Kea Channel · Greece · Wall · Reef
Macronisos Canyon
The canyon exit opens onto a wall that falls to 45 m
Area photo: Allan C. Green · Public domain
A rock canyon on the Makronissos side of the Kea Channel that begins at 5 m and runs down to about 27 m, opening at its far end onto a vertical wall that drops to 45 m. Breams school over the rock, groupers are everywhere on it and the walls carry colourful sponges, with Mediterranean monk seals reported occasionally.
Where it is and how deep
37.6711° N, 24.1211° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive starts shallow and inside the rock rather than above it. The canyon mouth sits at 5 m, so the descent is short, and from there you follow the cut as it deepens along its length. Colourful sponges cover the rock through most of it. The canyon bottoms out at about 27 m at its far end, which is where it opens out and the second half of the dive begins.
At the exit you turn southwest — right as you come out of the cut — and the ground falls away into a vertical wall that continues down to 45 m. That is past a recreational profile, so the wall is something to swim along rather than follow down. Watching depth here matters more than anywhere else on the site: there is no bottom in sight to stop you, so set a hard limit before you drop in and hold it.
The fish are concentrated where the structure is. Big groups of breams move over the canyon and along the wall face, and groupers are all over the rock, from the shallow end to the deep. Mediterranean monk seals have been reported at the site as well, a couple at a time, which is a sighting to take as a bonus rather than a reason to book the dive.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Reef fish swarms
- Seals & sea lions
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Prime | Good | Good | Prime | Good | Fair | Off-season |
Season follows Kea Channel: Expeditions run roughly May–October; the Aegean meltemi blows hardest in July–August and the strait closes over winter.
Know before you go
- The wall at the canyon exit runs to 45 m with no bottom in sight — set a hard depth limit before you drop in and stay above it.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Macronisos Canyon?+
The canyon itself runs from 5 m at its mouth to about 27 m at the exit. The wall you meet at that exit continues down to 45 m, which is past recreational depth, so a recreational dive stays on the canyon and the upper part of the wall.
What will I see at Macronisos Canyon?+
Big groups of breams over the rock, groupers throughout the canyon and along the wall, and colourful sponges on the rock. Mediterranean monk seals have been reported here occasionally.
Sources
- Macronisos Canyon — Scubago
In The Logbook
- Diving with seals and sea lionsBig animals · 17 min read
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