While cruising along the coast of Akrotiri, Crete, I couldn’t help but blissfully zone out as the motor muffled in the background. Now, I’ve been on a lot of boats throughout the years. Skiffs. Ships. Ferries. Sail boats. Speed boats. Hell, even a zodiac along the Napali coast, Hawaii and in Italy. And as far as I’m concerned, this is the best boating expierence I’ve had so far. It’s SO amazing, that we keep returning every summer for the last three years!
Of course, if you’re used to being out on the water, you know the feeling all to well – the wonderful noise as you zip along the coast, the feeling of cold sprinkles hitting your face and the fantastic views that one can only witness by boat.
It’s addictive. Highly addictive.
And if you are ever in the Chania prefecture of Crete, Greece… this location is a MUST for your boating addiction!
The reason? Well, there are plenty of reasons, but I’ll let you in on six.
1. The Views
First and foremost, the views are impecable.
A magnificant, sheer rock face that makes up the Akrotiri Cape falls straight into the water with hundreds of birds soaring above.
Sometimes you can even spot flying fish coasting above the water. And on this side of the island you can see the famous White Mountains of Crete with the sea below. It’s a breathtaking sight.
What is the akrotiri, you may ask? It’s basically a large circular peninsula located in Chania with massive rocky cliffs in the north that seperate the Island from the Mediteranean Sea.
Most of the north facing portion – the Akrotiri Cape – is only accesable by boat, as pretty much all of the area is rural with a couple villages here and there and mountains running parallel with the coast line.
When boating along the coast, you can see the many natural gorges and coves… which brings us to…
  2. Secret Coves & Gorges
There are numerous hidden coves and gorges along the Akrotiri Cape.
Some where only a single boat can fit into it. (Very carefully, of course.)
The rocky terrain is extremely sharp and composed of natural marble.
There are plenty of fish, crustaceans and sea anemones to keep you busy when snorkling or scuba diving.
If you ask your captain, you can even free dive with him to get some fresh sea food! yum! (That’s if you’re adventurous!)
These coves are only accesable by boat, except for one….
Seitan Limania.
The not-so-secret beach.
Let’s just say that it used to be secret… but the cat’s outa the bag now and it seems the entire world tries to pack in a beach day every July – September.
Most people drive to this cove and hike down a rocky terrain to the beach. It’s super steep and dangerous but oh-so worth it and a must see when in Chania.
If you don’t want to hike down and want to pass on the crowds, take the boat! (I highly recomend doing both, though. The views are insane from the top of the hike.)
  3. Rare Sea Glass
Yup! Rare sea glass. Actually, ultra rare.
And it’s there for your pick, you sea glass lovers. (And if you’re not a lover – you soon will be!)
There lies a little cove that is literally littered with rare sea glass.
It’s pretty insane. And I don’t mean just any sea glass… like the boring brown, white and amber. Here, you get ultra rare sea glass colors: terquoise, red, yellow, teal, green, blue… you name it!
See… there used to be a dumping ground years ago and this is where all the glass had come from (keep in mind it takes 30 years or more for sea glass to be made beautiful… and the right beach to make sea glass treasure).
Just ask your captain to take you there and you’ll be able to spend a good portion of your morning picking up rare, Greek sea glass along with super small vintage Greek tiles.
It’s definitly a hidden treasure as hardly anyone knows about this place.
  4. Cliff Diving and the Underwater Cave
Remember that not-so-secret beach I told you about? Well… it has some pretty awesome spots to cliff dive off of. Completely dangerous and it’s not for the faint of heart. (Sad to say, but there have been some unfortunite fatalities.) Needless to say, as long as you’re careful and watch your step (and if you’re an avid cliff diver), this spot’s for you and your friends camera.
You can climb up the side of the marble rock… or find a natural path up the face of the rock from the water. I’ve done both, but prefer climbing the face from the water – it’s quicker and more fun, at least I think so. I highly recomend this expierence, but always climb/jump at your own risk.
Now for caves… there are many caves all around the Island. Some you can hike into and others you need to dive into. This particular cave is called “Elephants Cave” and is only accesable when diving. I haven’t seen it for myself, but it’s on my bucket list!
5. The Captain
Get one. Period.
There is only one boat rental company that I go through, Notos Mare. The company has hubs all around western Crete, but for the sake of this post and my preference, rent one from Marathi Beach (located on the akrotiri).
Due to the natural gorges and sharp rocky marble stone that surrounds the akrotiri cape, it’s highly advisable to rent a boat with a captain.
Seriously.
First of all, they know exactly where to go and what to see. Secondly, they know how to operate the damn thing. And who wants to captain the boat when you could be throwin’ back a couple brews with your friends?
Side story: we went out on a beautiful day last summer and booked a captain to tour us around. There was another group that rented a boat without a captain. We did the morning trip, as they did – so naturally, our boats somewhat followed each other through the many coves along the coast. It was getting a little windy that day (as it does sometimes due to the location of the penensula) and it wasn’t safe to head into certain gorges. I mean, it makes sense, right? You wouldn’t want to slam into that gorgeous cliff side made out of natural marble, would ya? So, I’m sure you know where I’m getting at from here… but these guys in the other boat slamed right into the rock face! And I don’t mean they just bumped into it… they full throttled the rental boat into the rock!
And just to clear your mind, no one was hurt, thank the Lord… but could you imagine? So, needless to say, get a captain!
 6. The Price
It’s pretty affordable.
Espeically if you have 4-5 friends to split the cost with.
For around 150 euros you get a captain, 80hp boat and cruise around for half a day. You really can’t beat that price for the expierence you’ll be taking in.
Some boat excursion prices are off the charts and all you get is a crappy mai tai and mediocre music. Here? You bring your own tunes, pack your cooler full of food and drinks, snorkel your heart out, explore hidden gems and call it a day. And I’d say that’s a pretty good day spent. Cheers!
