Family active break in Ithaca, Greece

Planet

We regularly do beach and sea floor clean-ups to remove plastic trash. During your holiday you will be able to join us and participate in this activities if you choose to. For example, during our kayaking day, we will pick any plastic rubbish we find floating in the sea and then, during our stops, we will also pick whatever we find in the beaches that should not be there. At the end of the day, we take photos and document what we have found and then dispose of it responsibly. This is a good opportunity to involve children in the activity so they can see what types of rubbish are more common in the sea such as straws.

If you do collect any plastics during your other activity days, we would love to receive a picture of what you have collected. We intend to make these images available to the local business so they work on reducing the use of straws and other plastics.

In 2021, our sea kayak and diving centre initiated, organised and participated in the clean-up of an abandoned fish farm in the island. This effort was supported by international charities including Healthy Seas. As a result, we now, have a clean underwater environment, 3 new clean beaches and a safer and more pleasant area to explore in the island.

People

The centre works closely with the coastguards on a volunteer basis during emergency situations that require search & rescue. They provide local knowledge above and below water, fast boats and the personal skills of the people who work there.

Our trips are organised in conjunction with local businesses. We work with a range of businesses to support the economy of the island:
We use family hotels that accommodate a small number of guests

Cooperate with the outdoor companies and use their transfers and guides. We also have started a training program for young people who want to become kayak guides working closely with the centre. Our first graduate got his qualifications in early November 2018. We aim to keep the program rolling with the support of centre. Therefore, next summer you might meet new trainees paddling with us.

We shop local for all our needs. Most of our vegetables, we get from the local farmer that brings his truck to the main square most days. When we find it, we use olive oil produced in the island and local olives too.

We have a close relationship with the water taxi, and we hire their services to plan day trips and also pick up large groups from the port of the neighbouring island.