the cove sits in complete lee. It is open to the south-west and west — a long swell comes in from there.
conditions
Divers here report ten to thirty metres of visibility, around twenty on average, with only limited current. On north and north-east winds you come without thinking. On a south-westerly, stay away: the long swell lays surge onto the rock, sand lifts off the bottom, and the tunnel under the cape turns into a murky pipe.
hazard
In summer the cove holds pleasure craft and charter boats — the buoy is not paperwork here, it is the only thing that makes you visible from the surface. Keep two hundred metres off the swimmers on the beach. Do not go into the tunnel under the cape with a loaded gun: it is narrow, dark and there is no room to turn.
access
The road from Ormos Marathokampou runs across the south-west slope and the asphalt reaches the cove itself, with parking above by the tavernas. Two minutes from the car to the water, entry over rock and pebble; ten minutes along the shore to the rocky cape. Boats are rented right there if you want to reach the tunnel from the water.
Rock + underwater tunnel, 10–40 m, in the SW corner — the meltemi escape corner, sheltered from the north. Shore/boat.
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.
point your camera
≈
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
gilthead seabream
Sparus aurata · 2–20 m · EU 1967/2006
European seabass
Dicentrarchus labrax · 0–15 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).
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.
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.
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
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.
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).
Mediterranean parrotfish
Sparisoma cretense · 2–20 m · min 150 g
Eastern-Med delicacy (Crete/Dodecanese). No EU size — the 150 g minimum only.
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.
Local guide · Samos
Spearfishing in Samos: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Spearfishing in Samos is a south and southeast plan when N/NE meltemi is running. The north coast around Kokkari and Tsamadou becomes the wrong side, while Klima, Psili Ammos, Mykali and Pythagorio are more reliable. The east tip faces the Mycale Strait, only 1.6 km from Turkey, with current, traffic and border context. May is fully closed, no spearfishing licence has been issued since 2014, and legal hunting is freediving-only with a 5 kg per person daily limit.
TL;DR
Samos is steep and deep, with grouper, amberjack and dentex on rock and drops.
In N/NE meltemi, leave the north coast and use the south/SE lee around Klima, Psili Ammos and Mykali.
The east tip faces the Mycale Strait, with current, traffic and border context, so stay conservative.
Where can you spearfish in Samos?
Pick the lee before the name. The eastern walls are deep and strait-facing; the southern shore gives more practical meltemi options.
Spot
Type
Depth
Level
Access
Notes
Klima Bay
Rock and wall near Pythagorio
8-40 m
Best all-round choice
Shore or boat
Sheltered, with mild current, and easier to plan than the east tip.
Psili Ammos / Mykali
Sand with rocky ends on the SE coast
0-8 m
Shallow and gentler
Shore
Explicitly protected from meltemi, with mormyra, sargos and octopus on soft bottom.
Cape Prasso Wall
Deep wall and caves at the east tip
20-40 m+
Advanced
Boat
Grouper and dentex water, but deep, current-prone and border-facing.
Limnionas Cape
Rock and underwater tunnel in the SW corner
10-40 m
North-wind shelter
Shore or boat
A useful escape corner when meltemi shuts down the north.
Conditions and season essentials
The useful windows are June and September to October. May is a total Greek spearfishing ban. In N/NE meltemi, use the south/SE side and stay well west of the strait median line. Samos has deep walls, so freediving discipline matters: no scuba or compressed air is allowed, and the daily catch limit is 5 kg per person. No spearfishing licence has been issued since 2014, but registry checks on gov.gr still matter.
✓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 works in meltemi?
Use the south and southeast side, especially Klima, Psili Ammos and Mykali.
Is the east tip difficult?
Yes. Cape Prasso faces the Mycale Strait and has depth, current, traffic and border context.
Is May closed?
Yes. May is a total spearfishing ban across Greece (ΠΔ 373/1985), including Samos.
Do you need a licence?
No spearfishing licence has been issued since 2014. Check gov.gr for current registry requirements.
What fish are typical?
The local profile includes grouper, amberjack, dentex, sargos, octopus and soft-bottom fish near Psili Ammos.
