CalmBeach Greece
Snorkeling
Snorkeling beaches in Naxos
7 snorkeling beaches in Naxos: with clearer water and rocky seabed. Check live wind & waves for each beach on CalmBeach before you go.
- 7beaches
- 2with photos
Want clear water and rocks to explore in Naxos? These 7 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.
-
Ammitis
The shore the north wind works — Ammitis is one of the wide open shores of north-west Naxos, exposed to the meltemi — which is why its sand is coarse and the water is rarely glass.
-
.jpg&width=400)
OrkosThe coves between two big beaches — Orkos is not one beach but a series of small sand-and-rock coves between Plaka and Mikri Vigla on the west coast.
-
GrottaThe ruins under the water — At Grotta, below the town of Naxos, the remains of a submerged Mycenaean settlement can be made out in the shallow water — the name means "cave"…
-
Azalas
The cove past Moutsouna — Azalas is a small pebbled cove on eastern Naxos, just past Moutsouna, where the water deepens quickly.
-
Chilia Vrysi
A thousand springs — The name Chilia Vrysi — "a thousand springs" — comes from the water that runs down here, unusual for a Cycladic shore, where fresh water is the rule…
-
Rina
By boat only — Rina has no road: you reach it only by boat, on the south-east coast of Naxos. That is why it never appears in our suggestions when it blows hard.
Photo credits
- Orkos: brunobarbato, CC BY 3.0
- Grotta: Manfred Werner (Tsui), CC BY-SA 4.0
Good to know
Where do I snorkel when the north wind blows?
3 of the beaches listed here face away from all three northerly directions, based on their orientation: Orkos, Paralia Klido, Rina. 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 Naxos 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 7 of the beaches on this page, the open water in front of them is typically 0.90 m in June, 1.14 m in July and 1.14 m in August when the meltemi is at its strongest, and 0.99 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 7 of the beaches on this page the sea is typically 18.7 °C in May, 21.7 °C in June, 23.3 °C in July, 24.0 °C in August and 23.6 °C in September — mild at the height of summer, mild in June. By October it is 21.5 °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 →