Diving the North Aegean Islands

The North Aegean Islands region does not refer to a specific chain or group of islands or even islands just owned by Greece. It really just denotes a group of islands in the north Aegean Sea closer to the Turkish mainland than to Greece.

The larger Greek islands include Lesvos, Samos, Chios, Ikaria and Thasos and the smaller ones include Agios Efstratios, Fourni, Psara, and Inousses. Across these islands the diving is so varied, from dramatic sea walls to caverns and wrecks, and locals still haven’t tapped the region’s full diver potential.

Samos and Chios offer the most interesting diving clusters while Lesvos may have the most. Chios is famed as a destination for some of the best dives in Greece, there is real mix of natural highlights and wrecks – head to the aptly-named Great Wall for the best introduction to the area. For its part Lesvos is still not completely discovered as a dive destination as has some great dive sites that can be reached from the shores, while Thassos has several well-known dive sites and Palios is surrounded by wonderful reefs. The islands are quite far away from each other though, so plan your trip carefully as you won’t be able to dive them all.

The descriptions provided here are intended as general information and personal experiences related to specific dive sites and locations and should not be construed as definitive advice or recommendations. Before diving, please confirm that diving is permitted at your chosen location, and comply with all relevant local laws, regulations, and posted signage. The responsibility for verifying the legality of the dive and assessing any associated risks rests entirely with you.