Antonis Eleftheriou met Constantine Demiropoulos in Lesvos and they immediately became close friends. The 18 year old men were students at the Department of Marine Sciences, of the University of the Aegean. Since the first day of their acquaintance, they became inseparable. Their common love for the sea and the mystery that it hides in its depths also led them to become partners and open in the summer of 2012 the “Godive” dive resort in Lia beach in Mykonos.

The advantages of the diving school
“A very interesting activity we offer is snorkeling. With a mask and a snorkel you are ready to explore the caves of Tragonisi. Caves with natural lighting. It is very straightforward, because all you do is swim on the surface,” explains Constantine. The second phase of the underwater adventure, after snorkeling, is scuba diving. “Even if you don’t know how to swim, we will show you the basics so you can enjoy an underwater stroll! In this mini course you don’t just learn how to dive, you’re having fun. Everything is taught in detail, without haste “adds Anthonis. The third stage is for experienced divers only and it includes the boat dive. “Our equipment covers all levels of divers. Anna II shipwreck alone which is located in the area all levels, as the depth ranges from 18 to 33 meters.

The vision for the creation of a protected marine park
After opening the dive resort in Lia beach, both Antonis and Constantine started thinking of their next professional step. “Because we have studied oceanography, we also opened a second company, Marine Conservation Greece, with the aim of creating a marine park in Mykonos that would be financed partly by the diving school profits.
For the last twenty years in Greece, the state talks about large marine protected areas, but these remain untapped. Their aim was to turn a huge area into a marine preserve and develop the diving tourism. We have proposed specific places in Mykonos that can become marine protected areas, that would attract tourists and help out fishing businesses. What we propose is this: We choose two reefs where no-one is allowed to fish for two years, in order to achieve a growth of the ship population. If we can persuade fishermen not to go to these areas, in two years the entire circular area around the park will be full of fish. Thus, the fishing boats will be able to fish around the park, without harming the marine park.
The proposal has already been submitted by the two oceanographers, in collaboration with the University of the Aegean and the Municipality of Mykonos.
“The creation of a marine park will bring many benefits to the diving tourism, while making Mykonos an international destination for diving, the two friends explain.