CRETE RECREATIONALLY, TECHNICALLY AND TOURISTICALLY

CRETE

RECREATIONALLY, TECHNICALLY AND TOURISTICALLY

Wojciech Pruski talks to Nikolas Giannoulakis

Photos Wojciech Pruski

March in Poland is still a cold month. I decided to find someplace warm to improve my instructor qualifications. The choice fell on developing in CCR diving. An Instructor Trainer friend from the SSI federation recommended a very qualified man who could train me. He turned out to be Nikolas Giannoulakis, who is also SSI's IT XR and specialises in training on the Hollis Prism 2. As it later turned out, he is the most experienced CCR instructor in Europe on this unit. He has gained his experience in both cave conditions, wreck diving and archaeology. In addition, he is an explorer and has a considerable list of wrecks to his credit, on which he was the first person after years after the disaster. Many caves in Crete have also been discovered by him.

After exchanging information via email and choosing a date, I flew to Crete to the town of Chania. In this village there is a dive base called Chania Diving, owned by Nikolas. I am very impressed with the knowledge, professionalism and the very person Nikolas is. I took the opportunity to interview him for Perfect Diver.

Wojciech Pruski: Since when have you been diving? How did your underwater adventure begin?

Nikolas Giannoulakis: I started diving at a very young age. I was 8 years old when I started freediving. This was the time when I remember myself enjoying being underwater. Then around the age of 14-15 I tried scuba diving. After that I had a long break and returned to scuba diving at the age of 21, when I remembered how fascinating underwater life is. I then progressed as a technical open-circuit diver, and then I switched to CCR.

WP: What moment in diving turned you to the caves and do cave dives fascinate you the most?

NG: From the very beginning of my diving adventure, I was fascinated by caves. This was because there are plenty of them here. I very quickly decided to become a technical diver and started to find caves in Crete where no one had dived before. Crete is very rich in caves and so far, there are many passages that have not been explored. The terrain here is amazing – high mountains from which water flows into the sea all year round and gouges the corridors.

WP: I know that you are also fascinated by wrecks, especially those that you personally discover. How do you get information about their location?

NG: I get information in many different ways. Sometimes I have messages from locals or fishermen. Once I have information about the location of something underwater, I first go there in a boat with sonar. When the information is confirmed by sonar, I decide to dive directly to the location. Sometimes I find information in historical records about the approximate location of a wreck and start searching. Also, we often act as a team with my diving friends and conduct the search together.

WP: I was with you on the wreck of the Arado AR 196 aircraft, can you say more about the finding of this wreck?

NG: It was about 3 years ago when I received information from a fisherman about an object under the water in which nets were getting entangled. Because of its small size compared to, for example, a shipwreck, it is very difficult to find such a small object with sonar. Very often the information about an object is not confirmed. This time was different.

WP: What about the Kiriaki wreck?

NG: This was the first shipwreck I found and documented with the help of Dimitris Galon. Dimitris is a good friend of mine, a diver and also an explorer. I located the likely location on the map. I dived and first found not a ship, but the wreck of a Messerschmitt aircraft. This was the first aircraft wreck I ever found. I realised it wasn't the only object in the area because the sonar showed a large object, so it was impossible that it was a plane. After diving again, I found the huge wreck of the cargo, but I didn't know what kind of ship it was. From the photos and with Dimitris' knowledge and from historical records, we identified it as the Kiriaki, which had been sunk in an air raid during World War II. The depth at which the wreck lies is 64–85 m. It is an ideal site for technical diving.

It all depends on the environment you are working in. Modern technology helps, but you need to have the basics and know how to use analogue tools as well.

WP: Wrecks, especially the old ones, are underwater archaeology. What does such archaeological research look like?

NG: I work with a team of the world's best archaeologists. We are currently working on the Antikythera wreck. This is a very valuable wreck because of the astrological mechanism that was found on it. This mechanism simulates the movement of all the planets in real time. This mechanism is the first computer in the world. It is a very precise device. We found a lot of other artefacts on this wreck. We work with very modern diving and photogrammetric equipment. We use a lot of modern techniques and make sure that we excavate everything in an unaltered state. Based on the finds, we already have information about what the wreck was, where it sailed from and where it headed. How many people were on it at the time of the disaster. We have also found a lot of human bones which are very well preserved despite the passage of more than 2,000 years. The wreck lies at a depth of 40–60 m. Because of the depth, the ideal configuration for this type of dive in my opinion is the rebreather in the back version.

WP: Coming back to caves, because it's an interesting topic, what is the mapping of a particular cave like?

NG: There are lots of different techniques. From the old techniques i.e., a simple measure, compass, rope, to modern equipment i.e., sonar, DPV scooters. It all depends on the environment you are working in. Modern technology helps, but you need to have the basics and know how to use analogue tools as well. You can, of course, cruise through the caves a few times with a scooter equipped with survey equipment and get a map, but apart from the map you will have virtually no additional information about the cave. The advantage of traditional methods is that we have time to observe the cave. We choose the method depending on what information we need about the cave.

WP: You have dived in various configurations, which one suits you best?

NG: My favourite configuration is the back CCR. I do most of my dives in this configuration. However, depending on what I want to do, I often switch to sidemount or CCR sidemount. I have tried all the configurations and I must say that I feel comfortable in all of them.

WP: You are currently diving on a CCR. You've probably dived on many different models so far. Which ones?

NG: I started with Sentinel CCR next was JJ. Then I met Nick Hollis and bought a Hollis Prism 2 and have stayed with it. It's a great reliable machine and, above all, it’s light compared to its predecessors. You can confidently use it for both technical and recreational diving. Both using a dry suit and a wetsuit with light fins. Deep, wreck or cave diving. It will work anywhere. It is also quite small, so it is ideal to travel with it. You know this yourself because you travel everywhere with your Prism 2. I also dive sometimes on the SF2 in both back and sidemount versions.

WP: Have you ever had a problem with a CCR underwater?

NG: No, nothing has ever happened to me with it. The only problem that arises concerns cable connections, not because of the equipment, but because of loading, travelling.

WP: In your opinion, is the rebreather less safe compared to open circuit?

NG: This is a common question people ask. In my opinion CCR is safer than OC.

The problem is that many people who start diving on CCR are not mentally ready to start technical diving on both CCR and OC. Open circuit is easier in the beginning, but when you do more difficult deep, or cave dives then open circuit gets more complicated. The opposite to CCR. The longer you dive on it and the dives become more difficult and deeper, this is where the CCR gains the advantage. I am thinking here of gas management, shorter decompression. Above all, you need good training to understand the machine and to catch irregularities without having to look at the computer.

WP: We are in Crete. A beautiful place. What does your dive base offer and what interesting sites do you recommend to divers of different levels?

NG: Crete is a big island. We are in Chania, there are high mountains, long beaches, both sandy and rocky. Very interesting topography and landscape, the same is underwater. Underwater, there are plenty of caves, rock formations and remnants of World War II. This is an excellent holiday option. It's warm, sunny and there are lots of places of interest. There are no crowds, even during the holiday season, as the island is large. A great place for families, sightseeing, sports activities. The prices are affordable, the service in the facilities is top-notch. Our dive centre does most of its diving from a boat, all the dive sites are very close, so no time is wasted commuting. Chania is really an ideal place for all levels of diving, from recreational to deep technical as well as cave dives. We have 5 boats each going to a different dive area.

WP: Many divers are interested in marine animals. What kind of encounters can we count on in Crete?

NG: Marine life in Crete is typically Mediterranean, the same as in Italy, Malta, or Croatia, for example. There is plenty of it. In Chania, in Souda Bay, which is slightly different because of the microclimate, the marine life is much richer. You can also encounter turtles during the summer season. Octopuses are often seen, as well as cuttlefish. If we are lucky, after the season, we can encounter seals in Seal Cave.

WP: What does Chania offer on a non-diving day?

NG: Chania is home to beautiful beaches that encourage walking, pleasant restaurants with delicious food. In Chania we can go trekking in the mountains, see the monuments, the beautiful townhouses, the harbour. We also have a brandnew Chania Museum and an archaeological museum. The island is family friendly; we have 7 water parks. We recommend the autumn months for your arrival when the weather is still great and not extremely hot.

You are welcome!

I have the impression that Crete is a place which is underestimated by divers and its waters still hide a lot to be discovered.