Paxos is a paradise for beach lovers and snorkeling enthusiasts alike. With its crystal-clear waters and diverse marine life, the island offers numerous spots where you can enjoy snorkeling without needing a boat. In this guide, we’ll explore the best beaches in Paxos for snorkeling and the fascinating underwater creatures you can encounter.
There are many good snorkelling locations around Paxos. Below is a selection of the best spots that you can reach without a boat:
Marmari Beach
Marmari offers good, safe snorkelling along the rocks at either side of the beach. If you are feeling a little more adventurous, you can swim up the right side of the bay and head around the corner where you will find a nice swim through an ‘arch’ at a shallow depth (approximately 300m from the beach). It is not recommended that you swim to the rocks off the shore as this is a regular cut-through for boats.
Kipiadi Beach
The best snorkelling here is on the left-hand side of the beach, following the hillside. Here you will find larger rocky boulders and several attractive features. After about 200m there is a pretty swim through between the rocks.
Balos Beach
To the south of Gaios, this small beach has some lovely nooks and crannies along both sides. If you can swim a little further, there is also good snorkelling around the next bay to the right.
Komeno Beach
To the north of Paxos, above Lakka, Komeno beach is not as well known but has some enjoyable snorkelling, when the sea is calm. The best feature is an open cave to the left of the beach, about 250m from shore. To the right, there are also a couple of smaller caves and, if you are a confident swimmer, there are some interesting rock features across the next bay.
Panos Beach
The snorkelling around Planos bay itself is good, but the real interest here lies around the corner to the left of the beach. Snorkelling around this corner is only recommended in calm conditions and for confident swimmers. After about 300m you will find swim throughs, caves and nice arches.
Creatures You Can Expect to Encounter When Snorkelling in Paxos
There are a great variety of creatures that live in the water around Paxos. Below are some of those that you can expect to encounter on most snorkelling trips:
Salema
These attractive, yellow-striped fish are found in shoals in the shallows. They are a member of the seabream family. However, unlike the seabream you will not expect to see these fish on menus because their consumption can cause a hallucinogenic effect, said to be similar to some aspects of LSD!
Damselfish
There are many species of damselfish around the world. Adult damselfish in Paxos are black and are often found in shoals near the surface. However, small juvenile damselfish (which can be observed July – August) are a vibrant blue and can be found in shoals closer to the sea grass and seabed.
Ornate Wrasse
If the surface of the rocks is disturbed, you can expect an inquisitive ornate wrasse to appear to see if there is anything worth eating. The males are slightly more vibrant than the females, but they are both colourful fish.
Parrotfish
Parrotfish are characterised by their strong teeth which they use to feed on algae growing on rocks. They have an important part to play in keeping algae under control. Somewhat unusually, the female parrotfish are more colourful than the males (which tend to be grey in colour).
Sea Bream
There are several different types of bream found in the waters around Paxos, which are distinguished by their markings. The most common are saddled seabream (pictured), white seabream and two-banded sea bream. They can be found alone or in shoals.
Whilst these are some of the most commonly encountered fish, there are many other creatures to look out for (including many invasive species).
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