Surfing Greece

Whenever you hear the word “Greece”, the words that probably come to your mind are “sun”, “sea”, “history”… and “crisis”. Does the word “surfing” ring a bell? Well, probably not… Surfing arrived in Greece quite recently and only a few Greeks have ever stepped foot on a surf board.
Surfing is a sport recently introduced in Greece and, although we have 16,000 km coastline, it's getting more and more popular. Moreover, Greece is in the center of the Mediterranean Sea and we have more wind swells that come from all directions—one doesn’t come across swells like ocean swells all that often.

Great conditions do exist though, but only at certain times and in certain places. So, these few existing surfers just make sure they keep updated on the weather with dedicated sites that provide location tips on a daily basis. Keeping all this in mind, the locations with the best conditions throughout the year are the along the coasts of Western Greece and the island of Crete.

As far as mentality and culture are concerned, Greeks are considered rather laid back compared to their Central and Northern European friends. Though life in the city has turned hectic, time is still valued differently–being 10 to 15 minutes late on your appointment still means you’re punctual. In addition, the impact of the financial crisis hasn’t only been reduced to depression and a lower standard of living. After the first shock and the stage of realizing that we’re in trouble came the stage of having to do something about it. The lousy job market and the limited money one can now make for a nerve-wracking, time-consuming “office” job, has pushed people to professions that were once their hobbies. In general, not being able to satisfy your greed sometimes helps you look within at your deeper wishes.

All these facts have added to the appeal of surfing and, as long as folks can share cars, expenses and their camp, the surfing community in Greece is expected to grow fast. For the time being, it’s still small, so surfers always stumble upon each other on the beach; the mood is positive and friendly and, more often than not, they end up grabbing a souvlaki or a beer and carrying out long conversations about the most random subjects!
Well, enough said. I can’t think of a good reason not to come and see for yourself! You’re more than welcome!
Andreas Tsamtsouris – BIO

Up until two years ago, I would surf and take photos for 80% of my spare time. But my spare time came in small supply and just wasn’t enough. Then, my boss came with the following phrase:
“Well, times are tough. It’s take it or leave it.”

Deep salary cuts were announced at the wholesale and import clothing company I worked for as brand manager—with rough calculations, I wouldn’t make enough to pay for my rent and nutrition!  No thanks, I replied, with decency and a good amount of worries in the back of my head.

Ever since, I’ve been making my living from photography but have the most fun when surfing and shooting. We’re still a small bunch here in Greece, butsurfing is really growing day by day. Tough financial conditions and weather conditions that require you to look hard for the proper swells have just made this undertaking even more adventurous For the time being, I keep working on my photography day in, and day out.