Level: Free shore access This spot have a free shore access: you can go snorkeling there freely and without having to book a tour or pay an entrance fee.
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Located near Ayia Napa, at the southeastern tip of Cyprus, Green Bay is one of the best snorkeling spots in the Mediterranean. It has all snorkelers might dream about: vibrant rocky beds loaded with fish, underwater statues, and seagrass beds visited by green sea turtles. With its free shore access, it is a must-do snorkeling if you visit the island!
Green Bay is located in Protaras, very close to Cape Greco, the southeastern tip of Cyprus. It is just 3 kilometers south of Proratas city center and about 10 kilometers from Agia Napa (15 minutes by car). Free parking is available near the beach, but it is frequently full in summer.
This spot can be easily reached on foot from neighboring hotels/accommodations, such as Cavo Maris Beach, Emerald Bay Suites and Thalassa Apartments.
Green Bay has several water entry points:
Green Bay snorkeling includes the various coves found between Nisia Loumbardi Beach and Loumbardi Island, approximately 300 meters apart. It includes several underwater attractions.
Green Bay is bordered by rocky areas (↕2-10ft/0.5-3m), providing interesting environments to explore. It is here that you will see the most fish, which shelter in this beautiful underwater scenery. Both species native to the Mediterranean and Lessepsian (Red Sea) immigrant fish are found at this location.
Seabreams, wrasses, and bluespotted cornetfish are easy to see just about anywhere in the area, as are the very invasive rabbitfish. The sandy areas, especially inside the small cove, are sometimes visited by yellowspotted puffers and Atlantic lizardfish. Encounters with lionfish are also occasionally reported.
At the foot of the rocky reef, you will find a series of underwater sculptures planted in the sand some 30 ft/9 m deep. You can spot the statues from the surface, but the best is to skindive a bit to see them closer.
Above the deepest rocky areas, hundreds of damselfish and saddled seabream swim in the gin-clear waters.
Green Bay’s seagrass beds are what makes this location so special. These meadows (↕10-30ft/3-10m) indeed attract numerous green sea turtles, an emblematic species that is very rare in the Mediterranean. To find them, snorkel above the seagrass beds, where they are often seen grazing or resting. By waiting for a little, you might see them coming up to the surface to breathe.
If you want to snorkel further than the swimming area, take a dive flag with you.
There are several food and drink options in Green Bay, all within a 300m walk from the snorkeling area: The White Kiosk, The Bay – Bites and Brew, the To Kyma Sea Side Cafe and the Nisia Bar & Grill.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
