NB : The small rowing boats or rowing boats with an outboard motor are called "Varka".
The bigger boats with a motor in a small central cabin are called "Kaïki".


Now, as throughout the Mediterranean, there are fewer and fewer fish in the sea around Diafani. However efforts have been made recently to stop the over fishing near the coast where fish breed and grow and to prevent the illegal and disastrous practice of fishing by dynamite.

There is now a protected area of the sea, north of Diafani and around the island of Saria, where the Monk seals now live and breed.

A Coastal Guard boat regularly patrols all the coast from Pigadia in the south up to and around the island of Saria, north of Diafani.

It is forbidden to fish with oxygen tanks anywhere in the sea around Karpathos and Saria but spear gun fishing is tolerated when practised with mask and snorkel tube. You are strongly requested not to shoot small fish - come back next year and catch them full size.

You will see many local men setting out in their small “Varka” boats to put out their nets. Any fish they catch will be for their family.

You will also see “Kaïki” fishing boats in Diafani.
These are professional fishermen, two are local, the others usually from the island of Kalymnos. They fish around Diafani and send their catch twice a week to Rhodes by the big Ferry or sell their daily catch directly from their boats to the local people, summer residents and the local restaurants.
This takes place on the New Port or on the Old Port (the small cement jetty in the centre of the village seafront).