Two dives from Cycladic Diving in Aliki. I got up extra early to get the oddly timed bus. The EKO 1, a big “oil products tanker,” sat beside the bus stop. I can’t figure out what the orange ship is for; it looks like a submersible.
I got to Aliki more than an hour early. Not even the shops were open. So I wandered around and took random photos of things with my phone.
After they opened, and we got our gear together, it was off to the boat and then into the water for the first dive.
The instructor making sure the anchor got set properly.
A piece of ancient pottery on the sea floor.
Like a desert underwater.
Except this desert has fish!
Only the instructor and I went on the first dive, but we were joined by others for the second.
Lots of overhangs, though no swim throughs.
We saw a few moray eels, a lobster, sea slugs, sponges, and so much more. We even saw a Devil Firefish — which should not be in this area. The instructor who led the guide walked us through a book with pictures of everything we saw. I only wrote down a few.
And a starfish. No it’s not a blurry fish, it’s an unsteady underwater hand.
The sea wall was covered in colorful life.
After the dive I stopped at a nearby restaurant for lunch.
Leaving proved difficult. The bus wasn’t scheduled to arrive for another two hours. I wandered around some more, but was exhausted. I finally asked someone where I could get a taxi. They gave me a card; I called the number; they drove me back.
I spent some time talking to the two dive shops I’ve now visited about getting my Advanced Open Water training. They both want a lot more money than I expected, and have very different offerings.
I think I’m going to take tomorrow off from doing much. I need time to consider the best way to get the training and I still have flights and accommodations to book for the last part of the trip.
Maybe some sightseeing on land this weekend as I sort everything out.
Travel 