In 1988 Luc Besson directed The Big Blue (Le Grand Bleu). It is considered a cult movie that touched a whole generation and just like Cousteau's Silent World in the 50's, introduced the world to the beauty of the ocean and the sport of free diving. Besson shot the opening sequences of the Big Blue in Amorgos, a small island of the Cyclades in Greece, home to less than 2,000 lucky inhabitants who can enjoy year round the magnificence of the South Aegean Sea which borders its rugged coastline.

To reach Amorgos, one must take a ferry from another jewel of the Aegean Sea, Santorini. Santorini is a way smaller island than Amorgos but its population exceeds 15,000 inhabitants and probably double every time a couple of massive cruise ships docks there almost everyday. Santorini is highly touristic and really pretty. Sunsets on the caldera from the scenic village of Oia are said to be unforgettable. Sunsets from the small city of Akritori south of the island while sipping a glass of the local white wine is not too bad either if you decide to avoid the busloads of tourists that start invading Oia in the early hours of sunset...

Santorini can be reached from mainland Greece using the ferry that takes between 7 and 12 hours depending on the boat company. The fastest "seajets" will stop running when the winds picks up which occurs regularly in the windy season (obviously) which happens to run between July and September. Being on a schedule, we opted for an half an hour flight from Athens to Santorini and did not regret it.

Athens, the capital city of Greece, is a wonder by itself. The sunset on the Acropolis from the skybar of the Hilton Athens while sipping a glass of wine from Santorini and enjoying a high-end moussaka is a sight not to be forgotten either. Walking the streets of the ages old city, standing in front of monuments that have been there for more than two thousand years is quite an experience as well. Embracing the city from the top of the Lofos Likavitou hills is also something anyone visiting the city should do, the view is simply unbelievable.

The best thing with Amorgos is that it has not changed much since Besson shot his movie. He actually comes visit it from time to time and was reported to be on the island a few weeks before we were. He probably enjoys still seeing some of the landmarks that feature in his movie. He also probably still talks to a few of the villagers who played in the movie and still live on the island. We certainly did!

From the awe-inspiring monastery of "Panagia Hozoviotissa" which has been guarding the island for more than 900 years, to the narrow streets of "Chora", the main municipality of Amorgos, everything is still there, standing. Walking there is like being in the movie oneself. The kids who roamed the streets past the white churches are still there. They've grown up quite a bit in 25 years but still remember that they were stars for a few scenes! And sure enough the old shipwreck that opens the famous Enzo underwater rescue scene is still there, everybody having long decided that it was way to expensive to salvage...

So what about the diving in all that?

We only did one dive in Amorgos with the Amorgos Diving Center. We dove in posidonia seagrass, went through a few swimthroughs, saw eels, lobster and giant clams, all that in crystal clear water with more than 100ft visibility... And it would not have been Greece without remnants of the ancient times: broken pieces of amphorae here and there. Maybe they were more than a thousand years old, who knows? That was a first! An "archaeological" dive!

Santorini panoramas