Sissi is 26 km west of Agios Nikolaos and 41 km east of Heraklion. It is a picturesque fishing village with many tavernas and relatively little touristic development. The waterfront of the village is quite rocky, so the only option for swimming in the village is in the small harbour.
However, if you go east from Sissi you will find some other options for your swim. The first is at Boufou, where the beach is sandy and organized; and the second, further east, is at Avlaki, which also is sandy and located in a small bay.
The disadvantage of both is that they are open to northerly winds, and thus suffer from waves.
Further east again is another small and beautiful sandy beach, the Spiliada.
At Sissi you will find the basic tourist facilities, coffee-places and of course a lot of tavernas with fresh fish.
