Olous – Guided Snorkelling Excursion to Discover Olous Sunken Ancient City

Recommended by 94% of travelers

Crete, Greece

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

A Dorian city, Olous sank below the waves after an earthquake around the second century AD. Today, its remnants form an eerie journey into the past. Just 2–3 feet (50–80 centimeters) below the surface, they’re too shallow for scuba but perfect for snorkeling. Start with a presentation on the site and its history, then travel to Olous and snorkel with a guide in a group no larger than eight.

Explore the Sunken City of Olous in a group no larger than eight
Includes comprehensive equipment: fins, mask, snorkel and wetsuit
Travel with an operator who’s independently researched this fascinating site
Suitable for beginners: guide can happily teach you snorkel techniques

What's Included

Use of Snorkeling equipment

Use of Snorkelling equipment

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

Pick Up individually bespoken within the area of Elounda

Meeting point

Diving Center Blue Dolphin Elounda
Aquila Hotel Elounda Village, Elounda, Crete, Greece 720 53, Greece
Blue Dolphin Diving Center in the Hotel Sensimar Aquila Elounda Village, if you come with children, please call us before at 00306955897711.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Operating hours
.9:30 am

What To Expect

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation

Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
minimum age depending of experience and weather conditions
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

This experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed for any reason. If you cancel or ask for an amendment, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

Daniel_J

It was a fun snorkeling trip where we got to see the ruins of Olous. There were some cool fish and the guide was interactive and fun. It was my girlfriend's 1st snorkeling trip and she loved it!

Reviews

4.6

based on 34 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

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Sort by: Most insightful

Very educational about...

Danika_M, May 2026

Very educational about the history, saw some cool fish and sea urchins while we were out in the water as well! Our guide was amazing and very into what he was showing us!

Response from Host, May 2026

Hello Danika, thank you very much for your great review! We really appreciate and are happy to hear, that you had a good time with us! We send you our best regards. Your Blue Dolphin Team

Fun & interesting snorkelling trip

Fiona_G, Oct 2025

We had a really fun morning snorkelling. Our guide was super friendly and interesting. He was really reassuring to a person in our small group who was quite nervous. You don’t see loads of relics, but what you do see is interesting and it’s a morning well spent. Would recommend.

Response from Host, Oct 2025

Hello Fiona, thank you very much for your visit and for your nice review! Best regards, Your Blue Dolphin Team

Good time

Daniel_J, Sep 2025

It was a fun snorkeling trip where we got to see the ruins of Olous. There were some cool fish and the guide was interactive and fun. It was my girlfriend's 1st snorkeling trip and she loved it!

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Hello Daniel. Thank you very much for your great review. We are delighted that you enjoyed the snorkelling tour to Olous so much. We wish you many more wonderful adventures and send you warm greetings from Elounda. Your Blue Dolphin Team

It's a very unique...

Wanxia_S, Aug 2025

It's a very unique snorkeling experience Staffs are friendly, kids had fun, glad we did it. The only thing is it takes too long to get ready.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Hello Wanxia, thank you very much for your positive review and for joining us on a snorkelling tour. We apologise if the preparations took a little too long for you. We send you warm greetings from Elounda. Your Blue Dolphin Team

Beautiful location and nice guide but….

Vicky_L, Aug 2025

Dimitri was a great guide. The dive shop provided good equipment. He had to manage a couple who were not comfortable snorkelling and left early and our family who were quite comfortable in the water. Dimitri was calm and well informed. The snorkel site itself was not that impressive as described. It is amazing to think of a five thousand year old city under the water now but not much remains that’s visible. You must use your imagination quite a bit. The location is beautiful. We had lunch at Kanali afterward which was on the water and delicious.

Response from Host, Sep 2025

Hello Vicky, thank you very much for your review on Tripadvisor. We are delighted that you enjoyed our service and at the same time we are sorry that we only received three stars because you found it difficult to imagine the city as more ‘lively’. We have done a lot of research and will continue to do our best to give our guests a good idea of what life was like here thousands of years ago with our PowerPoint presentation, background information and active snorkelling among the ruins. We welcome any new information we receive ;-). With best regards and wishes for a wonderful summer from the Blue Dolphin team

Lovely Morning Out

Victoria_H, Jul 2025

We had a lovely morning snorkelling over Olous. Our guide was super friendly and patient. She checked in regularly to make sure we were comfortable with our masks and the pace we were swimming.

Response from Host, Aug 2025

Hello Victoria, thank you very much for your good review. We wish you a nice summer, best regards Your Blue Dolphin Team

Not into snorkeling but still enjoyed experience

Jennifer_D, Jun 2025

I’m not a swimmer at all and this was way easier than I expected it to be. I actually found out I’m not a big fan of snorkeling lol but am thankful for the experience and the instructors were great. I booked it more for my husband and he loved it all.

Response from Host, Jun 2025

Hy Jennifer, great, thank you for your nice review! We are happy you enjoyed your experience, even if you are not a big fan of snorkeling;-) We therefore appreciate your comment a lot!!! And we wish you and your husband a lot more great adventures together. Have a nice summer. Best regards, Your Blue Dolphin Team

Excellent

Adrian_B, Jun 2024

Great tour. Got to see loads of fish and learn about the sunken city. Julie was a fantastic tour guide also can't recommend it enough!

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Hello Adrian, thank you very much for your great review and thank you for joining in our snorkeling experience at Olous. We are happy you enjoyed your trip with us! Sending you our best regards from Elounda. Your Blue Dolphin Team

Snorkeling Elounda

James_H, May 2024

Jackie was lovely, patient and very knowledgeable. We appreciated her snorkel guide very much! Well worth it.

Response from Host, Aug 2024

Hello James, we know our answer comes late, but still we thank you very much for your great review, highly appreciated! Sending you our best regards from Elounda, your Blue Dolphin Team

Great experience

David_C, May 2024

Booked a snorkelling tour around the sunken town of Olous. The tour started with a short presentation about the tour, what we might see and what to expect. The presentation was good and whetted our appetite for what we might see. We weren't disappointed. From the first house, the steps and along the main street to the temple, then back vi's yhe sea grass yo the kitchen and villa. The imagination ran wild, following the initial presentation. As for the sea life - wow! A myriad of fish, small and large, octopus and starfish, to mention a few. Jackie (think that was her name), our guide, was excellent. Pointing out the different sealife and explaing what we could see in the ruins of the sunken town. A great experience - highly recommended

Response from Host, May 2024

Hello David, thank you very much for your fantastic and insightful review! We are happy you enjoyed your snorkeling trip with us, wish for many more great guests like you and wish you a great summer!! Best regards from your Blue Dolphin team

Cool expérience

Vanessa_M, Oct 2022

Amazing experience. There was only one other couple with us. The snorkeling was fantastic. Our guide was knowledgeable and attentive to the weaker swimmers. The under water sites were very cool. Keep in mind these sites are from 4000 years ago so you can’t see much but you can picture exactly how their life would have been based on the rubble left behind

Response from Host, Nov 2022

Hello Vanessa, thank you very much for your great review here at Viator! We are glad you enjoyed your snorkeling experience with us and send you our warmest regards from Elounda!

Amazing

Andrea_L, Sep 2021

We had a really nice time with our instructor, Adam. It was our first time doing snorkel, and even if I struggled a little bit, he was patient and constantly giving tips on how to improve my experience. He also explained interesting facts about Olou from the architectural point of view. A different way to see the past of Crete that you can´t miss! When we come back, we will definitely look for more diving adventures! Andrea & Luigi

Very nice contact and...

Dejan_B, Jul 2025

Very nice contact and atmosphere. First there was an interesting historical introduction about the ruins, then trying on the masks, wetsuits and snorkeling. The snorkeling itself was super relaxed and the guide very helpful and patient, especially for beginners. There were only four of us. The ruins themselves consist mainly of the old road and a few buildings, but still very interesting. Recommended and the price is also OK.

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Response from Host, Jul 2025

Hello Dejan, thank you very much for your wonderful review here on Tripadvisor. We are delighted that you enjoyed the snorkelling tour to Olous with us and send you our best regards from Elounda. Your Blue Dolphin Team