FairyBasset
Contributor
Just returned from a week vacation to Hydra, a Saronic island just off the Pelopennese and about an hour on the flying cat out of Athens.
Previous to leaving I had tried very hard to find out about diving from Hydra.
The old DCs in Hydra town and on Bisti Beach have long since closed.
I was recommended to try: Scuba Diving Center Best Diving Greece Padi Kallianos
However Kallianos is based in Ermioni on the mainland and so it would have been necessary to take a hydrafoil there first - significantly adding to the time and costs.
As it happened, on the very first day we went for lunch in our favourite beach Taverna at Vlychos beach, I look up to see the owner, Yannis, wearing a padi t-shirt - that caused a lot of excitement!!.
He told me he had 10 days previously (July 2010) opened up a dive shop behind the taverna and would take divers out a 9 am and at 6pm each day.
All the gear is brand new, they have a big and comfortable speed boat to the dive sites. Yannis and his partner (Makis?) used to work at the old DC in Hydra town. As far as I know they are divemasters, rather than instructors - but I may be wrong.
In the end, due to various other commitments (mostly including alcohol) we only managed one dive off Molos island, which is 5 or 10 minutes by speedboat from Vlychos.
In the middle of July the water was around 26°c, dropping to 24° thermoclines at about 20m. The visibility was amazing, the water colour was a very bright blue. There was not much to see at this site. Very few fish, some sponges, some big underwater boulders.
The dive plan was to circle the island. However, strangely we dived into the current, rather than drifting round the island on the current. The current was pretty strong and also tended to push you down somewhat - making you feel like you were very overweighted - which had not been the case at the surface. The water is also extremely salty. My buddy who has less dives than me, and who hadnt dived for 2 years had a problem finding her buoyancy.
It certainly wasnt the most exciting diving I have done, however, of course it was better than not diving at all!
Yannis is in the process of making a website, plus informing the local community about the DC, so hopefully soon there will be more information available locally and online about the Dive Shop. You can reach the DC at Vlychos beach by water bus or water taxi from Hydra town, or by foot from Kamini village.
Hydra is great for a short island trip. There are no cars, motorbikes etc - just donkeys and boats! There are some lovely remote beaches, cliff walks, fantastic shops and delicious restaurants. Oh yeah... and the night life is great (stopped my diving anyway!!)
Useful websites for Hydra: HYDRA ISLAND News - Hydra Visitors Info.
Hydra Direct | Hydra Island Greece - Saronic Greek Islands - Hydra Greece
Hydra Island Real Estate - Beautiful Houses, Homes and Apartments for Sale and to Rent on the Greek Island of Hydra
Hope this short report is of help!
artytime:
Previous to leaving I had tried very hard to find out about diving from Hydra.
The old DCs in Hydra town and on Bisti Beach have long since closed.
I was recommended to try: Scuba Diving Center Best Diving Greece Padi Kallianos
However Kallianos is based in Ermioni on the mainland and so it would have been necessary to take a hydrafoil there first - significantly adding to the time and costs.
As it happened, on the very first day we went for lunch in our favourite beach Taverna at Vlychos beach, I look up to see the owner, Yannis, wearing a padi t-shirt - that caused a lot of excitement!!.
He told me he had 10 days previously (July 2010) opened up a dive shop behind the taverna and would take divers out a 9 am and at 6pm each day.
All the gear is brand new, they have a big and comfortable speed boat to the dive sites. Yannis and his partner (Makis?) used to work at the old DC in Hydra town. As far as I know they are divemasters, rather than instructors - but I may be wrong.
In the end, due to various other commitments (mostly including alcohol) we only managed one dive off Molos island, which is 5 or 10 minutes by speedboat from Vlychos.
In the middle of July the water was around 26°c, dropping to 24° thermoclines at about 20m. The visibility was amazing, the water colour was a very bright blue. There was not much to see at this site. Very few fish, some sponges, some big underwater boulders.
The dive plan was to circle the island. However, strangely we dived into the current, rather than drifting round the island on the current. The current was pretty strong and also tended to push you down somewhat - making you feel like you were very overweighted - which had not been the case at the surface. The water is also extremely salty. My buddy who has less dives than me, and who hadnt dived for 2 years had a problem finding her buoyancy.
It certainly wasnt the most exciting diving I have done, however, of course it was better than not diving at all!
Yannis is in the process of making a website, plus informing the local community about the DC, so hopefully soon there will be more information available locally and online about the Dive Shop. You can reach the DC at Vlychos beach by water bus or water taxi from Hydra town, or by foot from Kamini village.
Hydra is great for a short island trip. There are no cars, motorbikes etc - just donkeys and boats! There are some lovely remote beaches, cliff walks, fantastic shops and delicious restaurants. Oh yeah... and the night life is great (stopped my diving anyway!!)
Useful websites for Hydra: HYDRA ISLAND News - Hydra Visitors Info.
Hydra Direct | Hydra Island Greece - Saronic Greek Islands - Hydra Greece
Hydra Island Real Estate - Beautiful Houses, Homes and Apartments for Sale and to Rent on the Greek Island of Hydra
Hope this short report is of help!
artytime:
