Greece

Best Time to Dive in Greece

35.56°N 24.02°E

Go May to September once the water has warmed to 24 °C from 18. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. Diving holds up from May to October.

Best time
May–Sep
Water
16–27 °C
Visibility
20–35 m
Season runs
May–Oct
Dived from
day boat
Species logged
1

Where it is

Greece
25 kmN

111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m

Diving in Greece — monthly breakdown

Best months at this destination

A year of scuba diving conditions at a glance. Hover a month to isolate it.

Month by month conditions, water temperature, visibility and marine life
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
ConditionsPoorPoorPoorModerateGoodExcellentExcellentExcellentExcellentModeratePoorPoor
Water temp (°C)171616172023262725232119
Visibility (m)20–3020–3020–3025–3525–3525–3525–3525–3525–3525–3520–3020–30
Marine lifeQuietSteadySteadyQuietSteadyBusyBusyBusySteadyQuietQuietQuiet
Best timePeakPeakPeakPeakPeak
Excellent Good Moderate PoorPeak season May–Sep

Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.

The Greece diving season

4 seasons

April · Shoulder season

1 month
Water temperature
17–17 °C
Visibility
25–35 m
Rain
5 days a month

Diving conditionsExpect some swell. The wind is up. It rains less.

May to September · Peak season

5 months
Water temperature
20–27 °C
Visibility
25–35 m
Rain
3 days a month

Diving conditionsSeas stay mostly calm. It rains less. The wind eases.

October · Shoulder season

1 month
Water temperature
23–23 °C
Visibility
25–35 m
Rain
7 days a month

Diving conditionsExpect some swell. The wind eases.

November to March · Off season

5 months
Water temperature
16–21 °C
Visibility
20–30 m
Rain
10 days a month

Diving conditionsExpect some swell. It rains more. The wind is up.

  • Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
  • Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.

Greece water temperature and weather

276 underwater observation records · 16 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature

Water & weather

Greece water temperature by month

The dashed line is the monthly average. Eight days in ten fall inside the band.

1416182022242628JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecSea temperature (°C)

10th to 90th percentile rangemonthly mean

6
rough days a month

Seas top 1.5 m on 21% of days. Enough to cancel a day boat

1
blowy days a month

Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port

6
wet days a month

1 of them bring heavy rain

Monthly sea state, wind, rain, air temperature and daylight
MonthSwellGusts over 40 km/hWet daysHeavy rainAirDaylight
January2.5 m5%11315 °C9.8 h
February2.7 m5%10216 °C10.7 h
March2.6 m5%9217 °C11.7 h
April1.8 m3%5119 °C12.9 h
May1.6 m1%5123 °C13.9 h
June1.2 m0%2027 °C14.4 h
July1.5 m0%2030 °C14.2 h
August1.4 m0%2030 °C13.3 h
September1.8 m0%5127 °C12.2 h
October2.1 m1%7223 °C11.1 h
November2.0 m3%8220 °C10.1 h
December2.0 m3%12317 °C9.6 h

Swell is the rough end of the month: nine days in ten come in under it. Sea temperature covers 10 years, waves 4.

Pick your week

48 weeks from the daily record. Darker is better, against this site's own year. Pick a month for the detail.

Conditions by week, four weeks per month
Week 1January week 1: PoorFebruary week 1: PoorMarch week 1: PoorApril week 1: PoorMay week 1: ModerateJune week 1: ExcellentJuly week 1: ExcellentAugust week 1: ExcellentSeptember week 1: ExcellentOctober week 1: GoodNovember week 1: ModerateDecember week 1: Moderate
Week 2January week 2: PoorFebruary week 2: PoorMarch week 2: PoorApril week 2: PoorMay week 2: GoodJune week 2: ExcellentJuly week 2: ExcellentAugust week 2: ExcellentSeptember week 2: ExcellentOctober week 2: ModerateNovember week 2: ModerateDecember week 2: Moderate
Week 3January week 3: PoorFebruary week 3: PoorMarch week 3: PoorApril week 3: GoodMay week 3: ExcellentJune week 3: ExcellentJuly week 3: ExcellentAugust week 3: ExcellentSeptember week 3: ExcellentOctober week 3: ModerateNovember week 3: PoorDecember week 3: Poor
Week 4January week 4: PoorFebruary week 4: ModerateMarch week 4: PoorApril week 4: ModerateMay week 4: ExcellentJune week 4: ExcellentJuly week 4: ExcellentAugust week 4: ExcellentSeptember week 4: GoodOctober week 4: ModerateNovember week 4: PoorDecember week 4: Poor
Excellent Good Moderate PoorBest week to go: third of August

August, week by week

WeekConditionsWaterSwellWindRain chance
Week 1Excellent27 °C1.5 m16 km/h6%
Week 2Excellent27 °C1.5 m16 km/h8%
Week 3Excellent27 °C1.2 m15 km/h5%
Week 4Excellent26 °C1.2 m16 km/h6%

10 years of daily records, averaged into weeks.

Gear & storms

What to wear

Off the coldest water of each month, not the average — that is what the suit has to cope with.

Wetsuit thickness by month
JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember
SuitJanuary: 7 mmFebruary: 7 mmMarch: 7 mmApril: 7 mmMay: 5 mm +June: 5 mmJuly: 3 mmAugust: 3 mmSeptember: 3 mmOctober: 5 mmNovember: 5 mm +December: 5 mm +
  • Jan–Apr7 mm semi-dry
  • May5 mm with hood and gloves
  • Jun5 mm full suit
  • Jul–Sep3 mm full suit
  • Oct5 mm full suit
  • Nov–Dec5 mm with hood and gloves

Swell through the year

The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.

JanJanuary: 2.5 metresFebFebruary: 2.7 metresMarMarch: 2.6 metresAprApril: 1.8 metresMayMay: 1.6 metresJunJune: 1.2 metresJulJuly: 1.5 metresAugAugust: 1.4 metresSepSeptember: 1.8 metresOctOctober: 2.1 metresNovNovember: 2.0 metresDecDecember: 2.0 metres

Amber is over 1.5 m.

Tropical storms

No tropical storm has come within 250 km in 30 years of records. Swell and wind set the season, not cyclones.

  • NOAASea surface temperature, from OISST and MUR
  • ERA5Wind, waves, rain and air temperature, via Open-Meteo
  • OBISMarine species records within 60 km
  • IBTrACSTropical cyclone tracks, 1996 to 2025

Greece marine life — what you'll see diving

276 records within 60 km
SpeciesWhenObserved windowReliabilityEvidenceRecords
Loggerhead turtleJun–AugNear-guaranteed
14/16
269
Peak Present
Observed window
Months with records. Peak is where most of them fall.
Reliability
  • Near-guaranteed in 60% of surveyed years or more
  • Likely 30% to 60%
  • Hit-or-miss under 30%
Evidence
Years it was seen, out of the years anyone surveyed.
Records
OBIS sightings within 60 km.

These are sightings people logged, not a full survey of the reef. A species missing from a month may just mean nobody recorded one.

Diving Greece — common questions

When is the best time to dive Greece?
Go May to September once the water has warmed to 24 °C from 18. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month. Diving holds up from May to October.
When is the diving season in Greece?
The diving season in Greece runs May to October, and it is at its best May to September.
Is the diving in Greece good for beginners?
Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
How warm is the water in Greece?
Between 16 and 27 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in February and warmest in August. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
What wetsuit do I need in Greece?
A 7 mm semi-dry covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a 3 mm full suit is enough.
What is the visibility like in Greece?
Roughly 20 to 35 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
What will I see diving Greece?
The most consistently recorded species are Loggerhead turtle (near-guaranteed), from 276 records within 60 km.
Does Greece get tropical storms?
No. None has passed within 250 km in 30 years of records.
When should I avoid Greece?
December–January are the weakest months for conditions.
How do you dive Greece?
Mostly from day boats. Trips run through the season, May–Oct.