Iorgos here, typing with one eye on the ticking wall clock and a peek at my packed beach bag. The new 2025 beach safety rules feel like someone just put a “No Fun Allowed” sign on half of Crete.
Anyone hoping to fish, drop anchor, or take their motorboat for a spin along Heraklion’s hottest beaches might want to check the rulebook first. The Heraklion Port Authority, in its infinite wisdom, has issued a checklist for summer survival with a focus on keeping the safety of bathers front and center.
The tightest squeeze lands on spots where the crowds usually flock:
- Heraklion Municipality: Florída (homage name to the USA state)
- Malevizi Municipality: Ammoudara, Palaiokastro, Lygaria, Agia Pelagia, Mononaftis, Fodele
- Hersonissos Municipality: Karteros, Amnissos, Tobruk, Analipsi, Stalida, Malia and other busy bits
- Phaistos Municipality: Matala, Kommos, Kokkinos Pyrgos, Kalamaki
Take a stroll to any of these sandy stretches, and you’ll find new orders: No fishing of any kind within 100 meters of the buoys marking swim zones. Don’t see any buoys? The ban stretches to 200 meters from where folks are usually bobbing in the waves.
Boats, yachts, even jet-skis and day cruisers can’t cozy up to swimming zones either. Anchoring or landing closer than 100 meters is off-limits through September 30, with spot checks likely as persistent as the sunburn.
What’s Off-Limits
This isn’t just a list; it’s municipal poetry in action. The headline rules, now in effect and here until at least mid-October:
- No fishing (professional or hobby) within 100 meters of swim area buoys during daylight.
- At busy beaches lacking buoys, the fishing ban zone jumps to 200 meters.
- Anchoring or mooring boats within 100 meters of swimming markers is forbidden until September 30.
- Local municipalities are ordered (yet again) to set up and maintain safety buoys for their beach areas.
- Rule-breakers face criminal charges, civil lawsuits, and hefty fines under Greek law (article 157, law decree 187/73, if your lawyer likes to read in the sun).
The rules target spots where the surf, sand, and tourists mix in glorious, packed chaos. Every year there’s a new reason to remind people (like my cousin Niko, who can’t park his aging boat) that you can’t just drop anchor wherever you please. The push for bather safety is real, but the net effect could mean less room for beachgoers who live here.
Last, but not least, it falls to local governments (and their brave few summer employees) to set out and maintain those floating buoys. Results, friends, may vary. The consequences for ignoring these rules run from wallet-thinning to your day in court.
Heraklion’s coastline isn’t just famous for summer crowds and postcard views. It’s now the stage for a summer of patrols, public announcements, and mild paranoia about doing the wrong thing. Whether these rules make beach life safer or just more complicated is up for debate, but one thing is sure: this summer, the safety of bathers rules the waves.
Iorgos, a perpetually unsung Heraklion local, keeping tabs on rules while longing for carefree swims—just like you.
