A few minutes from Crete’s capital in Heraklion there’s a great place for the vacationer to become a real adventurer, and to practice a laid back and luxurious island life at the same time. My staff at Argophilia and a group of old friends got to sample this dynamic of the island while visiting the quaint village of Agia Pelagia recently. So, for those interested in unique experiences on Crete, here’s a short story about cooling it with Diver’s Club Crete.
Here on Crete business, pleasure and friendship always seem to occupy the same geographic space. Chance introductions and meetings lead to new friends and new adventures. This happens on a daily basis for those of us fortunate enough to live and work here. For my best friend Mike Parrish visiting for ten days from North Carolina, this dynamic played a role in yet another perfect day in his quest for experiential travel. A meetup with my Minoan brother (best pal) Minas Liapakis, who’s head of EyeWide Digital Marketing, led to another friend, Cretan entrepreneur, Dimitris Markakis suggesting a SCUBA experience off Agia Pelagia. Parrish, an avid sportsman, ended up taking the advice of Markakis to enjoy a dive with the team at Diver’s Club Crete just around the corner from his new hospitality development, SeaScape Luxury Residences.
Diver Mike Parrish (L) discusses past dives with Diver’s Club Crete master divers Kasha (Center) and Dan (At Right) before suiting up for the offshore Agia Pelagia excursion
Like I suggested earlier, the lines in between friends, colleagues, and travelers blur here on Crete. In my experience, almost everyone I’ve been introduced to has since become a good friend. Some are even family now since the legend of Filoxenia has proven to be no myth for us. Filoxenia as a way of being for Cretans, it’s a subject I’ve covered before, but I’m happy to say Dimitris Drakos and his team gave up the aquatic love for my lifelong pal. What a great group of skilled and friendly professionals this team was.
Mike Parrish (L), SeaScape Luxury Residences owner Dimitri Markakis (2nd from left), and the dive group get a last-minute briefing from Dan
Since I elected to stay ashore to enjoy the shade at Agia Pelagia’s beautiful Almyra beachside bar-restaurant, I had to ask Mike to compare the Diver’s Club Crete experience to dives off Belize and in the Carribean. Here is the gist of his comparison paraphrased:
“The staff at Diver’s Club Crete were as thorough as any of the dive centers I’ve experienced. Dan, the master diver leading our group gave the most informative and detailed pre-dive briefing I’ve ever been a part of. The equipment and facility are up-to-date and top notch, a bit of a departure from the norm.”
Dimitri Markakis gears up just before the dive
To sum up, I’ll conduct the follow-up interviews with Diver’s Club Crete owner Dimitris Drakos and his team. And we’ll hopefully reveal something like a “diver’s week” coming up in August or September. For now, I hope you’ll enjoy seeing and learning about this new Crete potential if you’re not already familiar. Hopefully, the owners of these extraordinary businesses in one of Crete’s most fascinating seaside villages will put together more perfect days for new friends.
The group heads out early morning past the point at Agia Pelagia
Stay tuned.
View Comments (0)