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WS007
Contributor
Has someone here information, or a link, about self-reliant scubadiving in Greece (I am asking for a friend)?
Thanks, Wolfgang
Thanks, Wolfgang
Self-reliant diving in Greece
- Thread starter WS007
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I wouldn't do that. Spearfishing with Scuba is a big NO. It is explicitly mentioned that if you scuba, there shouldn't be fishing tools even on your boat!!! And the law doesn't allow any exceptions for lion fish....I do plan on spearfishing for lionfish on my rebreather (and boat) when I make the move. I suspect the Hellenic Coast Guard will not be too concerned. The scientists I was working with last month said it likely won't be a problem.I saw several on pretty much every drive I was on around Kythera. Not a good thing when there are so few fish.
If they check on you after your dive and find you with 20 lionfish you will probably be fine. But if they check on you before your dive and find you with scuba and spear gun they won't believe that you are after lionfish (only). FYI your equipment (including the boat, rebreather etc) can and most probably will be confiscated.
Unless you get to know local authorities where you will be staying, and convince them they can trust you. Then it is a different story...
I've thought of bringing with me a sharp rod or something to just poke these b@stards whenever I see them, but I'm reluctant having sharp pointing things near me and my equipment.
I think @BojanD is questiong whether divers with certificates from less known Organizations are actually allowed to dive here - not for training.
The official requirement is that the diver has to have a certificate from a registered Organization. I asume that all the known organizations are registered.
For the one mentioned above:
- TDI/SDI seems to have an office: SDI/TDI Cyprus & Greece - International Training - SDI | TDI | ERDI | PFI
- PDA They mention in their website that they are active here: About us – PROFESSIONAL DIVING ASSOCIATION
- CMAS: "The Greek Diving Federation (ΕΟΥΔΑΤΚ)" seems to be affiliated/represents them and so on.
Hence @BojanD your friends will be fine with those.
I forgot about the last part. Informing the port authorities is not required for regular day dives (although it won't make any harm).
For night dives, local dive operators need to inform the coast guard, while independed (private) divers for night dives need to make prior arrangements to get an approval from the coast guard.
I forgot. A friend of mine from Bulgaria did get a certificate to solo dive in Greece some years ago. I'll ask him.
admikar
Contributor
Uuuuu, nepotism.....I like itEven if a member of the Hellenic Coast Guard (my cousin's wife's brother) is with me?
Not unique to Greece. But let's remember that the Med is largely fished out due to overfishing, dynamiting, etc.. now there is lionfish that need to be eliminated. The problem is that things in Greece move so slowly. No spearfishing on scuba is to protect the fish. But an exception needs to be made. However, containing that to just lionfish will likely be a problem.
admikar
Contributor
Tell me about it. In Croatia, you are not allowed to have SCUBA and spearfishing on a boat, no one ever considers the possibility to dive on SCUBA and then go freedive spearfishing (it's easier to outright forbid it than to make an effort to control it). Lionfish has already made it's way up half the Croatian coast (luckily so far only on outer islands).
Friend is right now fighting the hefty fine when maritime police found speargun on his boat left by his friend.
OT Warning: continuing to go OT.
It comes down to policing. I can't speak for Croatia, but while we like to make jokes about laws are merely suggestions in Greece, the reality is that the government is quite rigid and moves at a snails pace unless you bribe a sufficient number of members of parliament (the black sheep of my family, an uncle, paid huge bribes to get his daughter a job in parliament). That said, it is illegal to create artificial reefs, despite the fact that doing so correctly would be beneficial to the environment giving fish habitat as well as dive tourism. Look at the underwater museums in Cancun, Cyprus, the Azores, etc.. Try getting the same done in Greece. I know a guy doing so illegally on Crete and I hope he's doing a proper job. But it doesn't matter if something is good for the country. If there isn't a benefit for the politician, don't expect a lot of activity.
My hopes is that one day there are derbies like you have in the western hemisphere for going after lionfish and trying to bag as many as possible. I've read about lionfish going quite deep and there's no way sufficient number of people freediving is going to 60 meters to get them. That is rebreather territory. I don't know if a licensing program would need to exist. The rate of fish population decimation has to be slowed somehow. Now dusty groupers are great for going after lionfish, but someone spearfishing is going to shoot one of those over a lionfish. So besides breaking the law, I don't see how the problem can be reduced at all. Connections though are huge, especially if I have a dive center and give free training/diving to the local police and coast guard and show them the problem first hand.
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