All Aboard
For a truly breathtaking swim, you can’t beat a boat trip around the Akamas
FOR some, the thought of embarking upon a mini pleasure cruise is somewhat daunting. There’s the huge risk of sunburn from being so over exposed and the rather grim prospect of being trapped aboard a craft for hours on end in the dubious company of hordes of happy clappy tourists. With these negative factors in mind, we made our way to Latchi harbour, boarding the good ship Alkion, captained by Michael, to take what turned out to be a highly pleasurable cruise around the Akamas.
Wheelchair user Chris Neophytou had invited us to join him to see for ourselves the unique element of the Alkion. On board there is a power-operated winch that wheelchair users to get on board and safely go for, and return from, a swim in the sea.
Captain Michael, in partnership with Chris, designed and built the special seat and also added a safety guard to ensure passengers run no danger of being accidentally tipped into the sea.
For those of us who are able bodied, this innovation may not seem like such a big deal but for the many hundreds of physically-disabled visitors who regularly visit these shores the opportunity to swim in the sea off the side of a boat is something that was until recently merely a dream.
Another plus for the Alkion is the well-covered main deck, which allows passengers to sit in relative comfort, shaded from the sun’s harsh rays yet still relish the smell and spray of the sea as the boat chugs along at a modest pace, skirting the shoreline before anchoring in a secluded bay for a long-awaited dip in turquoise blue sea.
Our trip started at the very reasonable hour of 10:30am, taking us first past the playground of the rich and famous at the Anassa Hotel, then to a small outcrop of rocks close by with a large cross set into their highest point. This is in memory of a tourist who plunged to his death after wrongly believing he could dive into the sea from the top of the rocks.
Then we were told about the demise of Manolis as we passed another small bay named after him – in 1945 this intrepid fisherman decided to try and blow fish out of the water en-masse with the help of several sticks of dynamite. Needless to say, Manolis now lives with the fish.
Circling the islet of St George, we were then treated to the story of the 101 churches of the Akamas, of which at least three small examples were clearly visible from the boat. The story goes that although 100 of the churches have been accounted for, many of which are just tiny structures with some even built into rock faces, despite many years of searching by both locals and church appointed officials, the last one has never been discovered.
Throughout the trip there was constant traffic down below as viewed through the Alkion’s glass bottom. It is truly mesmerising watching the floor of the sea move past. Shoals of baby fish and the odd grouper could be seen clearly outlined on what must be the cleanest sea bed in Cyprus. This attraction in itself is worth the trip as it’s so very soothing and at the same time deeply comforting to know that for X nautical miles we didn’t spot one single rusting piece of machinery, except small parts from the wreck of a ship which went down in high winds many years ago.
There is a recorded commentary in English and in Greek, which isn’t too intrusive, and there is also a bar serving juice, beer and wine along with a range of snacks and sandwiches. Our small group of passengers were a mix of Greeks, English and Germans and there was space aplenty for us all to spread out comfortably, either under shade or in the sun.
Our swim time proved to be “sheer pleasure” for Chris after he was expertly manhandled over the side of the boat for his dip. “Even if I do only float with the help of a rubber ring and an anchor rope in place to stop me floating off to Turkey, it’s the pure sense of freedom I get from being released from the confines of my wheelchair,” he said.
The Alkion sailed back into harbour at 1:30, another plus point it being an eminently suitable time to walk down the gangplank and into one of the many excellent fish restaurants set around the quayside.
This is a perfect trip for those with small children as the boat has some well-appointed safety features. It is also ideal also for those who find the usual six-hour sojourn on a packed boat to be a bit on the tiring side. It is also highly recommended for the absolute bliss of bathing in the cleanest, clearest waters imaginable and the opportunity to admire a horizon of deep purple and blues.
l To book a trip on the Alkion call Michael on 99 655504. Or turn up at his ‘umbrella’ office opposite his boat at 10:15am.
