Paros & Naxos, the area around Labyrinth

Paros & Naxos · Greece · Reef

Labyrinth

Canyons and a swim-through that fill with nudibranchs late in the season

Area photo: kallerna · CC BY-SA 4.0

Labyrinth sits at the southern tip of Antiparos, 15 to 25 minutes by boat from Aliki depending on the source. It is a rock site of canyons to climb and a swim-through, listed for all levels with a maximum of 25 m. Late in the season the rock swarms with nudibranchs of several species; slipper lobsters are common, as are barracuda and seabream, with spider crabs and moray eels in the crevices.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Labyrinth: typical dive to 25 m (to 82 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit25 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

36.9386° N, 25.0716° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The boat ride from Aliki to the southern edge of Antiparos is 15 to 20 minutes by the catalogue's estimate and 25 minutes by the operator's. Descend onto the rock and follow the guide into the canyons, which are dived by climbing up through them, and through the swim-through. The operator lists 25 m as the maximum and the site for all levels, so the depth plan is agreed on the boat and the guide sets the route through the rock.

The crevices are where to look: spider crabs (Maja squinado) and moray eels (Muraena helena) sit in the cracks, and slipper lobsters are common on the rock. Late in the season the site swarms with nudibranchs of various species. Barracuda and seabream are around in the open water, so keep an eye off the rock between the canyons as well as on it.

Marine life and season

  • Nudibranchs
  • Barracuda
  • Macro critters
Month-by-month season rating for Labyrinth
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Off-seasonOff-seasonOff-seasonFairGoodPrimeGoodGoodPrimeGoodOff-seasonOff-season

Season follows Paros & Naxos: The Naxos centre opens mid-April to early November. The meltemi blows mid-May to mid-September, most constant in July and August, when boats keep to moorings sheltered from the north wind.

Questions divers ask

When is Labyrinth best for nudibranchs?+

Late in the season, when the site is described as swarming with nudibranchs of various species.

How deep is Labyrinth?+

The operator lists 25 m as the maximum depth and the site for all levels.

Sources

  1. Labyrinth — Scubago
  2. Les meilleurs sites de plongée de Paros — Cycladic Diving

More dive sites in Paros & Naxos

Pinnacle

A single rock out of a Posidonia meadow at 25 m, a hundred metres from Tripiti

to 25 madvanced

A 50-minute lap of a rocky islet a mile off Alyko Bay

to 30 m · max 34 mintermediate

A WWII heavy fighter at 33 m, found in 2007 after a year-long search

to 33 madvanced

Amphorae from a pirate-era wooden wreck below a current-free wall

to 25 mintermediate

The area's big fish: barracuda and amberjack schools off a wall from 10 to 40 m

10–40 madvanced

Wreck

A 1981 cargo wreck whose crane still breaks the surface; the bow section rests at 24 m

15–23 m · max 24 mintermediate

Ridge tops at 5 m, a Classical amphora, and amberjack hunting over the reef

5–20 m · max 25 mbeginner

Cave & cavern

Surface inside the cavern beneath live stalactites, lit by blue light from below

4–30 m · max 40 madvanced

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