One of the most appealing parts of taking a family holiday is the ocean. The sea can be relaxing and exciting and offers the ideal opportunity for building confidence in the water and teaching children about the joys and hazards of swimming.
Your time away also gives you the chance to get active both under and on the water – and there a wide range of sporting options on offer for families looking to get wet and wild on holiday.
Thanks to its warm climate and ideal water conditions, Greece is the perfect setting for a water-sports holiday. Long, wide, sandy beaches provide the perfect backdrop for water-based activities that the whole family will love.
Here are some examples of the best water-sporting activities on offer in picture-perfect Greece:
Sailing
Kids will love the feel-good factor of sailing and the sport offers many great opportunities for socialising. Children as young as 6 can sail small boats and there are many craft suitable for a family with tiny children too. Sailing has a good safety record and even when racing the fastest boats, injuries are rare.
The Grecian coastline provides some stunning sailing opportunities that will appeal to children and adults alike and the Lakitira Beach Resort in Kardamena is a superb RYA recognised sailing resort which ticks all the boxes for sailors of every level. With light winds most mornings that are ideal for beginners, conditions build in the afternoon to force 3-5 for the more advanced sailors.
Free group sailing clinics are spread over six days of the week and are for beginners through to intermediate level or you and your family can gain qualifications through one of the ten RYA courses on offer.
Scuba diving and snorkelling
It’s great to encourage children to enjoy interacting with the ocean from an early age, and the perfect way to build their confidence is to take them snorkelling through rock pools or, for older kids, experience the exhilaration of scuba diving.
At the San Augostino Beach Resort in Peloponnese There are a team of qualified PADI diving instructors on hand to teach and encourage scuba divers of all levels from the age of eight and up. Children are taught breathing techniques, how to swim underwater, hand signal use and other vital scuba diving lessons to give them the confidence they need to progress into sea dives.
For younger children there are a range of snorkelling programs to introduce little ones ages four and up to useful underwater techniques in both the swimming pool and the sea. Lessons include how to identifying hazards, clearing masks of water and equalising ear pressure.
For adults, there are free ‘discover scuba diving’ sessions which take place in the swimming pool and are a gentle introduction to the underwater world. Once you’ve learnt the basics you can progress to courses and further qualifications. For experienced divers there are a range of fantastic open water trips.
Windsurfing
This thrilling sport is a fantastic option for families and, given proper instruction and the right water conditions, is quite safe. Combining surfing and sailing, windsurfing is an exhilarating experience, and will make for an exciting holiday activity. It’s also a great way of keeping fit, so parents and children alike will enjoy the health benefits that this fun sport has to offer.
The luxury Helona Hotel in Kardamena is situated on a beach with ideas conditions for windsurfers of all skill levels, and provides a lavish setting for parents looking to relax while the children get behind the sail.
Sharing a beach with the Lakitira Beach Resort, guests at the Helona are free to enjoy the free group tuition and RYA courses on offer there. Children can take part in the RYA Youth scheme Starting Point course and Moving On courses to learn the basics and develop their skills using specially designed children’s boards and rigs.
The Helona also provides an extensive range of kid’s clubs and childcare for ages four months to seventeen years.
Mumable Author: Laura
