Hi Dezibel,
I 'm a greek diver (not in the diving business) and I 'm glad to provide you with info about diving in Greece...
itziar once bubbled...
We rented all equipment except for the masks, and it was about 350 euros p.p. for the package (10 dives + equipment). I did not notice other divers getting a better deal in person than what we got through e-mail.
Althought, it is possible to get a better deal in person, the foremenioned amount (350 euros / 10 dives) it's a very good deal. You can expect upto 450 euros according to low/high season and specific place. July & August are high season months while May, June & September are low season.
K J once bubbled...
Hi Dezibel,
If youre in the neighbourhood try Zakynthos. This is one of the few islands where your officially aloud to dive in Greece.
itziar once bubbled...
You apparently cannot rent the gear and go shore diving by yourself. We were informed by a local friend (a diver, but not in the diving business) that it is forbidden by law to do so. It has to do with the preservation of underwater archeological remains.
It's true that diving in Greece is forbidden by law, except for the places marked as 'free' by National Archeological Agency.
You can still ask for a map of the free areas, rent the gear and go shore diving. The law says if it is free, it is free for all. The problem is that most areas are not near the shore or there is no road to approach them, so you need to rend a small boat and to know were exactly to go.
Anyway, if you feel a bit adventurus or you like the freedom of non-group diving you can ask for a free-area map and specific info at the diving centers.
Many diving centers (most of them I think) are also certified PADI diving schools.
It's true that Zakynthos island has terrific blue waters of very high visibility:
http://www.united-hellas.com/tourism/zakynthos/diving/index.htm
Santorini is a volcano-generated island and it's such a wild beaty. My dive in the underwater part of the volcano-wall was one of my best dives ever: This is an almost vertical, large wall, starting at 12 meters (36 feet) and going down to 35 m. After a small horizontal surface, it is going down to the deep blue of chaos (200+ meters). Note that Santorini is also one of the most expensive greek islands, considering accomodation, restaurants, etc.
I highly recomend also diving in Milos island in a diving center coordinated by the excelent instructor John Havakis (an x-member of Jacques Coustau ship):
http://www.milosdiving.gr/html/02_milos.html
Island Crete (actually the biggest island of Greece) has also a large number of well organized diving centers and a lot of bautiful diving places.
You can also check the following urls for specific info about diving in Greece:
http://promo.gr/gr/Sports/Sea_Sports/Diving/
http://www.isdc.gr/
Enjoy your vacation in Greece and
H a p p y D i v i n g