Level: Free shore access This spot have a free shore access: you can go snorkeling there freely and without having to book a tour or pay an entrance fee.
This spot has been added by
18 spots added - 512 photos shared
Last updated on October 8, 2022
Alyko is a pretty beach on the southwest coast of Naxos. Lined with cedar trees and a nice chapel, it offers a typical setting appreciated by tourists and locals alike. The cove, sheltered and with translucent water, is ideal for exploring the island’s seabed. You will meet many fish underwater, such as wrasses, sars and rabbitfish.
Alyko is a small beach on the west coast of the island of Naxos, in the Cyclades. The site is easily accessible by car, following the road which ends in a cul-de-sac near the ruins of a hotel. 250m before the car park, you will see a road on the left which leads to the beach.
Get in the water from the beach, preferably on the right (on the side where the small white and blue chapel is) to be closer to the recommended snorkeling area.
In the recommended snorkeling area, the water depth does not exceed 10ft/3meters. The seabed is mostly sandy and rocky, with small seagrass beds. Some areas offer spectacular underwater landscapes, in which large slabs of rocks intertwine.
On the rocks, yellow sponges and black sponges can be seen here and there, while many sea cucumbers are lying on the sand. The seabed is visited by many fish: ornate wrasse, salema porgy, and several species of seabream are particularly common.
The warm waters of Greece have been colonized by several exotic species. This is also the case in Alyko, where two species of spinefoot, the dusky spinefoot and the marbled spinefoot, abound.
Alyko snorkeling spot generally offers a calm and translucent sea, and is well suited for kids and beginners.
There are a few restaurants along the neighboring Pyrgaki Beach, the first being located about 500m by foot from Alyko.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
