Exchange to Lesbos, Greece
For my minor I did an exchange with Erasmus to Lesbos, Greece. Lesbos is an amazing diverse and nature rich island in the Mediterranean Sea, almost touching the coast of Turkey. Here I followed a full marine science semester. Before I went to Greece I decided to start diving again and to get my open water on the island. So when I started in February with the exchange I wanted to visit the diving center immediately. It was a half-hour drive from our city and so we made a small trip out of it. When we arrived the beach was empty and the dive center deserted.
We had checked beforehand, and online said they were open, which was clearly not the case. I had emailed and called them afterwards but did not get any response. My lovely Italian already diving friend found it all very funny and said it was still way too cold and would probably open in the summer. She was right because, after a bit more than 2 months, I tried calling again.
“I was calling from a café when, to my surprise, the guy who had just walked in sat at the table next to us and picked up the phone. The call then instantly turned into a face-to-face conversation.”
A week later, I was finally able to start my open water training, and, luckily, the timing was perfect as they were just opening for the season. Between our first visit and then, a complete café had been built just for the summer season!
My first dives were in a 7 mm suit, which was a bit too much already then. Now thinking back at that suit and comparing it with diving in the Netherlands, it was a really thick suit for quite warm waters. One of the perks of diving in Mytilene was the fact that there was just one dive center at that moment on Lesbos. So the water was never crowded, and visibility wasn’t reduced due to other divers. During the dives, we saw a lot of different nudibranchs, Posidonia meadows, and, of course, a lot of octopuses.
Unique diving experience
One of the most unique things I have seen, till today, while diving was during my first fun dive together with Chiara. We saw an octopus perform a mating dance in front of its partner. His partner was located on a small rock, while he burst forward and back, changing colors and shapes, really making a show.
Lesbos is a great choice if you’ve ever considered visiting Greece. but want to go to a less visited island with some of the country’s most diverse natural features. Indeed, it is a true bird island, with a variety of birds from hundreds of flamingos and a small number of pelicans on the salt lakes. So is the islands also rich of a petrified forest, natural hot springs, the most delicious Greek and slightly Turkish cuisine, and the Ouzo villages. The small and pleasant university is a great addition to the island’s offerings.
Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or would like more information!
– Milou van Asseldonk
