CalmBeach Greece
Snorkeling
Snorkeling beaches in Ithaca
11 snorkeling beaches in Ithaca: with clearer water and rocky seabed. Check live wind & waves for each beach on CalmBeach before you go.
- 11beaches
- 3with photos
Want clear water and rocks to explore in Ithaca? These 11 beaches are good for snorkeling, usually with clearer water and a rocky or mixed seabed. Visibility is often better on low-wind days — check wind and waves in CalmBeach first.
The beaches
The order is not random: rockier seabeds first, and among those the ones whose orientation leaves them less exposed — that is where the water tends to stay clearest. Check conditions before you go.
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Paralia Gidaki
White pebbles beneath white cliffs — Gidaki lies on the coast near Vathy, on the eastern side of Ithaca, a beach of snow-white pebbles that many count among the loveliest on the island…
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Mikri Poli
The little cove of Polis bay — Mikri Poli is a small cove in Polis bay, below the village of Stavros in northern Ithaca. It sits just west of the main Polis beach, with pebbles and…
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Afales
The northern bay of successive coves — Afales is a large bay in northern Ithaca, near the village of Platrithias, holding a string of pebble beaches with rocks. It opens toward the north…
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Paralia Skinos
The narrow cove where pines meet the sea — Skinos is a narrow cove east of Vathy on Ithaca, where pine trees come down to the water's edge. It lies within the bay of the same name, a rocky…
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Antri
Practically boat-only — the path down the mountainside is steep, long and easy to lose. No trees, no shade, completely deserted.
Photo credits
- Koutoupi: Евгений Лыков, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Ammoudi: CucombreLibre from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Plakoutses: Евгений Лыков, CC BY-SA 3.0
Good to know
Where do I snorkel when the north wind blows?
5 of the beaches listed here face away from all three northerly directions, based on their orientation: Paralia Gidaki, Paralia Skinos, Pera Pigadi and 2 more on this page. That usually means less chop and better visibility while the Meltemi is up — orientation is a strong hint, not a promise, so check wind and waves before you go.
Which beaches in Ithaca are good for snorkeling?
The beaches listed here have rockier seabed and clearer water, where you are more likely to see fish and underwater life. Conditions vary, so check the forecast before you go.
When is snorkeling more comfortable?
Snorkel close to shore when conditions are mild and avoid strong wind, waves or currents. Check live wind and waves in the app and follow any local flags.
When is the sea calmest here?
Across 11 of the beaches on this page, the open water in front of them is typically 0.37 m in June, 0.41 m in July and 0.38 m in August when the maistros is at its strongest, and 0.40 m in September. June is the calmest month of the season. We calculate these figures ourselves from European Copernicus wave-model data at 4.2 km resolution. They describe the sea offshore, not the shelter of an individual cove — a bay protected by a headland will usually be calmer than this.
How warm is the water, month by month?
Off 11 of the beaches on this page the sea is typically 19.2 °C in May, 22.7 °C in June, 25.0 °C in July, 26.4 °C in August and 25.1 °C in September — ideal at the height of summer, mild in June. By October it is 22.9 °C. August is the warmest month. Satellite measurements, 1995–2024, from a sea cell about 5 km offshore; shallow bays usually run warmer than this.
Wind and waves change every day. See live conditions for any of these beaches before you drive out.
Open the live map →