A Dangerous Snorkelling Club Quick Guide
Samos is the spiritual home of the D.S.C which is odd considering that
it’s not exactly high on the list of snorkelling destinations, but it was where
the club was founded so we thought It should be the first in the series of what
we are calling ‘quick guides’ to the places we been to.
The History Bit
Like all of the Greek Islands, Samos has a long and turbulent history.
According to Greek myth it was the birthplace of Hera, and has been populated
by Carians, Pelasgians and Ionians. It grew to glory during the 5th
and 6th Centuries BC before being dominated by the Persians during
the Persian Wars. Later it joined the Athenian Confederacy although this didn’t
work out very well for the island as the Athenians laid waste to everything when
the locals revolted against the alliance. As the years passed, the island was
conquered in turn by the Macedonians, the Ptolemy’s of Egypt, Romans, Franks,
Venetians and Genoese. With the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453 the
Island was abandoned, the locals fleeing to Chios. The Turks re-populated the
Island in the 16th Century and it remained a Turkish possession until
it was reunited with the Greeks in 1912.
Samos’ main claim to fame, if you disregard being the birthplace of a
goddess, is that the philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras was born on the
island in 570 BC. Pythagoras, as every schoolboy knows, developed the famous
theorem which states that the two sides of a hippopotamus equal the third side. Err…that might be that the square of the hypotenuse is equal to the square of
the other two sides…. Anyway triangles or hippopotami apart (old Pythagoras
seems to have made a lot of stuff up when he was on the wine) Pythagoras was
also famous for his religious teachings about endless cycles of rebirth blah,
blah, blah. If you’re into that sort of thing have a look here. A more important claim to fame as far as we are concerned, and one that
seems to be generally overlooked, is the bewildering engineering feat of
Eupalinos’ water tunnel. Discovered in 1882 the tunnel was an underground
aqueduct built to bring water to the ancient capital of Samos (Pythagoreion).
More info on the tunnel and its engineer Eupalinos can be found here. The
Tunnel is located above Pythagorio and is open to the public, but those of you
who are prone to claustrophobia might not enjoy the experience.
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| The tunnel entrance - breathe in! |
The Tourist Blurb
Ruins, statues, temples, Byzantium museums etc, etc. Samos has it all,
so if that’s your thing you’ll enjoy the Island, although the Temple of Hera
near Pythagorio was somewhat disappointing. Samos, like all Greek Islands, is
reputed to be the home of world famous wines. These are the same world famous
wines that you’ve never heard of or can buy in any shop, supermarket or bar
anywhere else in the world. The general rule of world famous island wines is
that they come in red, white or pink colours and are very sweet. If you’re a
wine connoisseur or a gifted amateur in the field you are going to be very
disappointed. Likewise if your tipple is beer then don’t expect too much. There
are only three available and all are lagers, Mythos, Alfa and Becks, and all
are pretty awful. We opted for Alfa in the end as Mythos is far too gassy and
Becks is worse than drinking your own urine. There are the usual rums, vodkas,
whisky etc on offer but since Greece joined the Euro these can be just as pricey
as anywhere else in Europe so that hangover you’ve got in the morning is going
to cost you a lot more than you were expecting. There are a myriad places to
stay on the island from four-star hotels to no-star shacks with leaky roofs, so
there is plenty of accommodation to suit any taste.
Which is the best restaurant?
There aren’t any. All of the restaurants are much the same. They sell
the same stuff, cooked the same way and all charge pretty much the same price.
If you’re the sort of person who thinks that sticking a lump of goat’s cheese
on some salad is contributing to international cuisine then you’ll always
find something you’ll like. If however you have higher expectations then we
recommend that you go self-catering. You might not be the worlds greatest cook
but you’ll find it less irksome preparing your own concoctions than being
presented with a bill for a meal that is badly seasoned, badly presented and
often burnt at the edges – seriously when we were there they burnt a pizza, a
pizza for god’s sake!
Are there any good bars?
No. Most of the bars in Samos Town or Pythagorio are termed lounge
bars, this means that they are filled with those terrible garden wicker chairs
with garish cushions and glass topped low tables. You slump down amongst the
other groups of bored tourists whilst a teenage waiter tries to self you a
brightly coloured cocktail with the ubiquitous umbrella, sparkler and half a
pound of fruit decorating the rim. There you sit, watching hordes of Italians
promenading up down, 1970’s Euro pop insulting your ears whilst wondering what
happened to your life? A minute ago you were on holiday, you were having fun,
now you are here in this hellhole of mediocrity hoping that one of the
sparklers sticks in the teenage waiter’s eye just for some excitement and that
the obese woman in the ridiculously tight summer dress would choke
on an olive – anything to stop her cackling laughter. Never ever, ever go in a
lounge bar, ever! They are the gateway to hell…
Fortunately most of the hotels have bars, which although not the best
places to drink in are much better than those you’ll find in the tourist areas,
The best of these is the pool bar at the Hotel Evelin. It was here in 2011 that
the Club was founded. It is located on the junction of the roads to Chora
(Hora) and Ireon. It’s small, friendly and hosted by the irrepressible George
and his wife. The Evelin bar also does
a reasonable fry up and a decent Kebab, something that is surprisingly hard to find in Greece.
The Snorkelling Bit
The best places for snorkelling are on the north coast of the island
between the beaches of Tsamadou, Lemonakia and Kokkari. The beaches at Tsamadou
and Lemonakia have the usual sunbeds and beach bar facilities. Tsamadou is
something of a nudist beach and is very popular with the locals at weekends so
is the least favourable for snorkelling, head to the right around the headland
for the best areas. When snorkelling off Lemonakia head towards the left hand
section of the cove, here you’ll find caves and rocky outcrops, further round
the headland you find a small private beach that provides a decent rest point.
As this beach is private property it is best not to loiter too long but on each
occasion that we stopped off it was early and there was no else around. The
main beach at Kokkari is a windsurfers domain and has very little to offer.
Head for the other side of the town itself. Here you will find a beach with no
sun beds and no facilities, however there is a basic café bar situated at the
top of the steep hill. Snorkel around the other side of the small island where you will find more
varied marine life than around the sandy parts of the main beach. In the late
morning you should be aware of fishermen who cast their lines
from the rocks around the island, it can be surprisingly easy to find a hook
suddenly dangling in front of your face. In rough weather all three beaches can
be disconcerting to the less experienced snorkeller and are definitely a no go
for children.
Like all snorkelling sites it is best to arrive early. Fish are far
more active in the morning and having the whole beach to yourself is an added
benefit.
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| The Cove at Lemonakia |
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| The Island at Kokkari |
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| Not everything you find in a cave is a funny coloured rock |
Other stuff
All Greek Islands have
mosquitoes but the wetlands behind the main beach at Pythogorion make for a
mossie heaven so if you're staying in this area be warned. The airport is also
located here so if you're looking to lounge on the beach quietly reading that new
bestseller you're in for a nasty surprise – in the high season the surprises come
every hour or so. A better beach for lounging about can be found further down
the coast at the small fishing village of Ireon, further on is Papas beach,
which seems to be the destination of choice for the German tourist. At Ireon you'll also find a small river that feeds into the sea. The brackish water seems to have been colonised by Terrapins who'll appreciate a few titbits from your lunch. A walk in
the hills of the island is great
when the temperature is low, but if you don’t like insects and things that fly
around your head you're probably better off in the myriad boutiques and shops
selling their ‘world famous’ local wares.
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| The Wetlands |
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| The 14:00 to Manchester wrecks the peace |
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| Terrapin City at Ireon |
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| Any comment? |
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| Exposed toes get bitten! |
The Statistical Stuff
Located in the Eastern Aegean
Capital - Samos Town
Population - 40, 500 give or take a hundred or so
Area - 476 sq Km
Temperature - Can reach 40 degrees Celsius in high summer but tends to be mid 30's
How to get there - In high summer there are direct charter flights from various European airports, alternatively you can fly from Athens or take a ferry from Piraeus, Paros, the Dodecanese, Cyclades, Crete and Turkey.
There you go Trip Advisor, eat your heart out.
Located just a few metres off shore from the lunar like beach of Sarakiniko, the
Sicily is a popular site for snorkellers of all abilities. The vessel was
reported drifting in 2003 North West of Milos Island, finally running aground
and breaking up. 
