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Freediving in Plakias
A small village on Crete's Libyan Sea coast, backed by the Kotsifos and Kourtaliotiko gorges. The seabed off the nearby Schinaria beach drops fast enough for depth training within swimming distance of shore, which is why Crete's freediving happens here rather than on the resort north coast.
Why here
Crete's freediving happens on the south coast, not the resort north. Plakias is a small Libyan Sea village where the seabed drops fast enough that a training line to 30 meters hangs off the shore at Schinaria, fifteen minutes down the coast, and the boat sites run to 50. That geography is the reason to come: most Mediterranean freediving means a long boat ride to find depth, and here it is a walk into the water. The scene is one school and a handful of divers rather than a season-long circuit, so training is coached in groups of three or fewer instead of a line queue. The Libyan Sea also holds its warmth later into autumn than the Aegean, which makes the south coast the part of Greece where you can still be doing depth work after the meltemi has shut the islands down.
Best months
Shore training runs off Schinaria, a fifteen-minute drive from Plakias, with a buoy and line set to a maximum of 30 meters. Boat sessions leave the local marina, reach the sites in about ten minutes and run lines to 50. The south coast sits in the lee of the island when the meltemi blows from the north, which is what keeps it diveable while the Aegean is blown out. Groups are capped at three for shore and boat work, coaching runs one to two divers, and general classes hold a maximum of four students per instructor. Training is offered year-round, though winter water wants a thicker suit and a settled forecast.
Getting there & around
Fly to Chania or Heraklion, both roughly 90 minutes to two hours from Plakias by road, with Rethymno the nearest town at about 40 minutes. A car is worth having: the village is small, the training beach is a separate drive along the coast, and south-coast bus service is thin. Plakias is a low-key village of tavernas and rooms rather than a resort strip, and it stays open outside high summer. Book courses ahead, since the school runs small groups and fills them. Note that this is the opposite side of the island from Elounda and the Gulf of Mirabello, so treat the two as separate trips rather than a day out.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (1)
Freedive Crete
SchoolCrete's dedicated freediving and spearfishing school, based in Plakias on the south coast and certifying under Molchanovs and SSI. Shore training runs a buoy and line to 30 meters off Schinaria; boat sessions from the local marina reach 50. Deliberately small, with shore and boat groups capped at three and one-to-one or one-to-two coaching available, which is a different proposition from the resort dive centers on the north coast.
Also good for freediving in July:
Torn between Plakias and Kaş for July?
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