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Kalamata is a small city along the Southern Coast of Greece that is quite a renowned location for freediving. Here are 5 reasons why you should go and train out there.
Kalamata is easily accessible from Europe through direct charter flights or with a short connection to Athens airport. You can also take a bus or a taxi from Athens airport and you will be in Kalamata in 2h30 min. You can have round trips from capital cities in Europe for less than 200 Euros depending on the dates.
The weather and water conditions are incredible. Kalamata is called the calm zone. Its geographical position behind mountains makes it very protected from the wind. On most mornings, it is flat as a lake. Visibility is great in general (20-35m) and the blue of the Mediterranean is so beautiful. Temperature-wise, during the summer, you can experience 28 degrees water at the surface with a thermocline at 40m, dropping down to 22 degrees. The air temperature is around 30 degrees and the sun can be strong. Rain is quite rare during the summer.
They have their shop right on the marina (15m walk to get to the boats), with chilling areas, showers, toilets, and individual boxes and hangers to leave your equipment in between your training days. A short 10 min boat ride takes you to the diving spot, with unlimited depth, no current, and a beautiful view of the mountains. The boat is equipped with a mechanical winch and a counterweight. You get a competition class set up on each training session, with safety divers dedicated to you. The owner, Stavros, is a legend of freediving. Stavros is one of the deepest freedivers in the world and the World Record Holder in the AIDA Variable weight discipline with a dive to 146m. Having set more than 12 National Depth Records, including No-Limits dives to 162m depth. He is always happy to share his experience and you get to see him a lot on the boat during the training sessions. His crew is also very experienced and you can feel 100% safe when you dive, whichever your level.
Greek food is amazing. Kalamata is full of restaurants. Real traditional Greek food as there is a lot of local tourism in Kalamata. So many options also for vegetarians. And the taste of the vegetables and fruits !!! Kalamata has a worldwide reputation for its olives!
Take the opportunity to discover all the wonders of ancient Greece through so many historical sites. Besides that, close to Kalamata, you have great hikes and waterfalls to explore on your days off. I could go on for a while giving you many reasons to go and freedive in Kalamata. Truth is, since the first time I went there in 2019, I have been coming back every year and I will be going back again in 2022. That’s just one of the best places to train in my opinion.