Dia island : Small Group Sailing Trip to Dia Island with Lunch
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Crete, Greece
- 4 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Exploring the hidden coves and protected wildlife areas of Dia Island can be tricky without local knowledge. Save research time and get out on the water with this small-group sailing adventure. Get top tips from the crew on where to find wild goats, monk seals, and how to recognize different fish species. After working up an appetite, enjoy a delicious organic lunch with local specialties. Hotel pickup is included for added convenience.
- Sail to Dia Island and get insider tips on its protected wildlife spots
- Chance to look out for dolphins, monk seals and wild goats
- Plenty of hands-on activities—go snorkeling or have a sailing lesson
- No hunger pangs—the trip includes a delicious organic lunch and hotel pickup
What's Included
- - Sailing cruise experience
- - Professional certified crew
- - First aid certification
- - Life jackets
- - Unbeatable sailing experience
- - Meal (with vegetarian option)
- - Unlimited drinks (mineral water and soft drinks)
- - Wine (responsible consumption)
- - Snorkeling equipment and SUP boards
- - Eco friendly route for nature lovers
- - Transfer for free up to 5km from Heraklion
- Beach towel
- Swimsuit
- Sunscreen
- Gratuities
- Pick up beyond 5km from Heraklion port (contact activity provider for...
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
What To Expect
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking, unless booked within 16 hours of travel. In this case confirmation will be received as soon as possible, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Minimum age that can drink alcohol is 18 years old
- You will be asked to fill in information for all your group, such as: full name, nationality, passport or ID no, gender, age range (infant, child, adult, senior).
- We arrange your pickup from your accommodation.
- After your booking, we will contact you via email to fix the time of pickup and pickup point.
- Pick up beyond 5km from Heraklion port (contact activity provider for more info)
- Itinerary may vary depending on weather conditions
- Not suitable for Wheelchair users
- Not suitable for People over 275 lbs (125 kg)
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Piotr_K
We’ve had a great time during our boat trip. Costas and Dimitris were great hosts, that throughout the experienced looked after all the guests. They showed us nice spots and told some fun facts about local fauna. I would definitely recommend to everyone visiting Iraklion.
PS. The lunch was great too!
Reviews
4.8
based on 162 reviews
Kristina_V, Jul 2025
Our cruise ship changed our times so we communicated back and forth, they were more than accommodating and helpful. Great trip, relaxing, and fun!!
Jennifer_M, Jul 2025
Had a great trip. Great crew that was very attentive. Clean boat and served a delicious lunch. Highly recommend.
Hannahs_A, Jun 2025
Had a lovely sail over to the island, plenty of time in a bay to have a swim/SUP/snorkel. We had a delicious salad lunch on the boat before sailing back to Heraklion port. Just a wonderful way to spend a few hours. Saw a few of the falcons flying around.
maryfernando, May 2025
Absolutely fantastic excursion! We ended up having the entire boat to ourselves and the team really accommodated us and ensured we really had an amazing time. Lunch/wine onboard was delicious and they were fantastic photographers making sure we got ample amount of photos
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you so much!! sending you the pictures in a while. Wish to sail again in the future!
Cathy_V, Oct 2024
We took the afternoon sail to Dia Island on our last day in Crete. I initially didn't think Dia Island was worth visiting since it's uninhabited and looked very barren and rocky. A local recommended I go, and this excursion caught my eye. It's a fun 1 hour sail out from Heraklion port, where you'll dock in a quiet bay for swimming, snorkelling and paddle boarding (all equipment provided by the crew, including lifejackets if you are not a strong swimmer). It was great to snorkel (they have masks only option if you want) and see the marine life in such clean waters. The paddleboard was fun and my friend and I enjoyed this for the first time with the helpful instruction of the staff. After an hour of swimming, we received a delicious organic meal of greek salad and chicken souvlaki. There was also white wine and bowl of fresh cut fruit for dessert. Since this was October, the sun set a little earlier than I'd like and our swim was a little cold since the sun was low, so I'd recommend the daytime sail this time of year. I highly recommend this excursion
Jamie_A, Sep 2024
A lovely day! The expert crew was very accommodating and friendly, sailing was delightful, food was unexpectedly good! & generous, swimming was fun- only improvement would be better snorkel equipment & perhaps kick boards to float on for others who are not as strong at swimming…. Cash only shuttles are putting a strain on our Euro supply & exchange is costly but overall we loved this experience. Thank you :)
Kayhan_S, Aug 2024
We booked this tour in the afternoon the day before the booking and was recommended it by Viator when we called them. And after booking Viator said the tour was confirmed in our confirmation.
We arrived at the port (after a 1.5 hour drive) the next morning, at the meeting point but the Aftersails team were nowhere to be seen. After waiting 30 minutes we gave them a call and they had no record of our booking. Their explanation was that the tours for the previous day were cancelled because of the windy weather and moved to our day.
This is understandable, but there is obviously an issue with them not updating their booking system because there should have been no way for us to make a booking. At the very least we should have been contacted after booking. We were offered to rebook the tour but unfortunately it was our last day in Crete, which was a shame because our children were looking forward to the tour and the other reviews were very good.
Received the refund with no problem.
Jazziymn_W, Apr 2024
Wow! What an amazing sailing experience. The best part was the skipper allowing me to drive the boat for a few minutes and he told us an Ancient Greek myth on our ride back. The water was so blue, beautiful and refreshing! A bit cold in April but after a few minutes you adjust. There wasn’t much marine life to see snorkeling but still an amazing experience. The food they prepared for us was delicious. 10/10 highly recommend!
Joseph_S, Sep 2023
Friendly skipper and crew, great first time sailing experience for my friend and excellent anchorage choice as well. Would return to them again!
Sven_G, Aug 2023
- Captain and staff including pick up driver were really nice
- water is really clear
- boat is clean
- captain brought a sea urchin to show to everyone. That was cute.
BUT
- the Equipment is the worst snorkeling Equipment We ever had on such a trip
- at first they just had 8 snorkels for 12 ppl. So the Captain handed me his private one. That one was good. Later he found some more and said i have to change. Then i had to Deal with the rubish everyone had. Water came with EVERY breath. I didnt make it 2 meters of the boat on second attempt.
- 20 Euros/Person for Pickups more Than 10km away.
- without any traffic jam and every couple being on time at their pickup, we were 35 minutes late at boat
- we saw some small fish and sea urchin. Not more.
- for every drink We had to run down or ask. Just a small Glas they filled every single time. With one sip the glass was empty. Dont know why they dont give you the small bottle.
So. It was nice driving to dia, swimming in clear water.
No comparism to snorkeling in Indonesia, UAE or somewehere else. And the bad-equipment killed it for me.
Not worth 110€/person for me.
Response from Host, Aug 2023
Dear Sven, Thank you for your feedback.
I am really sorry you had an unpleasant experience with the equipment. We do have 10+ snorkelling set on board, one set per person. We never embark more than 10 pax.
It is true that at your sail, there were only 9 snorkelling set, plus the set of the skipper. I am really sorry to have an older equipment, we have replaced everything.
What do you mean the rubbish everyone had?
Kindly note that the package is more expensive when the pickup is farer than 10km. What do you mean "late at boat"? Your excursion lasted even more than scheduled.
You were offered open bar drinks, mineral water and refreshments during the whole day. Kindly note that we do not use small plastic bottles for environmental reasons (do not wish to add a few thousands plastic bottles every season).
Wish to have the opportunity to sail together again and guide you through the rich mediterranean biodiversity and local habitats.
Sincerely, Nikos
Pam_J, Jul 2023
Small group tour was amazing; our family of 3 and 2 friends we didn't know - perfect! George and Harry are super knowledgeable and great chefs, each always interacting with one of us. The island taken to was beautiful with the most crystal blue water and it was amazing to watch them direct the boat almost all the way to the beach around other boats anchored in the bay to get us the best spot. They even accommodated one of the girls birthday with a song, hats, and coordinated the surprise with the friend having the cake picked up and brought on board. Boat had plenty of shaded and sunny areas for sitting and a nice clean bathroom. Everything was on point - couldn't have been any better!
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Dear Pam, thank you for your feedback and all the description! Sincerely, Nikos.
Wim_V, Jul 2023
Great first sailing experience, also for the kids. Great captain.
Enjoyed the snorkling around the island
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Thank you so much! Really glad you had a positive first experience!!
Gavin_M, Jul 2023
Amazing day! We got married day before and it was a treat for the first day of marriage. The staff were great antonis and harris (sorry if spelling wrong) they explained everything about Dia island, made a incredible lunch and we swam in the bluest sea. The icing on the cake was the sunset! Wow! Just wow!
Response from Host, Jul 2023
Thank you so much for your feedback! Honoured to sail with you!! Enjoy!!
Emily_A, May 2023
Had a great time sailing to Dia Island with the guys of Altersail! Was a little busy, but managed to get a spot on the dock to explore a little of the island and snorkel over the seagrass from the beach. The guys were friendly & spoke great English. Enjoyed the tasty lunch & a little wine too 🥂 Was too early for the sunset, but great views, even on a cloudy day. Would recommend!
Magda_C, Jul 2022
Lovely spot for snorkelling but lack of Customer care eg before trip start tell Customers what is allowed on boat. Recommend to have snacks available during the trip. Refreshments limited - had to ask for it. Thanks
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Dear Magda, thank you for your review. We take into serious consideration your comments in order always to improve.
I am sure that you where happy with the lovely boat you sailed with, a brand new Elan 43+ feet and the two professionals as crew. I guess your lunch was fresh and tasty and the drinks offered (mineral water, refreshments, two types of wine) covered your needs and expectations. Thank you for your recommendation of having snacks during the way, we will take into consideration. This activity is focused in sailing, enjoying sun and sea in an echo friendly way (careful anchoring, waste management, etc) and not in constant snacks.
I wish that we will have the opportunity to host you again in the future in one of our yachts.
Appreciate, Nikos
Valentin_P, Jul 2022
Awesome sailing trip thanks to friendly and passionate about their job skippers. Picking up was really chaos, we were said to remain at Marina Cafe at 16h and 16h30 we still didn’t know what was happening. Other companies staff came and asked to people about their sailing activities but not our contact. After running from one side to another, we found by ourselves the boat. Somethig to be corrected, for sure. After that bad moments, everything changed thanks to Costas and Mario Young skippers, explaining interesting things and very professional. We had time to swim as snorkelling, a lovely and tasty dinner and we were enjoying sunset coming back.
Piotr_K, Jun 2022
We’ve had a great time during our boat trip. Costas and Dimitris were great hosts, that throughout the experienced looked after all the guests. They showed us nice spots and told some fun facts about local fauna. I would definitely recommend to everyone visiting Iraklion.
PS. The lunch was great too!
Response from Host, Jul 2022
Hello Piotr! Thank you for your feedback! We are glad you had a great time and are always welcome for a morning sail! Sincerely, Nikos
Dana, Jul 2021
It’s was a great experience to my children and to me
Unfortunately, the boat was small and there was another family with 5 children
So we had to move to the bow
Response from Host, Jul 2021
Hello Dana, thank you for your review.
The boat is a 45 footer Beneteau, exactly what you have booked.
The flat deck and the pillows that we provided along the trip I believe that made everyone's stay very comfortable.
Kindly notice that we choose to put families together and this a positive side of life, so kids and parents can stay together (if they wish).
I am sorry that you had to move to the bow, apparently I thought you were finding your place to enjoy more privacy within a shared cruise. The yacht is so large that is possible to enjoy privacy within a shared cruise.
Of course there is always the possibility to book your private yacht and enjoy more space according to your needs.
I am happy that you mention as a great experience for you and your children.
I would be happy to accommodate you in one of our yachts in the future,
Sincerely, Nikos
Aurelie_F, Sep 2025
Mario and Alexander are very friendly.
Pleasant excursion, decent meal, appreciable swimming in a small remote corner.
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Sophie_C, Jul 2025
A crazy experience
Very well organized
The skipper and his team-mate very nice
A perfect crossing
Inoubliable
I recommend 100%
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Clarrie_M, Aug 2024
Nous avons passé une magnifique journée sur un beau voilier, merci aux skippers qui étaient vraiment super, le repas était parfait aussi 😻
LAURENT_M, Aug 2023
Journée très agréable dans une crique sympa, loin de la foule
Nos 2 skippers étaient très sympa, pro et discrets
Camille_T, Jul 2022
Un moment de détente loin de la foule, merci pour ces quelques heures loin de temps.
Skeeper professionnel et doux.
Nolwenn_D, Sep 2021
Un moment très sympa ! Nous avions rendez vous au port d’Heraklion, nous sommes partis à l’heure. L’équipe a été adorable et très disponible via whatsapp. Repas sur le bateau simple mais bon.
Le petit plus : le prêt de masques et tuba le temps de notre escale sur l’île de Dia.
Le moins : Il y a beaucoup de bateaux qui se retrouvent au même endroit
Merci à Nikos et toute son équipe !
From $95.88
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Dia island : Small Group Sailing Trip to Dia Island with Lunch
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