Legal frame
Governing: ΓΚΛ 20 art. 4(1)(η), 26(3) (ΦΕΚ Β' 4559/2026); Π.Δ. of 1.12.1999 (ΦΕΚ Δ' 906/1999) for Zakynthos; Alonissos park rules as published by the Coast Guard. Builds on: L3.1.
What national law says
For a small rented boat, the national rules on anchoring are brief:
- No anchoring, and since 2026 no movement, of any powered craft inside the bathing buoys (ΓΚΛ 20 art. 26(3)).
- Obey local port orders, including anchoring bans (art. 4(1)(η)).
- Posidonia: we found no national rule banning anchoring over seagrass in the regulations read. NGOs say Greek and EU law prohibit it; we could not match that to a Greek text. Anchor on sand anyway: it holds better and does no harm. The Anchoring in Italy course covers technique.
Local bans are where the detail lives. An example reported in the press: in 2018 Heraklion's harbour master banned anchoring and mooring of pleasure craft off listed bathing beaches from 15 June to 30 September. Similar decisions exist elsewhere; ask the operator or the Port Authority.
Zakynthos: Laganas Bay
The National Marine Park of Zakynthos protects loggerhead turtle nesting beaches. The 1999 decree divides the sea in Laganas Bay into zones, with rules from 1 May to 31 October:
| Area | Rule in season |
|---|---|
| A | Closed to transit, stopping and anchoring by any craft |
| B | 6 kn maximum; no stopping or anchoring (permits for residents and professionals only); no rental approvals for water-sports craft except windsurfs, canoes and pedalos |
| C | 6 kn maximum |
The park body adds, on its visitor page:
- no motorised water sports (water-ski, jet ski) at any time of year in the marine part;
- anchoring only in zone C;
- keep at least 15 m from turtles; never approach head-on, feed or touch them.
WARNING — know your zone before you leave Zone boundaries are not buoyed in every place. Get the zone map from the operator or the park before you go. Entering Area A in season is the sort of breach that ends a holiday at the Port Authority.
Alonissos – Northern Sporades
The National Marine Park of Alonissos and the Northern Sporades protects the Mediterranean monk seal. Rules published by the Coast Guard's fisheries portal include:
- Piperi: no vessel within 3 nm.
- 10 kn maximum within 0.5 nm of the core-zone islands.
- Gioura: no approach within 0.5 nm; no overnight stay.
- Anchoring in named bays only, mostly by day. Kyra Panagia allows overnight stays only in Agios Petros and Planitis bays.
- Spear-fishing and scuba banned in zone A.
New parks
A decree for the South Aegean 1 – Southern Cyclades national marine park was signed on 15 July 2026 and sent to the Council of State, with an Ionian decree to follow (press reports). Neither was confirmed in force when this guide was drafted, and their rules for small boats are not yet known.
TIP — protected means patrolled The Coast Guard and the nature-conservation agency ΟΦΥΠΕΚΑ both patrol protected areas. In a park, slow down, give wildlife room and leave the jet ski at home.