Scuba diving in Greece

There are so many dive sites among the Greek islands, it is better to highlight the best islands to visit for diving in Greece. Below are among the favorites:

Rhodes
Due to the excellent visibility and multitude of deep dives, scuba diving in Rhodes has become one of the most popular in the country.
Rhodes diving is characterized by the pristine turquoise waters, mysterious lagoons, warm water temperature, and stunning dive sites.
Dolphines, sea turtles, sting rays, and even a few different sightings of cat sharks have been witnessed in Rhodes dive sites. With such great visibility, many divers have come to Rhodes to take their underwater photography course.

Others have come to Rhodes to take specialized wreck diving courses because of easily accessible wrecks like Giannoula K.

Zante (Zakynthos)
Being just 20 kilometers from the west coast of the mainland, scuba diving in Zante has become very popular among the Greece diving community. Scuba diving Zante can be characterized by its rocky surfaces and tight fits.

One of the best areas to dive in Zante is the small town of Keri. Around Keri, there are 12 known dive sites ranging from wall dives to dark cave dives all with plentiful marine life. Some of the deeper, darker dives will require the use of a torch.

Crete
If you are interested in marine life, scuba diving in Crete is the thing to do. Just off its beaches, there are a variety of octupus, morays, and blackfish among hundreds of other species of life. The visibility of Crete scuba diving is second to none, especially in locations like Schinaria (or Skinaria) which is known as a top beach for diving in Crete.

Kefalonia
You can find relatively safe and simple dives along rocky coastlines while scuba diving Kefalonia. It is known for multiple shipwrecks and caves as well as a lively sea bed and dozens of gems to discover.

One can regularly dive in Kefalonia with visibility exceeding 40 meters which is quite rare in other places of the world.

Corfu
If diving in Corfu, expect rocks and reefs which create undersea havens for adrenaline junkies and macro-enthusiasts. These reefs and sea walls are perfect for divers of any experience and certification level.
Places like Paleokatritsa, on the northwestern side of the island, are known for their beach dives. In particular, Kolovri Beach seems to be a favorite for Corfu diving because of its reefs up to 40-meters deep and underwater archways.

Santorini
Diving in Santorini is well known for its volcanic substrate and underwater caves. Nea Kameni (which translates to ‘New Volcano’), in particular, is popular for its lava tubes and comparatively good visibility. 
The other highlight of Santorini scuba diving is above surface caves only accessible to divers. There are several caves in Santorini which even offer accommodation as a part of dive packages. Talk about a total escape from reality.

Generally speaking, diving in Greece costs about the same anywhere you are. It will certainly be cheaper if you package your dives. The more you dive, the cheaper it gets.

 

For beginners, you can expect to pay about 430 Euros for an Open Water Diver course. Those who want to go on to pursue their Advanced Open Water certification will pay roughly 320–330 Euros. 

 

A Rescue Diver Course will run you about 360 to 380 Euros. And to complete your Divemaster training, you can expect it to cost less than 1,000 Euros.

 

Discover scuba diving (for first-timers) will cost about 70 Euros and Fun Dives generally run around 40-50 Euros. 

 

Specialty courses can cost anywhere from 200 to 350 Euros depending on the interest area. 

There are no liveaboards in Greece and this policy is countrywide. However, you can always find small diving cruises to charter which represent the same idea as a liveaboard.