Diving and Sea sprots
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Greek Seas are the silent paradise filled with numerous forms, shapes, colors and miracles.
The main advantage of diving is a possibility to observe underwater life, it`s habitants and the lazy way they live. Various types of seaweed, fishes, jellyfishes, shrimps, marine turtles, the coral reeves, stars, marine hedgehogs and mollusks are hidden in the depth of blue dark sea...
The word "diving" comes from the English word "dive" which means "to take to water" and "to plunge".
Shipbuilding, navigation and fishing have been developing in Greece for years. Greeks have found out many centuries ago and huge abundance of a sea-bottom that has led to fishery and diving development. There are images of divers occur in ancient Greek manuscripts. During archeological excavations are often discovered ornaments with pearls.
Divers were also used for the military purposes; they made the important part of crew of the military ships. Historian Fukidid has described the first immersing of the Greek divers used in military actions, for removal of underwater obstacles and a safety of the boats.
Mass diving as an entertainment and sport, it is connected with scientists-naturalist and submariner, Jacque Yves Cousteau, and French engineer, Gagnan, who have invented the first independent aqualung in 1943.
Diving varieties
Diving isn't sport for selected, but activity almost for everyone, all you need is will and you can go underwater to see new, colorful, sea world. You can dive without any equipment (free diving), and with full equipment (scuba diving). Some people reach more than 200 meters depth. The charm of this sport is - beside high risk - changing underwater landscape, richness of underwater fauna and flora. Diver never knows what he could see. Often books from childhood desire to follow after something unknown and to rivalry with others encourage going deeper and deeper.
Free Diving
Is a technique used with various aquatic activities. This kind of diving is the first step for those who would like to be professional in it. The modern sport of free diving has its roots in the ancient Greek sponge trade. This traditional diving technique dates back to the time of Aristotle. Fishermen used it to reach depths of more than 30m (100ft), where they harvested valuable sponges for as long as they could hold their breath. Those who are fond of underwater hunting or just like to dive without aqualung are free divers, but not professionals. Professional free diving is a kind of sport with it`s records, champions and competitions.
Snorkeling (British spelling: snorkelling)
Is the practice of swimming at the surface of a body of water while equipped with a diving mask, a shaped tube called a snorkel, and usually swim fins.
Combining these tools allows the snorkeler to observe underwater attractions for extended periods of time with relatively little effort. Snorkeling requires no special training, only the ability to swim and to breathe through the snorkel. However, for safety reasons, instruction and orientation from a tour guide, dive shop, or equipment rental shop is recommended. Instruction generally covers equipment usage, basic safety, what to look for, and what to look out for, and conservation instructions. Some commercial snorkeling locations require snorkelers to wear an inflatable vest, similar to life jackets. They are bright yellow or orange and have a valve that allows the user to inflate or deflate the device. Experienced snorkelers often start to investigate amateur free-diving, which should be preceded by at least some training from a dive instructor or experienced free-diver.
Scuba diving (Scuba = Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus)
Is a swimming underwater activity while using scuba set. Scuba diver is able to stay underwater longer than with the simple breath-holding techniques used in snorkeling and free-diving, and is not hindered by air lines to a remote air source. The scuba diver typically swims underwater by using fins attached to the feet. Today, scuba typically refers to the in-line open-circuit equipment, developed by Emile Gagnan and Jacques-Yves-Cousteau, in which compressed gas (usually air) is inhaled from a tank and then exhaled into the water. However, rebreathers (both semi-closed circuit and closed circuit) are also self-contained systems (as opposed to surface-supplied systems) and are therefore classified as scuba.
You`d better start scuba diving lessons with a trainer. There are a lot of numerous diving centers and diving schools in Greece. Greece is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and there are a lot of opportunities for those who is fond of underwater diving. The crystal-pure blue water, the fascinating underwater world with numerous kinds of fish, colorful kinds of sea flora and fauna, the opportunity of detection of the sunk ships and treasures that's what attracts thousands of divers to explore Greek coast.
The most popular diving places in Greece are considered to be: Santorini, Corfu, Crete, Euboea, Mykonos, Rhodes, Khalkidhiki and Glydada.
Annually International diving festival takes place in Kalimnos Island. Kalymnos is part of the Dodecanese Islands and is the fourth largest of the group. The capital and main port of the island is called Pothia and is a very attractive fishing village. The island is famous for its sponge fishing tradition and is the ideal place to buy natural, soft sponges. The beautiful landscape, the fine beaches and the traditional way of life of the inhabitants are slowly attracting some visitors here.
Water sports
Water skiing
Is a sport where an individual (or more than one individual) is pulled behind a motor or a cable ski installation on a body of water wearing one or more skis. The surface area of the ski (or skis) keeps the person skimming on the surface of the water allowing the skier to stand upright while holding the tow rope.
Vouliagmeni Sea Club (Attici area) became the first club in Greece with water ski in 1957 and in 1963 Hellenic Water Ski Federation was created for water ski development in the country.
Water skiing usually begins with a "deep water start." The skier crouches down in the water (knees bent/arms straight), with the ski tips pointing up and the ski rope between the skis. When the skier is ready, the driver gives the boat the required amount of force to pull the skier out of the water.
In addition to the driver and the skier, a third person known as the spotter/observer must be presented. The spotter's job is to watch the skier, and inform the driver if the skier falls. Communication between the skier and the occupants of the boat is done with hand signals. It is also the spotter's job to watch the skier's hand signals and pass on the messages to the driver.
Nowadays this kind of sport is one of the most very popular sports. There are a lot of water ski centers and schools all over Greece.
Sailing
It is the art of controlling a sailing vessel. By changing the rigging, rudder and dagger or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to change the direction and speed of a boat. Mastery of the skill requires experience in varying wind and sea conditions, as well as knowledge concerning sailboats. Sailing is the most popular water sport in Greece.
Windsurfing is a surface water sport using a windsurf board, also commonly called a sailboard, usually two to five meters long and powered by a single sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating flexible joint called the Universal Joint (U-Joint). Unlike a rudder-steered sailboat, a windsurfer is steered by the tilting and rotating of the mast and sail as well as tilting and carving the board.
The sport combines aspects of both sailing and surfing, along with certain athletic aspects shared with other board sports like skateboarding, snowboarding, waterskiing and wakeboarding. Although it might be considered a minimalistic version of a sailboat, a windsurfer offers experiences that are outside the scope of any other sailing craft design. A windsurfer holds the world speed record for sailing craft (see below); and, windsurfers can perform jumps, inverted loops, spinning maneuvers, and other "freestyle" moves that cannot be matched by any sailboat.
To the most of people the creation of windsurfing belongs to the sailor Drake and windsurfer Schweitzer from Southern California. Their creation was a surfboard-like board with a triangular "Bermuda" sail and wishbone booms, connected to the board via a universal joint. But the original creators of windsurfing were Newman and Darby.
Windsurfing
Became very popular in the beginning of 80s. The boom of the 1980s led windsurfing to be recognized as an Olympic sport in 1984. However, windsurfing's popularity saw a sharp decline in the mid-1990s, as equipment became more specialized, requiring more expertise to sail. Now the sport is experiencing a modest revival, as new beginner-friendly designs are becoming available.
In 1993 special attention was paid to Greek Islands by the Worldwide Association of Professional
Windsurfers and Windsurfing World Championship. Exactly at that time "Odyssey" marathon was organized by Greek organizations. Since that time the most important European international windsurfing tournaments are held in Greece. The Cyclades are very popular among windsurfers. Besides, the weather conditions are perfect for this kind of sport.
Kayaking or touring kayak
It is a kayak developed for the sport of paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and the ocean. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spray deck. They trade off the extreme maneuverability of whitewater kayaks for cargo capacity, ease of straight-line paddling, and comfort for long journeys.
Sea kayaks are now used around the world for marine journeys from a few hours to many weeks, as they can accommodate one or two (occasionally three) paddlers together with room for camping gear, food, water, and other supplies. The sport of sea kayaking (sometimes called ocean kayaking) combines much of the appeal of hill-walking with a maritime aspect, few access issues and a seemingly unlimited area to enjoy.
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