Booking and Joining activities in the post Covid-19 era - What you should know before you go

SUPinCrete - Paddling with us

As the world begins to reopen and traveling is slowly bouncing back, the tourism industry has developed comprehensive protocols for the operation of all types of tourism businesses or facilities.

The COVID-19 pandemic created the need to rebuild our procedures and protocols, make informed choices, educate our team, review certain operations and reinvent our business structure in order to protect our guests, our crew, our community, and families.

We do so with the greatest responsibility, aligning with the protocols, guidelines, and updates of reputable sources such as the Greek Ministry of Health, WHO, the Hellenic Coast Guard, and the World Travel and Tourism Council, which are constantly revisited as required on an on-going basis.

Greece will welcome tourists if before travel they are either vaccinated, or have antibodies, or test negative (for COVID-19). All tourists will be subject to random testing.

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and its Members praise the Greek government for its tremendous efforts and strategic steps taken to restart international travel from 14 May. There are plans to open our doors even earlier than that.

However, even with such precautionary measures in effect, masks and social distancing will still be required.

SUPinCrete - A tour with a view

SUPinCrete will continue to apply certain safety measures and ask our guests to abide by them.

• Hand sanitizers and masks will be available for everyone throughout our venue.

• Though we are located at an open space by the sea, distancing will still be applied requiring a minimum distance of 2 meters.

• Small groups and private tours will continue to be our policy.

• All common spaces and equipment (paddles, boards, PFD) are cleaned thoroughly and sanitized in between the tours. Your kit will be just for you to use. Please do not share.

• Keep your distance in the water as well. Though our boards are 10ft 6 long (more than 2 meters) in length, our instructors will also make sure that you maintain the proper distance throughout your tour.

• Upon arrival, participants will be required to sign a waiver form.

• In case you present any symptoms, please do not attend the tour until you get tested and receive a medical clearance. Contact us prior to your tour and we will discuss your options. We accept a free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of the activity.

SUPinCrete - We travel responsibly

Even with such changes, your time with SUPinCrete is bound to make up for the lost time due to the lockdowns imposed.
We are more than ready and eager to welcome you to Chania, back into the water and offer the fun and amusing experience you have been dreaming of for the past year.

Keep your spirits up!

Our warmest regards

SUPinCrete

The extraordinary loggerheads of Greece - A battle to save the endangered Caretta Caretta

SUPinCrete has always been a huge fun of turtles and especially of Caretta Caretta, a species quite common in the Mediterranean.
It is with great pleasure and enthusiasm that we applaud their rare appearances during our tours around the coastline of Chania. Despite their size, they are nothing but graceful and fast swimmers, and their presence is a reason to cause huge smiles and exclamatory reactions of our guests.

However, as many other extraordinary creatures, their life is in danger due to a number of reasons, mostly related to human actions. Once they reach adulthood, it gets more difficult for a sea turtle to be attacked by a predator. However, the Caretta Caretta population has dramatically decreased over the past few decades because turtles have to face new threats, the ones created by humans.

Ever since the moment they come to light, hatchling Caretta caretta loggerheads have to face too many perils which unfortunately result in the survival of only one out of 10 000.

After they emerge from the sand, hatchlings struggle to get the sea. This can only take place at night because when the sun rises they can dry out or be an easy target for other animals. When they finally get to the ocean, young turtles swim for as long as 20 hours in order to be safe.

Below you will find some interesting facts about them and easy ways we can help these extraordinary creatures survive.

Caretta Caretta

Caretta Caretta is a species of oceanic turtle, distributed throughout the world, but is the only species of Mediterranean sea-turtles that nests in Crete and Greece. 

Sea turtles are reputed to be strongly philopatric, and always return to the same beach they were born on to lay their own eggs.

The average loggerhead measures around 90 cm (35 in) in carapace length when fully grown. The adult loggerhead sea turtle weighs approximately 135 kg (298 lb), with the largest specimens weighing in at more than 450 kg (1,000 lb). The loggerhead sea turtle has a low reproductive rate; females lay an average of four egg clutches and then become quiescent, producing no eggs for two to three years and has a lifespan of 47–67 years. 

Caretta-Caretta sea turtle has been officially declared an endangered species and is severely threatened by the development, both legal and illegal, of nesting beaches. 

Due to the lack of infrastructure, the pressures of the tourist industry lead to considerable amounts of solid waste, litter, noise, traffic, pollution, and coastal degradation. Each year, speedboats kill several turtles during collisions. Untended fishing gear is also responsible for many loggerhead deaths. The greatest threat is the loss of nesting habitat due to coastal development, predation of nests, and human disturbances (such as coastal lighting and housing developments) that cause disorientations during the emergence of hatchlings. 

Entangled Caretta - https://www.lifegate.com/underwater-photographer-of-the-year-2019-winners

Nearly 24,000 metric tons of plastic are dumped into the ocean each year. Turtles ingest a wide array of this floating debris, including bags, sheets, pellets, balloons and abandoned fishing lines. Loggerheads may mistake the floating plastic for jellyfish, a common food item. The ingested plastic causes numerous health concerns, including intestinal blockage, reduced nutrient absorption and malnutrition, suffocation, ulcerations, or starvation. Turtles may also suffocate if they are trapped in fishing trawls. Turtle excluder devices have been implemented in efforts to reduce mortality by providing an escape route for the turtles. Loss of suitable nesting beaches and the introduction of exotic predators have also taken a toll on loggerhead populations. Efforts to restore their numbers will require international cooperation since the turtles roam vast areas of the ocean and critical nesting beaches are scattered across several countries.

Caretta Caretta hatchlings

How we can help:

Keep the beaches clean!
Turtles can accidentally eat plastic bags mistaking them for food and this can lead to serious injuries or death. Please remember to responsibly dispose of any trash before leaving the beach.

When on a boat, do not feed the turtles!
By doing so, Caretta caretta turtles are attracted by the food and they may get too close to the boats so visitors can see them swimming in their natural habitat.
However, this is a huge risk as they are often killed or mutilated by propellers.

Keep your distance from nesting females!
Human activity on turtles’ nesting beaches, especially at night, can disturb turtles and lead them to not emerge from the sea or even stop them from nesting. During this period, the nesting areas shouldn’t be used by humans, and allow for abundant space for the turtles to nest.

Keep your lights off!
Female Caretta caretta need dark and quiet beaches to lay their eggs. Otherwise, they could be pushed to choose other less suitable locations, which may reduce the probability of the nesting being successful.

Also, when hatchlings emerge from the sand, they are attracted to the sea by the shining of the moon and the stars on the water. Night lighting can cause confusion and lead them toward the land, instead of the ocean. Here they die due to dehydration or because they become an easy target for other predators.

Reduce ocean pollution!
One thing we all can do to protect marine species is to opt for biodegradable products or at least use less toxic chemicals. Sea pollution causes serious diseases to turtles, that ultimately impede vision, swallowing, and movement or interfere with system functioning.

Get involved!
Follow the social media of organizations that rescue and protect Caretta Caretta, restore their habitat, educate and raise awareness regarding the dangers they encounter, and take action at sea. Engage with other volunteers and attend beach clean-ups or support them with a small contribution.

Check below the work of some noteworthy organizations with remarkable environmental actions:

@archelon_greece
@archipelagosimc
@wwfgreece
@medasset_


sources:

www.archelon.gr

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loggerhead_sea_turtle

www.explorecrete.com/nature/caretta.html

www.visitgreece.gr/en/nature/fauna/sea_turtle_careta-careta

www.cretanbeaches.com

https://www.lifegate.com/underwater-photographer-of-the-year-2019-winners

https://www.thoughtco.com/fun-facts-about-sea-turtles-2291407

How to read the weather conditions to safely enjoy stand up paddling - What to know before you go

We are quite optimistic and hopeful that we are now slowly exiting this dark, pandemic tunnel on a worldwide level. Even though there are still severe lockdowns in effect throughout the world, the vaccinations are now beginning to take place, which is more than encouraging and liberating.

Until we get the final OK from each country's local authorities to start roaming this planet with no strict sanitary limitations, we will have to practice our favorite activities solo or up to 2-3 people at a time. Outdoor sports like SUP are the perfect way to get our heads clear and calm, keep our bodies in motion, boost our immune system, while maintaining safe distancing and respecting the need for the current safety measures.
Either you decide to go out for a SUP ride on your own or with a buddy or two, we strongly suggest taking in consideration the weather forecast and the conditions that will be present in the area where you will be paddling. Here are some tips on how to identify the clouds and the forecasting that comes hand in hand with them in order to have a fun and stress-free day in the water. Useful info to protect yourself, stay dry, and fully enjoy SUP and what may even prove to be lifesaving knowledge one day!

• According to the World Meteorological Organization's International Cloud Atlas, there are more than 100 types of clouds. The many variations, however, can be grouped into one of 10 basic types depending on their general shape and height in the sky. Thus, the 10 types are:

Low-level clouds (cumulus, stratus, stratocumulus) that lie below 6,500 feet (1,981 m)
Middle clouds (altocumulus, nimbostratus, altostratus) that form between 6,500 and 20,000 feet (1981–6,096 m)
High-level clouds (cirrus, cirrocumulus, cirrostratus) that form above 20,000 feet (6,096 m)

Cumulus clouds are the clouds you learned to draw at an early age and that serve as the symbol of all clouds (much like the snowflake symbolizes winter). Their tops are rounded, puffy, and a brilliant white when sunlit, while their bottoms are flat and relatively dark.
Cumulus clouds develop on clear, sunny days when the sun heats the ground directly below. This is where they get their nickname of "fair weather" clouds. They appear in the late morning, grow, and then disappear toward evening.

Cumulus clouds

Stratus clouds hang low in the sky as a flat, featureless, uniform layer of grayish cloud. They resemble fog that hugs the horizon (instead of the ground). They are seen on dreary, overcast days and are associated with light mist or drizzle.

Stratus clouds

If you took an imaginary knife and spread cumulus clouds together across the sky but not into a smooth layer (like stratus), you'd get stratocumulus—these are low, puffy, grayish or whitish clouds that occur in patches with blue sky visible in between. When viewed from underneath, stratocumulus have a dark, honeycomb appearance. 

You're likely to see stratocumulus on mostly cloudy days. They form when there's weak convection in the atmosphere.

Stratocumulus clouds

Altocumulus clouds are the most common clouds in the middle atmosphere. You'll recognize them as white or gray patches that dot the sky in large, rounded masses or clouds that are aligned in parallel bands. They look like the wool of sheep or scales of mackerel fish—hence their nicknames "sheep backs" and "mackerel skies."

Altocumulus are often spotted on warm and humid mornings, especially during summer. They can signal thunderstorms to come later in the day. You may also see them out ahead of cold fronts, in which case they signal the onset of cooler temperatures.

Altocumulus clous

Nimbostratus clouds cover the sky in a dark gray layer. They can extend from the low and middle layers of the atmosphere and are thick enough to blot out the sun.

They are the quintessential rain cloud. You will see them whenever steady rain or snow is falling (or is forecast to fall) over a widespread area.

Nimbostratus

Altostratus appear as gray or bluish-gray sheets of cloud that partially or totally cover the sky at mid-levels. Even though they cover the sky, you can typically still see the sun as a dimly lit disk behind them, but not enough light shines through to cast shadows on the ground.      

Altostratus tend to form ahead of a warm or occluded front. They can also occur together with cumulus at a cold front. 

Altostratus clouds

Like their name suggests (which is Latin for "curl of hair"), cirrus are thin, white, wispy strands of clouds that streak across the sky. Because cirrus clouds appear above 20,000 feet (6,096 m)—an altitude where low temperatures and low water vapor exist—they are made up of tiny ice crystals rather than water droplets.

Cirrus typically occur in fair weather. They can also form out ahead of warm fronts and large-scale storms like nor'easters and tropical cyclones, so seeing them can also indicate storms may be coming.

Cirrus clouds

NASA's Earthdata site quotes a proverb that sailors learned to warn them of coming rainy weather, “Mares’ tails (cirrus) and mackerel scales (altocumulus) make lofty ships to carry low sails.”

Cirrocumulus clouds are small, white patches of clouds often arranged in rows that live at high altitudes and are made of ice crystals. Called "cloudlets," the individual cloud mounds of cirrocumulus are much smaller than that of altocumulus and stratocumulus and often look like grains.

Cirrocumulus clouds are rare and relatively short-lived, but you'll see them in winter or when it's cold but fair.

Cirrocumulus clouds

Cirrostratus clouds are transparent, whitish clouds that veil or cover nearly the entire sky. A dead giveaway to distinguishing cirrostratus is to look for a "halo" (a ring or circle of light) around the sun or moon. The halo is formed by the refraction of the light on the ice crystals in the clouds, similarly to how sundogs form but in an entire circle rather than just on either side of the sun.

Cirrostratus indicate that a large amount of moisture is present in the upper atmosphere. They're also generally associated with approaching warm fronts.

Cirrostratus Clouds

Cumulonimbus clouds are one of the few clouds that span the low, middle, and high layers. They resemble the cumulus clouds from which they grow, except they rise into towers with bulging upper portions that look like cauliflower. Cumulonimbus cloud tops are usually always flattened in the shape of an anvil or plume. Their bottoms are often hazy and dark. 

Cumulonimbus clouds are thunderstorm clouds, so if you see one you can be sure there's a nearby threat of severe weather (short but heavy periods of rainfall, hail, and possibly even tornadoes).

Cumulonimbus clouds

We hope that we have now laid some interesting facts and precious knowledge for you to absorb.

Next time you are out, try and identify the clouds that travel above you.

If you have children, do it as a game, figuring out the type of cloud and the formation it reminds them, helping them connect with nature while spending quality time with you!

You’re welcome!

Enjoy!

SUPinCrete
Your SUP expert in Chania, Crete!

sources & photos:

"Cloud Chart." National Weather Service, NOAA's National Weather Service, 22 Sept. 2016, www.weather.gov/key/cloudchart.
"Cloud Types." UCAR Center for Science Education, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, scied.ucar.edu/webweather/clouds/cloud-types.
"Weather Facts: Cloud Types (Genera)." WeatherOnline, www.weatheronline.co.uk/reports/wxfacts/Cloud-types.htm.
https://www.thoughtco.com/forecasting-by-cloud-3443737

“Clouds” https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/clouds/

SUP&HIKE - trip information

Uncover  the most idyllic destinations in south Crete for a week of paddling, snorkeling, hiking and exploration.

Join us and spend 8 days travelling through the most breathtaking scenery in south Europe.

The trip will be offered from April till November.

Contact us for available dates

info@supincrete.com