Scuba diving for guests staying in Sellia and Myrthios

From a terrace in Myrthios or Sellia you look straight down at the water we dive in. The two villages sit on the hillside above Plakias bay, and of all the guests who come to us, the people staying up there have the shortest way to the sea. This page is for them: what the villages are like to stay in, how to reach our centre, and what a holiday with a few dives in it can look like when the centre is just below you.

Who stays in Sellia and Myrthios

Myrthios is the village you see from the beach in Plakias, white houses scattered across the slope directly above the bay. Sellia sits further west along the same hillside, on the road that continues along the coast. Both are small, lived in all year, and quieter than the village below.

People choose them for the view and the calm. Couples who want an evening on a terrace above the sea. Walkers who like the paths between the villages and the coast. Families in apartments who are happy to drive down to the beach and back. Many are staying a week or longer, which matters for diving: you have time to learn properly, not just to try.

Getting down to our centre

Our centre is in Plakias, in Agios Vasileios, at the bottom of the hill. From Myrthios, the drive to Plakias is a short run down the hillside road; there is also a footpath down through the olive groves, though the climb back up is steep and better done in the evening than after a dive with a bag of wet kit. From Sellia, you come along the hillside road and down into the village.

You do not need a drive time from us. Send us a message on WhatsApp with your dates and what you want to do, and we will agree a meeting time at the centre that suits you.

The water below you

We dive three sites along this part of the coast.

• Peristerovolakas. A reef near Souda, on the western side of Plakias bay. An extended shallow reef slopes into deeper blue, so it works for snorkellers and divers alike.
• The old harbour of Damnoni. East of Plakias, a gentle, shallow slope with no sudden drop-offs. It is where we run training dives, and further out there are steeper sections, caves and underwater gorges.
• Schinaria. Further east towards Preveli. Excellent visibility, rock formations, a large cave, reef and deeper wall sections, with octopus and moray eels as regulars.

The site on the day depends on the wind and on who is diving.

What we offer guests staying here

Learning to dive, properly

Staying a week above the bay is the ideal setting for the SSI Open Water Diver course. It takes three to four days, the theory is done on your phone before you arrive, and the dives start in shallow water before moving on to the open sea. By the end you are certified to dive with a buddy, without a professional, anywhere in the world.

Going professional

A few of our guests stay much longer. If you are thinking about diving as more than a holiday, the SSI Divemaster programme runs over four to six weeks of hands-on work alongside the instructor on real dives and courses. A room in Myrthios or Sellia, with the bay below you every morning, is a good place to spend those weeks.

Dives for certified divers

Certified divers can join guided shore dives or our boat dives off the south coast, one or two dives with at most six guests on the boat. If you have not dived for a while, a refresher in shallow water first is easy to arrange.

A day on the boat

For a group where not everyone dives, the full-day boat trip is about eight hours along the coast with lunch on board and all equipment included. Divers, first-timers and snorkellers share the boat.

A first dive

If you have never dived and just want to see what it is like, a try dive takes about four hours with the theory, starting in shallow water.

Why guests from the hill choose us

• The only SSI centre in Plakias. SSI digital learning means less time in a classroom and more time in the water. PADI divers carry on with us without repeating anything.
• Six guests at most on the boat. Small on purpose.
• Giannis. Over ten years of diving experience, teaching in Greek, English and German, and the name that comes up most in our reviews.
• A coast that is usually calm. The south coast faces away from the prevailing wind that hits the north of the island.

A day between the hill and the sea

1. Morning dive. Meet at the centre at the agreed time, while the sea is calmest.
2. Lunch in Plakias. Tavernas along the seafront, or back up the hill.
3. Evening in the village. The light over the bay from Myrthios is the best reason to stay up there. Our travel guide has more on Myrthios and on where to stay in Plakias.

For the other villages our guests stay in, see areas we serve.