Diving from a boat for certified divers in Antiparos

Antiparos is a small paradise in the center of the Cyclades islands and only 5 minutes from Paros. With its golden sandy beaches surrounded by crystal clear waters, the Island is ideal if you want to escape from the usual holiday crowds, but it can also provide a perfect combination of quality diving and adventure. Whatever you desire, Antiparos is a friendly, relaxed haven of peace and outstanding natural beauty.

During the boat ride, you will enjoy the island’s landscapes and as soon as we arrive at the dive spot we will brief you about the dive. There are many different diving spots to choose from: 

Express Samina:

This 115 meters RO-RO ferry tragically sank after hitting some rocks in stormy weather during the evening of September 26th, 2000, resulting in the loss of 82 lives. Lying on its starboard side at a depth of 34 meters, this is best appreciated over a number of dives. You can still see cars inside the main vehicle hold, along with many other items from the daily operation of the ship. This wreck is always treated with respect and consideration.

Tourna:

This small Island has the added attraction of the church of St Nicholas, The Patron Saint of Antiparos, built upon it.  The dive itself starts over a nice sheltered lagoon where we drop into very shallow water and are able to get our buoyancy and kit together before descending down to a maximum depth of 16 meters. This site is regularly visited by large schools of Amber Jacks as well as Barracuda if we are lucky. On regular dives here we go looking for Octopus, Moray Eels, and Scorpionfish.

Paderonisi Cavern:

Situated a short 15 minutes away from the Dive Centre, this cavern is the only one around this area where you can surface inside and remove your regulator and mask. Depending on your level of experience, we enter through one of three ways: a tunnel, a hole, or the main opening. The inside is illuminated via the large entrance that allows enough light in to see the many strange forms of stalactites and formations that drop down from the ceiling. Everybody that visits always wants to return for another trip.

Mick Jaggers Lips:

This dive site, on the south of Antiparos, is only visited by our Dive Centre, so we are guaranteed to have the complete reef to ourselves.  It is a haven for Octopus and Morays and swimming over a couple of big canyons you may also be able to find Lobsters hiding. The dive culminates at a big bed of Amphora left abandoned for 2000 years; take a look inside some of the pots, for you never know what marine animal may have made their home there.

The wall:

This dive, which is along part of the island’s coastline, gradually slopes down to 35m. Along the wall big rocks give shelter to all kinds of Mediterranean fish; Groupers, Moray Eels, Scorpionfish, and big shells are to be seen on this site. The wall at 18 meters depth is covered with coral, sponges, and tube worms in abundance and make it an ideal end to the dive.

Shipwreck Manna:

The 70m long shipwreck which sank in the year 1884, sits upright at a depth of 30 meters. As you descend into the blue, you see the shadow of the boat with a big pipe lying along its center. Great visibility gives you the opportunity to explore the wreck more closely and discover its secrets

Bubble Reef:

This dive starts on a plateau which is at a depth of 5 meters. Following a steep drop-off, we find a narrow canyon through which we swim along. And a few meters later a beautiful cavern with colorful walls is waiting for us to discover the hidden treasures in its many tiny crevices. Here the rock formations have created a huge hole where the sun rays pass through. Our ascent will be carried out through the ceiling hole and on the way back to the boat we’ll watch the bubbles coming through the caverns' pores.

The Canyons:

On descending we begin swimming through the canyons which are the main attraction of the site. These canyons are the home to many critters that like to hide here. These include Lobsters, Octopuses, Morays, and Crayfish, so be sure to look in the many crevices and holes along the way. Out in the blue, you may be lucky to see schools of Barracuda and Amber Jack Tuna swimming by on their way to deeper waters.

Barracuda Point:

Barracuda point is a reef that rises from depths up to 12 meters. At 20 meters there are large rocks, walls, and a small canyon. Around it, we may see thousands of small fish and very often Barracudas, Groupers, and Stingrays.

Stingray Point:

After the descent, we swim to the reef’s edge at 5 meters, enjoy the view, and then go down to 18 meters and swim along the wall. Thousands of small fish swim around us while we stay on the lookout for Tuna and Stingrays. At 25-30 meters (advanced divers) we can see Groupers and lots of colorful Anthias.

Cathedral:

Incredible rock formations and a wide swim through give The Cathedral its name. Walls covered with hundreds of colorful sponges are the main attraction of this site, where we light the torches, enjoy the colors, and watch the fish swimming out there in the blue.

Red Rock:

Red Rock is a large piece of volcanic rock jutting out of the sea just a 10-minute boat ride from our Dive Centre. The formation has a reddish color to it, hence its name. The bottom of the main base is at 12 meters, but swimming around it can take you to almost 30. With plenty of nooks and crannies and a swim-through along the way, you are guaranteed at least a couple of Morays hiding in their holes.

St Spiridon:

Built on the top of a rock, the church dedicated to St Spiridhon commands amazing views of the North of Antiparos and across to Parikia, Paros. There is always time to climb up there during our surface interval as we usually try to make this our first dive of the trip. Mooring up in a sheltered bay just 5 meters deep we enter the water and swim past a small cavern which can be explored, then onto a small outcrop of rocks where a growing number of Groupers have taken up residence.

Diving from a boat (including equipment):

• 65 euros / person for 1 dive
• 85 euros / person for 2 dives
• 160 euros / person for 4 dives
• 235 euros / person for 6 dives
• 310 euros / person for 8 dives
• 380 euros / person for 10 dives

Night diving: 60 euros / person

Wreck ship dive: 60 euros / person