Photo: Santorini_Landsat.jpg: NASA derivative work: Giorgostr (talk) · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsSeasonal· Santorini (Thira)· Greece — Cyclades
Caldera Depths & Cruise-Ship Traffic
36° 24.7′ N · 25° 25.2′ E
The Santorini caldera is about 12 x 7 km and up to 385 m deep, ringed by 300 m cliffs. You cannot anchor in it, and in season it fills with cruise ships, ferries and tripper boats.
Practical
Coordinates: the cruise-ship anchor point off Fira (OSM). Large cruise-ship mooring buoys are mapped between there and Fira Old Port (around 36.410-36.417 N 25.425-25.428 E), so keep clear of ships swinging on them and of tenders shuttling to Skala. Sailingissues and Grecosailor: depths exceed 50 m within a few boat lengths of shore with poor holding, so treat the caldera as a day stop unless you are on a mooring (Captain John's at Thirasia, the Nea Kameni south buoys, or the shared buoys at Skala). Noonsite (April 2025): no anchorage around Santorini is safe enough to leave a yacht unattended. Ferries and fast craft run into Athinios day and night; keep a radar/AIS watch and stay out of their approach lane. Cruise traffic is heaviest from about April to October; mornings are busiest at Fira. Katabatic gusts drop off the cliffs in a meltemi. Large iron buoys can damage small yachts.
Best for
Planning a caldera visit around depth and traffic
Season
Cruise season about Apr-Oct; heaviest Jul-Sep
Nearby
- Fira Cruise-Ship Buoys & Tender Lane (Caldera)0.3 NM away
- Fira Old Port & Cable Car0.6 NM away
- Fira Town (Santorini)0.6 NM away
- Ifestia Festival (Santorini)0.6 NM away
- Santorini Seismic Access Restrictions0.6 NM away
- Fira–Oia Caldera Hike0.7 NM away
- Central Clinic of Santorini (Fira)0.8 NM away
- Nea Kameni Piers & Buoys1 NM away
Place data includes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).