Snorkeling adventure in southern Crete in November

Voulolimni, Crete

 Last November, we went to Crete, Greece, to celebrate my wife's birthday.


After some planning, we decided to spend more time in the south of the island, as it was supposedly more sheltered from the wind at that time of year, ideal for snorkeling.


As I explained in a previous article, this decision turned out to be wrong, as the north coast was calmer, and we had the best snorkeling of the trip in Plataniás:





Our base in the south was Palaiochora, a calm town that we loved and want to return to.


Nevertheless, despite the sea being rougher in the south, we ended up snorkeling in two places, and I'll tell you about the experience.


Viena Beach:


With the rougher sea in the south, it was necessary to look for more sheltered spots, and our hostess at the hotel suggested Vienna Beach.


Reaching it required a walk, but that was part of the charm.


We started at Krios Beach, and I don't remember how long it took us because we were going very slowly, observing the calm landscape and the various herds of goats that kept appearing.



When we arrived at the spot, we realized that despite the rougher sea, part of Viena Beach was almost enclosed, allowing for snorkeling.




Here's a video of the snorkeling at Viena Beach:





Voulolimni:



The other snorkeling spot in the south was discovered by chance. We were heading from Palaiochora to Elafonisi beach, famous for its pink sand along the water's edge.


On the way, as we reached the sea, we started seeing some sheltered spots that offered some protection from the rougher sea.


We began exploring these spots and found Voulolimni, a practically enclosed circle of rocks.



During our snorkeling session in the shallow, clear waters of Voulolimni, I observed delicate, lilac-toned underwater vegetation growing along the rocks.



Here's a video of snorkeling in Voulolimni:




After snorkeling, we continued on to Elafonisi beach, where we saw the famous pink sand.



The atmosphere in the south of the island is calm and relaxed, and with the more favorable conditions that a summer trip certainly provides, it's an excuse to return to mythical Crete and its south.

Location: Creta, Grécia

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