Greece

More a snorkeling than scuba diving site.
The 2 nearest rocks around the corner have some nice little swimtrough but it's a long swim from the shore.

Plakias area. "Galini" Taverna

Souda

Souda Beach

Crack in the middle shape a narrow tunnel on surface level.
Large rocks around.
Nice small cave on east side.
Bottom is sandy with large fields of posidonia.
There is anoter huge rock few meters south.  
That one with nice walls covered with red sponges and tube worms.
Long distance from shore.

Plakias area.

Souda Rock

More a snorkeling or shallow free diving site than scuba diving one.  
From shore you would have to carry your gear on a rocky steep path down and up to the road.

The most interesting part might be the tiny island, with a hole in the rock, the rare fish from the area swim around.  
Small Posidonia fields.

Seldom occupied beach.

Building under construction on the shore late summer 2012.

Beach visible from dirt road above

Souda Pierced Rock

Dragon's nose because this hill viewed from east side is shaped like a sleeping dragon , resting it's head in the sea.

Sand and posidonia grass bottom featuring large shells meeting a rocky area made of large pinnacles and large boulders, shallow small coves.
Lots of hiding spots for animals.
If protected from fishing, would be another amazing spot.

Great for beginners.



Dragon's nose

Wide Cave with 2 "halls" on the 22-20m bottom (sandy).
Long vertical chimney with some entrances for sunlight. 
Entrance walls well decorated.
Sandy bottom with posidonia fields in front of the cave.

Boat can be easily anchored in the southern bay (5-6m depth)
Cave entrance is at about 20m depth.
diving up on the northern wall brings you on some kind of "steps", trough nice little canyons with wide cracks.
Return to the anchorage bay passing over the cave trough the slowly released bubbles trapped on its ceiling.

Kalypso, Plakias

Chimney Cave

Large dark cave with several openings giving nice atmosphear with sunlight going trough.
Pretty empty walls.
I believe the only DC that goes there is Dive2Gether from Plakias.
Possible also to reach from east end of Plakias beach but it is a looOOOong way :)
Outside the cave is basically a wall from surface to +-20m on a boulders/sand floor.



Plakias Cave

Highlight might be a large Crack around 20m with a few rooms filled with thousands of shrimps. 
Walls covered with a lot of different sponges and false coral. 
Entrance decorated with abandoned net.

Dramatic landscape with canyons, cracks and vertical walls.
Feeling of flying over mountain ridge.
Shallower parts covered with growth.  
Lot of fish activity
I believe the only DC that goes there is Dive2Gether from Plakias.

Possible also to reach from Kalypso behind the pool but it is an extremely looOOOong way :)




Cape Plakias-Kalypso

Not worth a scuba dive, might be ok for a one shot snorkeling or shallow free diving session if you are not too demanding ... or just lucky 

Extremely shallow posidonia patches and fields. 
Some rocks sticking out the sand.
The usual suspects of the sandy area and sometimes flute fish.

The Kotsifou canyon above Plakias is channeling North winds and it can create southward waves and current.



Plakias Beach - East End is also known as Nudist Beach.

Plakias Beach - East End

Alternative entry/exit point in Kalypso Cretan Village.
Check carefully waves before entering and wathever your experience is, please DO NOT TRY TO EXIT there when wavy : the rock configuration and stairs make it really dangerous for anyone and his equipment !!
Be careful with slippery ramps by the swimming pool.

- to East side 
Possibility to exit the water in the bay, passing by a shallow (5-10m) 'white rocks' area (very colorful) then big boulders area and drop offs.

- to West side:
An 'Eiffel Tower' at 8m made out of junk too heavy (lazy) to take out.
Interesting overhang rock 10m.
Short shallow cavern.
Wonderful cracks/overhang 25-40m.
Boulders area.
Few remains of an antique wreck (to be guided, very hard to find by oneself).  

- to South 
Gentle slope with small Posidonia fields  

'secondary' entry/exit place which is located on the back of the swimming pool (that exit practicable only at calm sea).
The stairs drop directly on a gentle slope of rocks and posidonia fields. 

Yet another seascape leading us to a shallow cavern that used to be home of a monk seal.  From the darker end of the cavern we can enjoy the beautiful blue light coming in.

- Further west is similar to the Swimtroughs Area only in the general plateau/drop off walls configuration :
No swimtrough here but the wall feature one fantastic OverHang at 35m, covered with yellow anemones, coral, sponges and decorated outside by long forgotten fishing nets. 
The plateau offers interesting rocks shapes and for the easy breathers, even an antique Wreck with remains of bulk green glass and amphori as well as a few unidentified parts of the ship.


Direction "Kalypso Cretan Village"

Kalypso - Back of Swimming Pool is also known as Glass Wreck, Eiffel Tower, Corner Cavern.

Kalypso - Back of Swimming Pool

Very easy access to the water trough a platform a few cm above sea level. Feeling of free falling between vertical walls and drop off.

Diving area from East to West,

- From surface to VERY deep : steep Walls partially covered in weeds or sponges and featuring cracks of various shapes and sizes.
This is the best area to hope for special encounters from the blue (large tuna, school of jacks, sting ray,...)

- The Canyon :  2 vertical walls dropping off on a sandy stripe from 20m to 60m.  Remains of a fishing boat lay there nearby an easy and beautiful swimthrough. Since spring 2014 also the wreck of a mini van.

- The Kalypso Bay, legendary pirates' hideaway with it's hundreds of comfortable living places for small fish and other creatures. Bottom is made of rocks and boulders on a gentle slope until 20m. The sheltered configuration allows diving almost any day between May and November.

We enter the bay mainly trough a tiny "fjord" (0-3m depth) which is obviously a nursery for many species and most probably the richest area animals-wise. So many life forms that the very first or last minutes of any given dive might provide a pleasant surprise.

- Just around the west corner of the bay is the Swimtroughs Area :  large boulders are shaping a few short tunnels and caves at a maximum depth of 25m. Wide enough and easy to swim trough, those are refuges for lobsters, groupers, breams,... Shallower than those big rocks formations is a Plateau fully covered with algea in which sea urchins, shells, crabs, moray eels and octopuses are hiding. Experienced divers will get to explore the Walls facing the deep blue where it is not rare to spot dentex hunting smaller fish. 
Under our fins, the first visible sandy ledges at 40m...

- This area can be visited also from our 'secondary' entry/exit place which is located on the back of the swimming pool (that exit practicable only at calm sea).

Direction "Kalypso Cretan Village" near Plakias
Private road access in a resort, usually closed in winter time.
There is a Dive Center running all activities from March to November

Kalypso Walls is also known as Kalypso Rock's Palace.

Kalypso Walls

- Interesting cave tunnel 16 to 22m filled with shrimps during daytime. Can be VERY narrow depending on sand configuration, be extra careful. 

- Cave with old fishing net 6 to 8m

- Interesting seascape : deep canyons, mounts, widespread grasslands, flat stones, etc.

- Have seen once school of several hundreds barracudas. Turtle if lucky.

Better be guided, can be boring going randomly.

Use a surface buoy when close to harbour, fast and uncaring boat traffic. 

From road Lefkogia - Plakias take direction Kalypso Cretan Village
after 500m, left turn on a very small road towards small fishing harbour 

Old Damnoni Harbour is also known as Damnoni Bay West Side.

Souda Beach

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Souda Beach