A holiday in Greece can be as relaxing or active as you wish. While the Mediterranean offers the perfect backdrop to close your eyes and doze in the long hours of sunshine, for many a trip to Greece is all about taking advantage of the many watersports that are on offer around the coast and on the islands. Here are just five ideas for water-based activity holidays in Greece:
Sea Kayaking
One of the most popular ways to enjoy the Greek coastline is in a sea kayak. You can travel at your own pace and a ‘kayak safari’ gives even beginnners the chance to see some of the coastal and marine highlights while in the safe care of their instructors. Alonissos offers an excellent kayaking adventure, with half-day and full-day options available and plenty of non-paddling time built in to the schedule.
Windsurfing
Have you ever wondered how those windsurfers manage to stay afloat in the face of those relentless waves? How you watched in admiration as they pick themselves out of the water time and time again and climb back onto the board to have yet another attempt at defying the forces of nature conspiring to dunk them in the water? If so then you’ve probably also decided that the place to enjoy this is in on a warm summer’s day along the Mediterranean coast. At Lemnos you can take the plunge and enjoy 5 one hour lessons. If you are already familiar with windsurfing, equipment hire is also available.
Dinghy Sailing
Those who grew up taking family holidays at the British seaside might equate the term dinghy with the rubber boats that were inflated on the beach and then paddled out to sea. These dinghies are altogether more serious vessels. They come with sails and are often used for racing, although for the beginner what is on offer is a couple of hours gentle sailing. The Laser Pico, a class of dinghy particularly well suited to families, is available for rental at Tolon, with 10 hours rental included as part of a rental package.
Motor Boat Rental
It’s easy to think of a motor boat ride as a bit of fun splashing around the coast. While it’s hard to argue with this perception hiring a motor boat can also make a lot of practical sense, especially on small islands such as Paxos where a small boat offers the best means of reaching the secluded coves for which the island is so popular. Once you’ve paid for the boat hire and the fuel used, there are no mooring charges at any of the jetties around the island.
Diving
With thousands of miles of pristine coastline it’s no surprise that Greece offers many great options for scuba diving. Ask a dozen divers for the best diving location and you’ll get at least as many varying opinions. One of the most popular places to go diving is around the island of Santorini. With easy exploration of lava formations from the famous volcano as well as ship wrecks and colourful reefs, diving around here is never dull.
Paxos is waiting all these people to have their annually windsurfing races which every year attracts so many athletes