Diving the Sporades & NE Aegean | Parks, Forests & Caves

About Aegean – Sporades & North-East Aegean

The Sporades and the North-East Aegean are the green, pine-scented counterpoint to the bare Cyclades. Alonissos guards the National Marine Park, Europe’s largest protected sea area and a refuge of the monk seal, with steep walls and abundant fish. Skiathos and Skopelos offer gentle arches, reefs and corals ideal for training and relaxed diving, while the North-East Aegean islands of Lesvos, Chios and Samos add geological and cultural variety: Lesvos’ submerged petrified forest, Chios’ red-gorgonian walls and Samos’ light-filled tunnel. The region mixes pine forests, traditional villages and very clear water, and is a favourite for divers who want nature, easy conditions and a strong sense of "real" Greece away from the mass resorts.

Highlights

• ✓Alonissos Marine Park: monk-seal habitat with steep walls and groupers
• ✓The Arch (Skiathos): a shallow cavern and arch for training
• ✓Panormos Reef (Skopelos): corals, octopus and cuttlefish
• ✓The Petrified Forest (Lesvos): submerged fossilised tree trunks
• ✓The Tunnel (Samos): a swim-through cavern with light effects

Getting There

Fly into Skiathos (JSI) for the Sporades or Mytilene (LES, Lesvos), Chios (JKH) and Samos (SMI) for the north-east; ferries link the Sporades and run from Piraeus to the NE Aegean. A rental car covers the larger islands.