Best places for Scuba Diving in Greece
Greece, with its crystal-clear waters, ancient ruins, and vibrant marine life, offers an unforgettable scuba diving experience. With thousands of islands scattered throughout the Aegean, Ionian, and Mediterranean Seas, there are plenty of unique and diverse dive sites waiting to be explored!
Scuba diving is a popular underwater activity that allows individuals to explore the fascinating world beneath the ocean's surface. Using equipment, including a mask, snorkel, fins, buoyancy control device (BCD), regulator, dive computer, and tanks filled with compressed air, you can experience the magnificent sensation of breathing underwater. There are different scuba diving activities according to your level. If you’re a beginner, you can discover scuba diving for the first time in a session with a qualified instructor. You can also take part in scuba diving courses to become a certified diver. If you have your diving qualification already, you can join a guided adventure dive. Check out our complete guide to scuba diving to learn more about this thrilling sport!
Scuba diving in Greece is a special experience, as the underwater world is teeming with fascinating sites waiting to be explored. If you’re visiting the Cyclades, Ionian or Dodecanese Islands in Greece, there is a diving site to suit your needs and experience! Here we have compiled a list of the best places for scuba diving in Greece.
1. Santorini
Starting with the Cyclades group of islands in the Aegean Sea, Santorini is a popular island located southeast of mainland Greece offering unique and unforgettable underwater experiences. Santorini is a volcanic island, resulting in a fascinating underwater landscape that you’re unlikely to encounter anywhere else. Divers can explore underwater cliffs, caves, and rock formations created by ancient volcanic activity. The submerged caldera walls offer dramatic drop-offs and overhangs, providing an exciting environment for exploration. The island boasts several dive sites suitable for divers of all levels, from beginners to experienced enthusiasts. The Caldera is one of the most popular dive sites, where you can explore the underwater cliffs of a submerged volcanic crater. Scuba diving in Santorini promises an unforgettable underwater experience!
2. Mykonos
Another island in the Cyclades offering beautiful underwater landscapes is Mykonos. Mykonos is most well-known for its party atmosphere and beach clubs, but it also boasts a wide variety of dive sites for every level. The underwater environment in Mykonos is home to rocky reefs and various Mediterranean marine species. The island's protected bays and coves offer shelter from strong currents and waves, making for comfortable and enjoyable diving experiences. Popular dive sites include Paradise Reef, Peloponisos Shipwreck, and Super Paradise Reef, each with its own unique features such as underwater caves, rock formations, shipwrecks, and colourful marine flora and fauna. Scuba diving in Mykonos is sure to leave you with unforgettable memories!
3. Ios
Ios is another picturesque Greek island located in the Cyclades group. This quieter spot offers many underwater treasures to be explored! Once again, scuba diving in Ios is suitable for divers of every level. Sites in Ios feature underwater caves, rock formations, and vibrant marine ecosystems. The visibility in the waters around Ios is excellent, often exceeding 20 metres (65 feet) on clear days. This creates optimal conditions for scuba diving. The island is known for its beautiful sandy beaches, such as Mylopotas Beach, which you can also explore before or after your diving excursion.
4. Paros
Paros is another island in the Cyclades which is also home to underwater beauty. Paros boasts a variety of dive sites around its coastline, catering to divers of all experience levels. Popular dive sites include the wreck of the M.S. Express Samina, the Elephant Cave, and the Peninsula Reef. These sites feature underwater caves, rock formations, and vibrant marine ecosystems teeming with life. Due to the volcanic activity in this area, there are several small reefs either protruding just above the surface or hidden a few metres below the surface, perfect for beginners. Scuba diving in Paros offers exciting opportunities to explore the underwater world of this stunning Greek island!
5. Zakynthos
The next group of islands worth exploring in Greece are the Ionian Islands. These islands are located in the Ionian Sea, off the western coast of mainland Greece. Zakynthos, also known as Zante, is one of the most popular islands in the Ionian group. Scuba diving in Zakynthos offers a captivating underwater experience, allowing divers to explore the island's rich marine life, underwater caves, and stunning reefs. The crystal-clear waters and abundance of easily accessible dive sites make this island an ideal location for scuba diving. There are dive sites for every experience level, the most popular include the Keri Caves, Navagio Beach, and the Blue Caves. These sites are home to vibrant marine life, fascinating shipwrecks, and unique underwater caves and rock formations.
6. Corfu
Corfu is the next island in the Ionian group known for its fascinating underwater world. Home to beautiful bays, shallow reefs, and deeper shipwreck sites, scuba diving in Corfu offers an experience for every diver. The warm temperature and clear visibility of the waters create perfect conditions for scuba diving. Corfu is also home to a diverse range of marine life that you may spot while diving, including colourful fish, octopuses, moray eels, sea turtles, and more!
7. Rhodes
The Dodecanese is a group of Greek islands located in the southeastern Aegean Sea, near the coast of Turkey. Rhodes is the largest island in the Dodecanese group and is also an excellent location for scuba diving. Like the other islands, it is home to diverse marine life, crystal-clear waters and many unique underwater sites. The most popular sites include Anthony Quinn Bay and Lindos, the second deepest spot in the Mediterranean Sea. At these unique dive sites, you can explore dramatic walls and caves, beautiful rock formations, and spectacular caverns. Scuba diving in Rhodes offers an unforgettable opportunity to discover the island's hidden treasures beneath the waves.
From the volcanic landscapes of Santorini to the pristine waters of Zakynthos, Greece offers a wealth of scuba diving opportunities for adventurers of all levels. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced diver, there's a dive site waiting to be explored in this Mediterranean paradise. Dive into the azure waters and discover the underwater wonders of Greece!