Dive Into Adventure: A Swimming Cruise in the Saronic Gulf

It is 09:30 when our boat arrives at Poros. We disembark on this picturesque island in the Saronic Gulf, roughly an hour’s journey from the port of Piraeus, and walk approximately 700 meters to the sailboat which will be our base for the rest of the day. All around us is quiet; most of the island is still asleep. There is not a cloud in the sky, the summer sun is shining.

On the boat, we meet our fellow passengers, all fired up and impatient for the day ahead, when we will be coached and mentored by a swimmer.

Ioannis Drymonakos has brought together his love for swimming and the sea in the “Swimming Cruise.” He tells us: “My first experience of swimming was in the waters of the Saronic Gulf when I was just two years old. As a child, I remember holding on to the side of a small boat my parents owned and gazing at the blue of the sea. I learned to love traveling and swimming, and to have respect for the sea. It was open water swimming that made me fall in love with swimming, and to turn it into a profession.” After a kitesurfing adventure in the Caribbean in 2019, Drymonakos decided that he, too, could help others combine travel with water sports. The Greek seas seemed the perfect place to bring his idea to fruition, and Poros the ideal island, as he has known it since his childhood.

Drymonakos, who tells us he feels most at home on the sea, guides us around the sailing boat and explains the rules we must follow in order to enjoy a safe cruise. There are eight of us on the boat; this includes some Greeks who’ve decided to combine an island getaway with a good workout, and a group of professional triathletes from Hungary who wanted to train in the open sea while visiting Poros.

This is the first swimming cruise for all but one of us. The sailboat is 15 meters long, large enough to hold us all comfortably. Some choose to sit in the shade while other lounge on cushions and sunbathe as we travel slowly out to open water.

Our journey begins!

The sea is rough, with force seven winds blowing off Poros, so we will keep to nearby coves which offer some shelter. Our first destination is the Bay of Monastiri. As we journey there, we talk in turns about our level of swimming competence and what we hope to gain from the experience. At this stage, it’s very important to be honest!

We drop anchor in the sheltered bay, split into two teams of three (beginners and advanced) and Drymonakos gives us some important advice regarding open sea swimming. Each group agrees with him the precise distance it will cover, establishing both a starting and finishing point for their course. We don caps and goggles and, most important of all, we clip on a special swimming buoy that will make us visible to any other boats from a distance.

We dive into the deep blue waters!

The beginners’ group won’t stray far from the boat and will cover 300 meters in total. The advanced group will attempt 2 kilometers. Drymonakos’ assistant Angelos, also a swimming pro, will shadow us in a small boat in case we get into trouble, or get tired or need to take a drink of water. The experience would not be complete without underwater filming, the result of which will help each of us analyze and improve our technique.

The swimming experience is unique. Each person moves at their own comfortable pace; the idea is enjoy it, not as a contest but as swimming in nature. The sea here is calm and the water so clear we can make out every detail on the sea bottom. The sun sparkles on the water’s surface. With every breath we glimpse the island’s green hills, which descend nearly to the sea’s edge. Angelos follows at a safe distance and watches over us as we swim. The only thing we need to do is enjoy it.

We reach the designated finishing point and our course is done. The sailboat is already there and waiting. We climb up the boat’s ladder and that’s it; we can relax for the rest of the day!

We cross the famed Straits of Poros and find ourselves in Rossiko Bay. Here the water is deep blue. We can spend our time here as we please, taking our pick from stand-up-paddling, sunbathing or hiking around on dry land. There are light snacks and fresh fruit, and we have the chance to look over the underwater footage and analyze our swimming technique. Drymonakos gives us some simple tips to improve our performance, and we all have a chance to swim again here in order to try out his advice.

It’s nearly six in the evening, and we’re on our return leg, enjoying the late sun with a coffee in hand, when we are greeted by a pleasant surprise. Two large sea turtles come into view, swimming side by side. We’re told, as we watch these creatures, that both sea turtles and dolphins often appear alongside the sailboat.

In the port of Poros, it’s still quiet. We will be spending the night here, strolling through the alleyways and eating at one of the little tavernas which will come alive in just a few hours.