Swimming long distances, reaching one island from another, one bay from another and then looking back at the great distance I’d covered, became a way of life for me. I consider myself blessed and lucky to have grown up in this country with its endless blue, sun, and safe waters where you can swim endless distances, and I feel completely at home in the water.

At the age of just 14, I started competitive swimming, and by 14 years later I’d participated in three Olympic Games, won 7 European medals, and reached 7 world championship finals.

My passion for sports never left me. I continued participating in open water races and have won over 20 open water competitions to date, including the Spetses Mini Marathon, the 5km and 3km swim, the Isthmus of Corinth, the 6km Paros-Antiparos race, and more. Although I’ve swum in Olympic Games alongside great athletes like Michael Phelps, if someone asked me when I’ve experienced the strongest feelings in the water, it’s undoubtedly when I’ve swum next to dolphins and felt like I was one with their school. Other experiences deeply etched in my memory are of swimming under the glorious Temple of Poseidon, god of the sea, and around picturesque Hydra, where the Greek Revolution began, a milestone in the history of my country.

In 2018, sailing came into my life through a travel TV show that I presented called "Thalassolikoi" (Sea Wolves). There, I realized how amazing it feels to have your home in the water. Until the summer of 2021 when the 4th season was completed, I’d travelled to over 64 islands and covered over 4,000 nautical miles.

All these experiences helped build my inspiration to create the Swimming Cruise, but the final and greatest experience to was in 2019, when I went kitesurfing (my second great love after swimming) with a sailboat around various islands in the Caribbean. That once-in-a-lifetime experience made me fully realise just how amazing it is to combine a sport you love with sea travel to incredible places.

I had to put my vision on hold during quarantine, but as soon as we returned to normality, I dived right into bringing the Swimming Cruise to life. I’m now more prepared than ever to share in practice my lifetime knowledge and experiences of open-sea swimming in Greece with people from around the world.

So let's travel together, learn to swim in the sea correctly, enjoy an awesome workout, and above all, let's have fun creating joyful memories as I guide you on one of the most unique trips of your life!