Our Fira host, Alex, recommended to us a secret place to get in the caldera waters in Oia. He showed us on a map and told us we couldn’t miss it.
He mentioned a tiny island called Saint Nicholas—yes, like Santa! “Swim out to this island,” he said, “it’s not far. Then jump off the wall!”
We had no idea what to really expect but when you get a recommendation for something so unique—you go! This little off-the-beaten path spot turned out to be an unexpected highlight of our time in Santorini!
Getting To The Secret Spot
Near Oia Castle and in front of a store called Hope Santorini, there is a descending path that leads downward. This is the path that will get you down to surface level of the caldera at Amoudi Bay.
On the way down are beautiful views of the Oia buildings that are often captured in all the sunset photos. It’s a different perspective when the midday sun lights up the white walls of these buildings.
At bay level, there are several restaurants along the water. I imagine some of these are very good to eat at. But we weren’t here to stop for food.
Continuing along to the left, with the caldera on our right, we followed a path that led across large, blackened rocks.
Soon this led to a view of the small island Alex mentioned and many people dotted along the rocky coastline. The crowd seemed youthful and a mix of locals and tourists.
As we drew closer to the island, I could see the cliff-jumping wall that Alex referred to. This island had a chapel built right into it, forming a tall wall that is perfect for jumping into the caldera waters below.
While in the water, I could get a better view of it. this chapel was quite massive and fervently built into the rock. An area for docking boats was at water level below—perfect for swimmers to get up and down for repeat jumps!
Snorkeling Around Saint Nicholas
The area around the island was quite deep. SCUBA diving lessons are often conducted here since conditions are usually good here. But I could still snorkel and saw some enjoyable elements.
There was interesting and colorful soft corals on the rocks below the surface.
The water was crystal clear and super aqua blue!
There was also a huge school of bait fish shimmering in the beams of sunlight—gorgeous!
Jumping Off The Wall
I didn’t choose to jump off the wall, but Carolina did! She jumped ahead of a couple who were hesitating for a long time about jumping. After Carolina went, the woman was finally inspired to go right after.
The video below captures Carolina’s jump and the surrounding waters below.
This was such a fun spot and a really nice snorkel! After a couple of hours here, we dried off in the hot summer sun on the rocks and then made our way back. Views of the little Adoudi Bay restaurants were beautiful in the late-afternoon sun. Red rocks made a beautiful backdrop below the white-washed buildings above and colorful restaurant buildings below.
Soon, we ascended the path back Oia and to a restaurant for sunset.
In Conclusion
Although this was a small little adventure we went on one day in Oia, it turned out to be a huge highlight for my stay in Santorini. I think I enjoyed this spot even better than visiting the volcano and hot springs!
The best part was there weren’t too many tourists and the water was gorgeous! This is definitely a spot not to miss while visiting Santorini.
