Diving on the Greek island of Lesbos comes down to short speedboat runs to volcanic reefs and rocky islets. Feggameni and Mirmigi Reef lie minutes off Petra, Kavalouros off Sigri mixes small caves and arches with petrified tree trunks, and two sponge-lined caves, Fara and Agios Vasileios, are reached by boat from Charamida. The Korakas wreck in the north adds amphorae to a menu of rock reefs and caves.
About diving in Lesbos
A diving day on Lesbos is a string of short speedboat runs rather than long crossings. The reefs off Petra are about 5 minutes from the port, Kavalouros is the same distance from Sigri, and Fara is about 20 minutes from Charamida. At Fara the boat anchors on the east or the west side depending on the wind, each over a shallow plateau that makes for an easy descent.
The reefs are volcanic rock, with large rocks and steep vertical formations rising from the bottom. Inside the two caves the walls are coated in red, yellow and orange sponges with bryozoans, ascidians and small soft corals, and around Fara the reef holds saddled and white sea bream, bogue, parrotfish, damselfish and moray eels.
The island suits relaxed reef diving and a first taste of caves. Mirmigi Reef usually has no current, and Kavalouros splits into routes of 5–10, 5–15 and 5–25 m, so novices and experienced divers can dive it together. The caves set the bar higher: Fara needs a torch because little light enters the cave, and the Agios Vasileios cave takes only 3 to 4 divers at a time, all holding strict neutral buoyancy. Divers after a deep site can follow Feggameni down to about 40 m.
Best time to dive Lesbos
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Boats run from April or May to October, while the sea warms from about 15 °C (59 °F) in April to 25 °C (77 °F) in August.
Best months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October
Dive types & marine life
Groupers are very likely below 15 m in the rock channels off Sigri and in the deeper parts of Feggameni. Shoals of saddled bream, goldlines and picarels meet divers in the first minutes on Feggameni and Kavalouros, nudibranchs hide between the rocks, and tuna, snappers and amberjacks pass Agios Vasileios.
- Reef
- Cave & cavern
- Wreck
- Groupers
- Reef fish swarms
- Nudibranchs
- Tuna
- Trevally & jacks
Best dive sites in Lesbos
- 1
Feggameni Reef
Reef near the islet of Agios Georgios off Petra, with groupers where it deepens to 20–30 m.
- 2
Kavalouros Reef
Islet reef off Sigri with small caves, arches and petrified tree trunks.
- 3
Fara
Sponge-walled cave entered through a narrow mouth at 18 m that widens inside.
- 4
Mirmigi Reef
Large volcanic reef off Petra with a labyrinth of corridors at about 6 m.
- 5
Agios Vasileios
Cave islet 10 minutes by speedboat from Charamida; the recess opens at 23 m.
- 6
Korakas Wreck
Wreck in the north of the island at 15–30 m, with amphorae and a large anchor.
Site guides
Cave & cavern
A cave that climbs from 23 m to 12 m inside an islet wall
Cave & cavern
A round cave chamber lined with red, yellow and orange sponges
Reef
Groupers along the deeper rocks of a reef off Petra
Reef
Petrified tree trunks among small caves and arches off Sigri
A shallow labyrinth of volcanic corridors for the safety stop
How to get to Lesbos
Odysseas Elytis airport lies around 8 km south of Mytilene, and car ferries also cross from Ayvalık on the Turkish mainland. Dive boats leave from Petra, Sigri and Charamida, and a dive centre works from Skala Eressos.
Dive videos
Scuba Dive Lesbos Greece with GoPro diving housing · wiibart on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What certification do the Lesbos caves need?+
Fara is recommended for divers of at least Open Water level. Agios Vasileios is an Advanced dive: the descent drops straight down the wall into blue water, with buoyancy adjusted every 2–3 m.
Which months do the dive boats run on Lesbos?+
Feggameni Reef off Petra is dived from April to October, while the Fara cave islet is dived from May to October, so an April trip suits the Petra reefs better than Fara.
Can divers reach Lesbos from Turkey?+
Yes. Car ferries from Ayvalık on the Turkish mainland take 90 minutes and sail daily in summer.
Sources
- Black Rock Lesvos Dive Centre — Black Rock Dive Centre
- Mirmigi Reef — Scubahellas
- Feggameni Reef (Petra) — Dive in our Islands
- Fara (Tarti) — Dive in our Islands
- Agios Vasileios Islet (Gera) — Dive in our Islands
- Kavalouros Reef (Sigri) — Dive in our Islands
- Lesbos — Wikivoyage
- Lesvos Scuba Oceanic Centre — taucher.net
- Best time to swim in Mytilene: water temperature by month — SeaTemperatu.re
Embed
Run a dive centre, club or blog? Embed this map of 5 dive sites near Lesbos on your own page.
Similar destinations
Four thousand Classical amphorae still stacked on the seabed at 25 m
A 40 m wall under the monastery filmed in The Big Blue
Reserve reef diving at Cerbère-Banyuls, France's first marine reserve
A hot spring vents into the sea off Karaada's caves