Don't Go Sea Treking, Go SeaTrekking!

Introducing the exciting sport of queuing underwater

We had never heard of Sea Trekking and when we did, what came to mind was a picture of fat tourists, large surface-supplied helmets framing their terrified faces, groping their way along a submerged guideline.

This, they would undoubtedly have been told when they parted with their hard-earned cash, would be an undersea adventure like no other. It’ll be like you’re Captain Nemo undertaking a fantasy walk beneath the waves just like in the Jules Verne classic. Sea Treking requires no swimming ability, no previous experience or specialised skills. Just descend into the water, travel along the pre-set route and enjoy the “once-in-a-lifetime adventure” of being surrounded by marine life of all shapes and sizes. Yawn!

Of course, more often than not, the helmet-encased tourists stir up so much sand and sediment as they haul themselves across the seabed that the fantasy adventure soon turns into a hellish walk where the only thing visible through the murk is the odd wrasse flitting between the clouds of silt and bubbles. And not all the bubbles come from the same ends….

We cannot think of a more horrendous way to spend thirty minutes of our life than to be herded like cattle across the sea floor, our heads enclosed in a cyberman’s helmet, trying to avoid looking at the wobbling backside of the flatulent Homer Simpson look-alike in front. It’s not a Jules Vernesque adventure, it’s hell in high water and the very thought brings shivers to our collective spine.

Coasteering

Fortunately however there is another form of Sea Trekking, one that is much more to our taste. Back in 2005, so the story goes, a group of youngish people who enjoyed hiking decided that walking around the coast was fun but what would be much more fun is if they added the sea to their hiking trails. Ah, you might exclaim, they’ve discovered Coasteering. That sport where you hike around the coastal fringes leaping in and out of the sea etc. Err… Well… Yes and no. SeaTrekking combines hiking, snorkelling and freediving and although it shares some similarities with Coasteering it has several significant differences one of which is that unlike Coasteering, the SeaTrekker doesn’t see the water as an obstacle to be navigated, rather it is a part of a journey that should be enjoyed. SeaTrekking is about traversing coastal areas, travelling above, in and below the water as much as travelling on land. SeaTrekkers spend days, even weeks exploring the coast carrying everything they need with them and at night they camp beneath the stars on secluded beaches and coves. Some of you might consider such an activity as rather romantic, an escape from the rat-race, exploring the shores less travelled and spending long evenings starring up at bejewelled skies. Others however, might be thinking that it sounds like hippy nonsense. The sort of stuff that pot-smoking wasters, who still wear tie-dyed t-shirts and refuse to wash their hair, dribble on about. In truth, both points of view are valid.

SeaTrekkers with kit

SeaTrekking is the brainchild of one Bernard Wache, whom it is fair to say, does have an air of hippydom about him. “We wanted to escape everyday life,” Wache explained to National Geographic Magazine, “We were looking for a way to feel what’s essential again.” However don’t think for one minute that he is just another airhead trying to “find himself”. For one thing, Wache is German, not the most airy-fairy of races we’re sure you’ll agree and for another he is a Designer and diver who has put some considerable effort into finding a way that the SeaTrekker can take their tent, cooking gear and spare underwear with them into the water without ending up with pile of smelly damp stuff at the end of each day. The first example of what would become a lifelong obsession to design watertight gear for the sport was a simple garbage bag that he tied around a sleeping bag and then to his foot. After that, he couldn’t let go of the idea of diving with camping gear. “I always wanted more time in the ocean,” the veteran snorkkeler and freediver explains, “going the most direct, puristic way I could imagine, without technology, boat, or backup.”

For a decade, he tinkered with ideas for how to keep his gear dry, sewing and gluing prototypes by hand in his basement. Finally in 2011, he contracted a company in Munich that make aluminum molds, and started commercial production. “Some people make a house, or a family,” Wache says. “I made a rucksack.” His new company Aetem, (which is similar to Atem the German word for "breath”) has plans to make new versions of the original waterproof rucksack, that will be better and cheaper.

Although still relatively new, SeaTrekking is gaining popularity as a sport and a dedicated community of intrepid adventurers is cropping up in Europe, Japan and beyond. Wache’s company Aetem, also offers tailored tours along coastlines not normally accessible by foot. Thailand, Croatia and Sardinia are just a few of the locations that can be visited.  

Oh the sense of freedom you get from packing stuff

SeaTrekking, with its adventurous spirit of exploration, love of nature and romantic notions of getting-away-from-it-all sounds marvellous but we do have a few issues. For instance the current waterproof bag, on offer on Aetem’s website, retails at over 900 Euros. That’s not cheap and even if the newer versions come in at half that price, that won’t be cheap either. Secondly there is that entire hippy, Gaia loving, anti-materialism stuff that fills the Aetem and SeaTrekking community website. In fairness there is nothing wrong with wanting to get back to nature, but it does sound a bit hypocritical if the way you go about “escaping everyday life” is to manufacture and sell a very expensive product and then move into the world of commercial tour guiding. Selling stuff seems a strange way of escaping materialism. These are minor issues however, born from too many beers and, in all honesty, a little bit of jealousy. You see, what Wache calls SeaTrekking, is very similar to what we’ve been doing for years (except we call it extreme snorkelling), we just didn’t think to try and make money out of it. But then nor did we realise that we needed to take a great big waterproof backpack filled with camping gear with us when we go for a days snorkelling, as we tend to have a 4x4 waiting for us at journey’s end. We like to call this: planning ahead. Then again, running a adventure tour company or designing a waterproof rucksack seems like a lot work to us and we’d rather be snorkelling. 

Nitpicking and jealousy aside, we think SeaTrekking is not a bad way of spending some free-time and if you are of bold spirit and are a good swimmer we’d recommend you give it a go because as once-in-a-lifetime underwater adventures go, SeaTrekking kicks the proverbial brown stuff out of Sea Treking.

By the way we have joined the SeaTrekking community, we don’t know why but it seemed like a good idea at the time. We may however be posting some stuff on their website so why not have a look around now and again. 

Cold Water, Strong Currents And Swarms Of Mauve Stingers – Perfect!

The Scilly Isles are situated some twenty-eight miles southwest of Cornwall. The tiny archipelago is made up of five inhabited islands and numerous other uninhabited islands and rocky islets – around 140 in total. The large numbers of ships that have been wrecked on the islands rocky shores make the Scilly Isles a wreck divers dream but the islands have a lot to offer the more daring snorkeller as well. One particular event caught our eye some time ago and made heading for the islands a must. In January this year the local Wildlife Trust reported a large influx of jellyfish around the Islands, particularly the Pelagia Noctiluca or Mauve Stinger. Growing up to 10cm across the bell, these jellies (as their name suggests) carry a painful, but fortunately not fatal, sting. Although it is not unusual for deep water jellyfish to occasionally find their way into the local waters, the appearance of so many at one time is rare and is believed to have been caused by winter storms pushing the organisms that the jellyfish feed on towards the islands. The jellyfish have followed this food source and ended up in the shallow waters around Scilly. 

Mauve Stingers

Given the fact that the influx was reported in January and we weren’t able to travel until September you might think that the opportunity had passed, however we kept a close eye on events and the monthly reports continued unabated and when we arrived on St Mary’s Island, the waters were still brimming with the gelatinous beggars. After a quick perusal of the island's coastline, looking for the best and easiest location to get in and out of the water, we headed for Pelistry Bay on the more remote eastern shore of St Mary’s. Pelistry Bay is accessible by footpath from the main road. A sign at the entrance to the beach warns of strong currents and being September, the water was cold – very cold. The beach is pure white sand and for the snorkeller, sand means poor visibility particularly in the winter months with the large Atlantic swell and strong wave action. Still we suited up, primed the cameras and headed into the seas chilling embrace. Visibility was compromised but we were not disappointed, the sea was virtually awash with Mauve Stingers along with Compass Jellyfish, Moon Jellies and Comb Jellyfish (Sea Gooseberry).

 

Comb Jelly (Sea Gooseberry)

Crystal Jellyfish

Compass Jellyfish

Forty-five minutes later we emerged cold and shivering but happy. To see so many different types of Jellyfish in one single location is something we never expected. A quick dry off and several shots of warming tea from the thermos we headed off to the Carn Vean Cafe, (situated on a hill by the bay) for a welcome serving of Cornwall’s famous steak pasties. Simply perfect....

The fate of many a Jelly

Skiathos Island

A Dangerous Snorkelling Club Quick Guide

Skiathos has a mixed reputation. For some its myriad beaches, bustling capital and good transport links make it the destination of choice for bit of summer sun. For others its myriad beaches, bustling capital and good transport links means it’s full of tourists and therefore best avoided. However it has been rated as one of the best snorkelling destinations in Europe. So we decided to brave the hordes of package holidaymakers and see for ourselves.

 

Dangerous Snorkelling Weather

The History Bit 

Since ancient times the islands strategic position always drew unwanted attention. The first settlers were Ionians followed in turn by Athenians, Macedonians and the inevitable Romans. It became a Turkish possession in around 1539 eventually winning freedom in 1829. Skiathos is the birthplace of two of Greece’s most famous novelists; Alexandros Moraitidis and Alexandros Papadiamantis. That’s all we could find out about the place, so unlike other islands it is a little bereft of historical interest.

The Snorkelling Bit

There are some things that the modern Greeks don’t seem to understand such as taxes. For the visitor however, a more important lapse in their understanding is the idea of tarmac. The roads in many Greek islands leave much to be desired but in Skiathos they reach new heights of car damaging roughness, in fact it appears that no road maintenance has been carried out since the Romans marched around the place.

This means that getting to the best snorkelling beaches in the north of the island can be an adventure in itself. The two best beaches we found were Megali Auselinos and Mikri Auselinos. Both are reached via a bumpy, suspension-wrecking dirt track. At Mikri Auselinos however, you also need to navigate your way down a steep, ankle-twisting path before you reach the welcoming soft sand. We arrived at 7:30 in the morning at both sites, a good hour before the bewildered beach bar owners and three full hours before another tourist arrived. On either beach you should take a short swim around the headlands on either side to find the rocky seabed where the most interesting marine life hang out. Look out for Jellyfish, fireworms and small shoals of needlefish. To the right of Mikri Auselinos there is small beach nestling below a steep cliff face, which makes it unreachable from the landside and so utterly deserted. We spent three full days here just Snorkelling around in perfect solitude. Another option is to hire a boat from Troulos beach on the southern side of the island and head for the myriad uninhabited islands to the South East. However just as Greek Ferries don’t run when the wind blows from the wrong direction, the merest hint of poor weather, such as a cloud, and the boat hire company will decline your business on the grounds that having survived the drive down to the beach, your luck must surely run out some time and you and their boat will never be seen again. The island boasts many other beaches including Meghas Ghialos, which is a spear fishing and diving hotspot, we however found the other beaches, including Meghas Ghialos, were too crowded and lacking in the marine interest of the Northern Beaches. A word of warning; the north coast can be very windy and the sea quite rough. These are the type of conditions we look for, but, if you are interested in more sedate snorkelling, ensure that the wind is blowing from the south to guarantee the conditions are more suitable.

Common Fried Egg Jellyfish

The Tourist Blurb

Beaches, beaches, beaches. If your idea of a holiday is lounging about on sun drenched beaches, cocktail in hand, then Skiathos has much to offer. The beaches on the south coast have long stretches of golden sound and boast a variety of water sports. Should a glance in the mirror reveal a cooked lobster glow and you decide that a day off the beach is called for then a trip to the capital of Skiathos town is a good alternative. Skiathos Town has the usual array of tourist “boutiques”, shops, cafes and tourist trap amenities but a wander around the narrow streets and port is an interesting experience. Those of you with more cultural interests will however be disappointed. Yes Skiathos has churches and a 12^th century fortress but these don’t really have the appeal that other islands historic sites have and there is the overwhelming sense that the island has waved a dismissive hand towards the highbrow in favour of lowest common denominator tourism. That said though, as a snorkelling destination, Skiathos is well worth its rating as one of the best in Europe. The more adventurous types among you, those who are prepared to rise early and brave the cold morning sea should encounter a surprising variety of marine life that more than makes up for the islands other shortcomings, except of course the bloody roads!

The Path to Mikri Auselinos

The Tourist Q & A

Which is the best restaurant?

There are a great many restaurants and tavernas on the island and like all Greek islands they pretty much serve the same fayre. From the tourist chatter we heard, the two most highly regarded were the Windmill Restaurant in Skiathos Town and Salt & Pepper in Troulos. Both require you to make a reservation…. No Kidding! We were unable to get one at the Windmill but did manage to eat twice at Salt & Pepper. Salt & Pepper calls itself a garden restaurant, which means you are seated near grass! The food was nothing exceptional but clearly of higher quality than you would normally expect from the islands. The price wasn’t too bad either, if you have ever had a meal in London or New York the cost of a meal for four with wine won’t bring tears to your eyes – if you haven’t dined outside Scunthorpe before, you’re probably going to need oxygen. Apparently, and this is purely what the waiter told us, a number of major celebrities are often to be seen dining here, though he didn’t elaborate on who exactly, nor on how he defines “major” or “celebrity for that matter

Are there any good bars?

That depends on what you define as a bar. Skiathos Town suffers from that evil affliction of the lounge bar so we obviously refused to spend anytime in those. In Troulos there is the Christiakis Sports Bar which labels itself as the only bar in Skiathos that has BBC, ITV and Sky Sports. That of course means it has a lot of Televisions showing repeats of live matches and lots of Brits looking for a home-from-home experience. The majority of the bars, including Christiakis, are part of hotel set-ups the rest and there are many, are your average Taverna affair. All are okay for a few hours of Après-snorkel drinking but none of them are exceptional.

The Other Stuff

Wasps! The island, particularly the South, is infested with the infamous Skiathos wasp. These are not your usual, Irritating, picnic-wrecking insects. The Skiathos wasp is a particularly persistent little bugger. Every beach, especially around mid morning, echoes to sound of infuriated sunbathers cursing loudly whilst furiously waving towels, sandals and hats around in a futile attempt to get rid of the little blighters. Note: waving things in the air does not make the wasps go away; it just makes them angry! The only thing that we found that works was cigarette smoke. That of course is not an option if you don’t smoke or have someone in your group who does and more importantly, is prepared to go through fifty a day to keep the air clear of the striped pests. If this is the case your only option is to head for the water. A sting from these sods is painful but no more so than your average wasp, it’s just that by the third sting the pain seems to merge into one day-wrecking throb.

The Skiathos Cat

Not particularly part of the guide, but Skiathos also has an infestation of feral cats. Some are mangy, one-eyed, flea bitten wretches whilst others are impossible not to fall head-over-heels in love with. So let us introduce you to the cat we adopted for ten, leg-scratching, days. Ladies and Gentlemen we give you Psycho the Cat in usual contented pose. 

The Statistical Stuff

Population: 4000+

Area: 48 Sq. Km.

How to get there: Charter flights from major European airports operate during the summer months. Schedule flights operate year round from Athens; Ferry links operate from all major islands in the region.