Friday flat out fantastic.

I keep forgetting to tell you.

In addition to fueling us, Hendy has also been DJing our experience, with an excellently crafted play list of pre-swim psych songs as well as post swim dial down songs. Think, Katy Perry Firework, Caribbean Blue by Enya (ok ok right vibe wrong location), coming in to Chariots of Fire, Mozart, etc. Joao has given us some on-point world music perfect for cocktail hour on the bow. Elevated. Rich. Perfect. Henry and Joao, thank you for providing the soundtrack to our SwimVacation.

Once again, this morning found us ducking for cover from a stiff wind. Joao moved us at first light to a place we thought we had swum once, 5 years ago. We remembered that it was ok. When Joao dropped the anchor, it didn’t quite look familiar. No matter, it’s calm here. We can put a swim together. 

Well.

Two hours later, we climbed aboard, utterly wrung out from 1.25 miles of caves, cracks, nooks, crannies, canyons, beaches, swim-throughs, swim-unders, hallways, rooms, private pools and more. There was even an underwater message left for us by someone. As if we needed a reminder to smile. Battalions of tiny little silver sides parted at the rock openings and cave mouths. Welcoming us, surrounding us . White sandy bottoms lead to incredible grass beds. Underwater caves lead to closed rooms open to the sky. We were spent by the joy of it.

We passed a beach with a gorgeous pile of driftwood, reminiscent of our home beach in Hawaii, Beach 69. And there we met Joao, who had swum to shore to get a taste of the joy himself.

Lunch revived us, however. A sausage rice thingy with little cheese toasties and of course tzatziki. The melon chaser tasted like candy. Ok. We can squeeze out one more swim.

Dasia Skopelou Island, with its intricate coastline and 25 meter tunnel should do. Joao piloted us near the shore, we leapt into the deep blue. To the wall! Underwater pillars and runways begging us to slalom swim. Sea stars of varying shades from maroon to orange. Whoops, Myssie put her hand on an urchin. Simon quickly plucked out 3 of 4 little spines. She was a trouper and kept on (Joao helped get the last bit out back on board. Obrigada! Efcharisto!). Finally, the tunnel - just an enormous tube right through the end of the island, with skylights and a heart shape exit. If that isn’t a perfect finish to this week I’m not sure what is.

We swam out and around the point to where Joao waited for us, climbed aboard and made for Skiathos where we now sit on the dock, amid the bustle of civilization. It’s jarring after the places we’ve been, largely alone. I look at the tourists passing by our dock. They are here for the shops and the beaches, the food and the vibe. But do they know? Do they even know how incredible it is to see a place from the sea? Its hiding places, its eons of architecture, its true shape. I don’t think most people know. 

But we do.

So hard to say my water goodbyes to Kendra, Kyle and Myssie today. Lucky for Simon and I, we have another week ahead. With 5 new guests and the addition of one of our Hawaiian little brothers, Kekau. More on that next week. For now, I’m going to enjoy dinner and slideshow and reliving the past 5 full days of ocean experiences we’ve had with this group. 

Efcharisto to our crew, and a very big efcharisto to our awesome 3 guests, and most especially Efcharisto to Greece. It’s never the same, it’s always incredible, and I’ll never tire of your shores.

Love,

Heather