Monday makes waves.
The first thing I said to Simon on wake up this morning was
“Why did I say 0800 swim time??”
We don’t have a lot of distance to cover today, so we very easily could have started the morning swim at 0900 and given everyone (including myself) a little more time to rest and acclimate to a new time zone.
But I’m just so excited to show them what’s on offer in these waters!
So I ambled up at 0730 to a table full of delectables and our guests chatting and munching away. We actually got in about 0830 and swam out to the point of Limnonari Bay. The water was like glass and not too cold and we bobbed on buoys and chatted a while. We swam back into the bay and checked out the cave in the corner. Chatted awhile. Looked for flounder, chatted a while. Practiced a little shallow free diving, chatted a while. So far I like the pace and approach of these 4. They fell right into water-ease and chatting a while.
My crew and I got excited when we saw what Jemima was preparing for lunch as it was a fan favorite last week - grilled peaches and halloumi salad. Get your greens and fruit and cheese and call it lunch. Of course there were the usual suspects on the table as well - two kinds of olives and some dips (you know what I mean lou lou!) and a little sweet treat of a jelly cube covered in sesame seeds. I don’t know what you call it but you’ll definitely want another.
I gave the gang the next two hours - rest and relax - and they got right to work. They’ve all disappeared to horizontal places for reading or napping or dreaming of what to chat about on our afternoon swim. Knowing what it is, I think they might even be speechless.
Jason got this gorgeous drone shot of our afternoon swim spots. The T shaped cove on the left has a cave at each end, and the deep cove is an Eden only reached from the water.
From rests they roused, and we threw them in with very little information about our course or what to expect. Like lemmings they plopped, one by one, trusting their guides implicitly. It feels pretty good to know they have so much faith in us on day 1.
The swim began with a little Zorba style dancing in the water as a tourist boat passed by playing traditional Greek music. The captain of that vessel was so impressed he honked his horn for us and all of their passengers waved. Fun.
Around the corner! This brought us a bit into the wind and chop and a teensy bit of current. No mind, our fearless four put their heads down and followed our path.
First stop, a distinct T shaped cut into the stone wall of the shore line. At either end, a cave. They crawled around in the first and swam around in the second, absolutely delighted. They couldn’t believe it when we told them there was more.
More!
Out of the T and into the breach, but only a short way to The Cove - a place like heaven. Calm and quiet, a narrow pool of water fills the gap between two tree lined cliffs. It’s so insulated and isolated in there. A perfect Eden to sit, splash, look up and be amazed.
We spent some time here, relaxed on our private cove beach and bobbing around, until finally we all followed the white road of the sea floor back out to the melee of the open water. One more cave stop - this is an underwater cave with a tunnel to another ide. Jason joined us with snorkel gear, and Simon and I donned masks and fins to make the significant underwater passage.
Our guests oohed and ahhed at this feat as we three each took our turn, and I suppose it does look impressive. But the truth is there’s nothing I love more than to be at the sea floor, perhaps 25-30 feet down, moving through a tunnel, on one breath of air. It’s a selfish endeavor, a getaway that’s just for me when I’m down there. Peace.
But not for long! Back into the bounce, the current in our favor this time and it carried us swiftly back to Amarandos Bay where our boat still sits for the night.
Cocktails came out and Jason flew his drone, fun footage of where we were and where we are. Dinner was exquisite - shrimp saganaki with ouzo in the sauce - which meant we all needed to enjoy a complimentary shot of it along with our dessert which we took up on the helm deck. The sun set and the sky got dramatic. We talked until we couldn’t see each other in the dark and said our kali niktas.
Last night I did my traditional naked lap around the boat along with Kevin and Jane (Kendra, we missed you!). They were wowed by the bioluminescence below and the stars above. I think we are all a little chilly and tired tonight. A sleep on dreams of caves and coves will rest us so we are ready for more.
Efcharisto and Kali Nikta,
Heather
But wait! There’s more! A little vid from today, music courtesy of my own Finn Weafer. XO