Summer 2006 - Naxos, Greece

by Stephen Davies

When it comes to the annual family holiday there are two criteria, the first is a quiet and relatively unspoilt Greek island, and the second is the opportunity to have a few days diving.

This year our island of choice was Naxos, a small island south of Mykonos in the Cyclades. With the choice of tour operator limited to one it was odds on that the island would fulfil our first criteria. This tour operator uses an airline that allows an extra 10Kg baggage allowance for divers.

A few hours research on the internet uncovered a dive centre on the island situated on Plaka beach not far from where we would be staying. The dive centre being established after the relaxation of the laws on diving by the Greek government.

Travel to Naxos is via Mykonos, the runway at Naxos airport can only accept craft up to about 60 seats. It is possible to fly direct from Athens but the limited service is fully booked months in advance and would require you to make your own travel and accommodation arrangements. On arriving at Mykonos you will need to travel to the port and await the local ferry to Naxos. Waiting time for the ferry can be in the order of two hours. A word of warning, if you intend to spend part of the waiting time exploring Mykonos stay clear of the immediate centre and Italian quarter as prices are quite expensive. The ferry takes approximately two hours to reach Naxos.

Our tour operator was Kosmar and we stayed in the Sunny Beach Studios just 150 metres from the beach at Aghios Georgios and a ten minute walk along the sea front into Naxos Town. The dive centre was situated some 6km from our studio with a good bus service between the centre and our studio.

The beach walk is lined with tavernas giving plenty of opportunity to eat at a different establishment every night. The tavernas offered a variety of cuisines from around the globe, the majority specialising in traditional Greek fare. If you choose to eat at one of the tavernas near the port, free entertainment is provided by the Port Police. After 2000hrs the roads around the port become no parking areas. Prior to issuing the parking ticket the Officer (in his dress uniform) stood at the side of the offending vehicle and blew his whistle. If, after a short period of time the owner did not arrive the junior duly wrote out the ticket and affixed it to the offending vehicle. The whole process being repeated at each offending vehicle.

The island is self sufficient providing organically grown vegetables, potatoes that are to die for and the leanest meat we have ever seen. It also has its own water treatment reservoir and wind farm.

Naxos has been inhabited since the 4th millennium BC and has many archaeological remains reflecting all the historical periods. For those with an interest in history the museums give a cool retreat during the hot summer months. In ancient Greece Emery from the island was used to finish off the marble sculptures of the day as well as being exported to other parts of the world.

For those who cannot live without modern technology and feel the need to have their internet fix there are plenty of outlets offering internet access.




Diving

The dive centre, Naxos Diving, is owned and operated by two islanders both called Manolis which can cause confusion at times. With the centre being in its first year of operation the kit was new and the centre very clean and tidy.

Like most parts of the Mediterranean there was little to offer fish wise although there was the occasional large fish or two plus morays, squid and cuttlefish. However, we did observe a few dolphins from the RIB when travelling to a couple of dive sites.

Dive sites ranged from a few minutes away from the centre to about 40mins using the centre's rather high speed RIB. The RIB can carry eight divers with two tanks each in relative comfort. The only time we had a full RIB, that included divers and passengers was on a trip to Koufonisia. The passengers (partners of divers) disembarking at the white sandy beach of Koufonisia.






About ten minutes away from the dive centre lying in approximately 25 metres is a wreck called Marriana. The ship is broken in half with the funnel about a metre above the water.

Further a field is a cave dive near the islands of Paros and Antiparos. The trip to the cave takes about forty minutes. We kitted up did our checks rolled into the water and descended the anchor line. With three buddy pairs and a dive guide we descended the reef to 35 metres. From here we then briefing followed the reef bottom before starting our ascent to the cave entrance at about 18metres. The restrictive entrance required single file entry into the cave surfacing into a gas pocket at around 12 metres. Exit from the cave was through a rather large opening about 6 metres square. After existing the cave we ascended to 6 metres for the swim back to the anchor and the compulsory safety stop prior to returning to the surface.

Visibility on all dives was good 20+ metres with water temperature in the region of 22oC. Although the centre had a number of regular sites they were still exploring the coastline and other islands for suitable sites. On dives around the 30m depth extra cylinder/s were suspended below the RIB as a safety precaution.

With the exception of the dive at Koufanisia, where there was a fairly strong current, the diving is suitable for any dive grade. Towards the end of our stay (mid August) a sun canopy was attached to the RIB to protect occupants from the direct heat of the sun. Staff at the centre all spoke English as well as numerous other languages and were always helpful. The dive centre is well served with a supermarket and taverna next door.

The centre arranges two dives a day. Some dive trips require you to take two cylinders on the RIB as you will not return to the dive centre until\after the second dive. The centre ensures that there is a sufficient bottled water on board as well as plastic drinking cups and light snacks (biscuits etc) When we arrived at the centre before 0900 hours we found the staff still tucking into their breakfast of chocolate or savoury croissant and coffee and they were only too willing to share the food with us.

For something a little different the centre is able to offer Levels 1 to 3 CMAS freediver certification.

During August temperatures are in the upper 30's and can occasional reach the low 40's. However, from mid July to mid August the island is exposed to the "meltemia" a strong wind from the north which has the effect a making it feel cooler than it actually is. It can also make the sea a little lumpy but not top the extent that diving is postponed.

For the none diver Plaka has an excellent long white sandy beach that gently shelves into the clear blue sea. About half way down they beach you will come across the naturist area which stretches for about 50 metres.

After a relaxing meal in a taverna in Naxos town, 6km from Plaka you can enjoy the open air cinema. All the films are new releases, change every few days, are in English with Greek subtitles.

For the more adventurous it is possible to make your own travel and accommodation arrangements to Naxos. There are plenty of rooms apartments and studios with websites with prices from 30 euros to 150+ euros per day per room.

Naxos Diving Website