Reef
down to 25 m
Dia's Rock
A calm bay reef sloping from 5 to 18 m where sardines, sea breams and damselfish often form a cloud, plus a WWII mine shell.
- Open Water
- Barracuda
Crete
Diving in Greece
12 documented dive sites, 7 of them for Open Water divers. Known for stingrays, barracuda and sardine.
- Best months
- Jul–Sep
- Water
- 17–27 °C
- Levels
- Open Water, Advanced, Experienced, Technical
- Nearest airport
- HER
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Crete in October
Good season- Sea
- 25 °C
- at the surface
- Air
- 26 °C
- 17 °C at night
- Rain
- 20 mm
- one of the driest months
- Wind
- 6 km/h
- on average
The windiest month.
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
Operator season: Diver's Club Crete (Agia Pelagia) is open April to beginning of November. Jul–Sep is shown as best because the same operator's table gives the warmest water (24–27 °C) then; Nov–Mar is shown as possible (not closed) because only one operator's closure is sourced, not a destination-wide closure. No source gave an explicit best-season statement.
Dive sites in Crete
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Open Water friendly
usual dive down to 18 m7 sitesWall
down to 35 m
Kalypso Walls
- Open Water
- Stingrays
Reef
down to 30 m
Kamini
A wind-protected reef near Agios Nikolaos with no waves or currents and an ancient 2 m anchor at 14 m.
- Open Water
- Octopus
For Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m1 siteFor experienced divers
usual dive down to 40 m2 sitesTechnical and specialty dives
2 sitesMarine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CrustaceansSource: diversclub-crete.gr |
- Peak season
- Seen
Crustaceans: Apr–Jun
Also reported here, season not documented yet:
- Stingrays
- Barracuda
- Sardine
- Trevally
- Cuttlefish
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus
- Scorpionfish
- Groupers
- Lionfish
- Moray eels
- Snappers
- Dolphins
- Seals
- Turtles
- Tuna
- Seahorses
Where is Crete?
- Nearest airport
- HER
Crete: frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Crete?
- The best months to dive Crete are Jul–Sep. Operator season: Diver's Club Crete (Agia Pelagia) is open April to beginning of November. Jul–Sep is shown as best because the same operator's table gives the warmest water (24–27 °C) then; Nov–Mar is shown as possible (not closed) because only one operator's closure is sourced, not a destination-wide closure. No source gave an explicit best-season statement.
- Is Crete good for beginner divers?
- Yes, partly: 7 of the 12 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Dia's Rock, Daedalos and Kalypso Walls. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
- What is the water temperature in Crete?
- The water is usually between 17 °C and 27 °C over the year.
- What marine life can you see in Crete?
- Divers regularly see stingrays, barracuda, sardine, trevally, crustaceans (Apr–Jun) and cuttlefish.
- How do you dive Crete?
- The nearest airport is HER.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash