On the beach
Right now
Live conditions from Open-Meteo, refreshed hourly.
7-day outlook
7-day marine forecast from Open-Meteo.
Sea temperature
Next 7 days, °C
Wave height
Next 7 days, metres
View as table
| Day | Sea temp (°C) | Wave height (m) |
|---|---|---|
| Wed 2 | 27.1 | 0.6 |
| Thu 3 | 27.2 | 1.0 |
| Fri 4 | 27.1 | 1.3 |
| Sat 5 | 26.9 | 1.4 |
| Sun 6 | 26.8 | 0.9 |
| Mon 7 | 26.9 | 1.2 |
| Tue 8 | 26.7 | 1.4 |
Water quality history
Official EEA classification, one rating per bathing season, 2015–2025 — real data reported by national authorities.
- 2015: Excellent2015
- 2016: Excellent2016
- 2017: Excellent2017
- 2018: Excellent2018
- 2019: Excellent2019
- 2020: Excellent2020
- 2021: Excellent2021
- 2022: Excellent2022
- 2023: Excellent2023
- 2024: Excellent2024
- 2025: Excellent2025
Excellent in the most recent season, and 11 of 11 classified years rated Excellent or Good.
- Excellent
- Good
- Sufficient
- Poor
- Not classified
View as table
| Year | Classification |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Excellent |
| 2016 | Excellent |
| 2017 | Excellent |
| 2018 | Excellent |
| 2019 | Excellent |
| 2020 | Excellent |
| 2021 | Excellent |
| 2022 | Excellent |
| 2023 | Excellent |
| 2024 | Excellent |
| 2025 | Excellent |
Typical sea temperature by month
Modeled estimatePlausible seasonal climatology derived from latitude, for illustration — not a measured average.
Monthly sea temperature
Typical range across the year, °C
View as table
| Month | Typical sea temp (°C) |
|---|---|
| Jan | 17 |
| Feb | 16 |
| Mar | 17 |
| Apr | 19 |
| May | 22 |
| Jun | 24 |
| Jul | 26 |
| Aug | 27 |
| Sep | 27 |
| Oct | 25 |
| Nov | 22 |
| Dec | 19 |
Location & nearby beaches
Nearby beaches
- Limin Chersonisou1.2 kmCrete
- Stalida1.4 kmCrete
- Vlychada1.6 kmCrete
- Limin Chersonisou2.1 kmCrete
Distances calculated as straight-line (haversine) from official coordinates.
Getting there & around
- By car: there's parking about ~330 m from the beach.
- Bus stop: Bus Stop 25, about ~330 m away.
Food, stays & town
- Nearest town: Λιμένας Χερσονήσου, about ~2.2 km away.
- 17 places to eat within 1 km Closest is Ammos Beach Bar, about ~40 m away.
- 12 places to stay mapped nearby Closest is Nana Golden Beach, about ~200 m away.
- 3 shops nearby, the closest about ~150 m away
What kind of beach is this?
This beach sits in a built-up resort setting, with hotels, restaurants and services clustered around it — a full-service stretch of coast that tends to be busy in peak season and quieter outside it.
Estimated from OpenStreetMap surroundings data (ODbL).
- Families
- Water sports
- Full-service days
Is the water clean at Drapanos?
Thinking of swimming at Drapanos? The short answer: its official EU Bathing Water rating for 2025 is Excellent — the highest official classification under the EU bathing-water assessment. That rating is set once a year under the EU Bathing Water Directive, from a full season of testing for intestinal enterococci and E. coli reported to the European Environment Agency the following spring, so the 2025 season's grade appeared in spring 2026 and the 2026 season won't be graded until spring 2027. In addition to that yearly rating, some national authorities — for Croatia, the national environmental authority — publish individual water sample results during the season itself, ahead of the annual report. It's been a consistently reliable spot too — the rating has held at Excellent for 11 straight years. There's parking about ~330 m from the beach.
That rating has been consistent: every one of the 11 classified seasons on record has come back Excellent or Good. If you're timing a visit around water temperature rather than crowds, July–September is the safest bet, with August typically the peak — expect a cooler, calmer sea either side of that stretch. The nearest town, Λιμένας Χερσονήσου, is about ~2.2 km away.
“Excellent” is one point on a four-step scale — Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor — assigned once per year from that season's water samples, not a live reading. It describes how the site performs on average across the season, not the exact water quality this afternoon; for day-to-day sea conditions, see the “Right now” and 7-day outlook panels above. There are 17 places to eat within a kilometre — Ammos Beach Bar is the closest, about ~40 m away.
Frequently asked questions
Is Drapanos safe to swim in?
Drapanos is rated Excellent for 2025 — the top EU Bathing Water classification — with 11 of 11 classified seasons rating Excellent or Good, so yes. It's also held steady at Excellent for 11 straight years.
What temperature is the sea at Drapanos right now?
The most recent reading for Drapanos shows the sea at around 27°C. For live, up-to-the-hour conditions, see the “Right now” panel above. That's the reading right off Crete. On the modeled climatology here, August usually runs warmest.
When is the best time to swim at Drapanos?
If you're planning around water temperature, July–September is the window to target — the modeled sea temperature is typically highest then. That applies to the water around Crete. Within that window, August is typically the single warmest month.
Who measures the water quality rating, and how?
Once a year, national authorities report a full season of testing for intestinal enterococci and E. coli to the European Environment Agency, which grades the season Excellent, Good, Sufficient or Poor under the EU Bathing Water Directive. A handful of countries, including Croatia via IZOR, also publish individual in-season samples ahead of that report — Drapanos doesn't have that feed set up yet.
Is there parking near Drapanos?
By car, there's parking about ~330 m from the beach. By bus, the nearest stop is Bus Stop 25, about ~330 m away. The nearest town is Λιμένας Χερσονήσου, about ~2.2 km away.