Sail, windsurf, foil, kayak, SUP - in the water and in your element at Ocean Elements
by Emma Trueman, Ocean Elements 5 May 2018 17:30 BST
Cat blasting at Ocean Elements Vassiliki © Ocean Elements
Ocean Elements has done it again - it's going to be another fabulous summer sailing, windsurfing, foiling. You name it. If it's on the water, we'll be doing it!
Our philosophy is simple: we believe that everything is more fun when it's on, or by, the water. That's why all our beautiful resorts are right on the shores of clear, warm blue waters and stacked with the latest free-to-use sports equipment.
It means you can throw yourself into family-friendly water sports like sailing, kayaking, windsurfing and paddle-boarding, or stay on land and explore the coastal paths on foot or by mountain bike.
New for this summer is foiling - a brilliant new adrenalin rush for experienced sailors and windsurfers.
Or, you might just prefer to kick back by the pool, or sign up for some beach fitness, while your children do their best to tire out our Active Kids Club teams.
Whether you've ever fancied yourself as an amateur sailor, or a professional sunbather, we'll find a way to put the wind back in your sails.
Just to recap: there's a whole raft of inclusive activities to try...
- Dinghy Sailing
- Windsurfing
- Kayaking
- Paddle Boarding
- Mountain Biking
- Watersports Tuition All Week
- Beach Fitness Classes
- Dinghy Sailing Cruises & Racing
- Paddle Cruises, Guided Biking
- Active Kids' Clubs (4-17yr)
As well as our new for summer 2018 - foiling sailing and foiling windsurfing (extra cost for these).
Try our dinghy sailing lessons...
Sailing tuition is included with your holiday, so there's no need to book tuition or courses before you travel, it's all done when you arrive at the Beach Club. We love teaching our guests to sail and windsurf and that's why we've included five half days of free tuition with our RYA qualified instructors. You can even go home with a new RYA qualification to show off to your mates, again, for no extra charge.
Sailing for children
All our resorts provide idyllic conditions for kids to learn to sail. From the age of 14 they can join our (free) adult group lessons; and kids age 13 and under will love our complimentary Kids Club (4-13yrs) which offers sailing or windsurfing joy rides and tasters with other water sports and land-based activities.
If you want more dedicated coaching then your budding young sailors will enjoy our RYA Youth Squad where they'll get to windsurf or sail each day. Our Youth Squad follows the RYA Youth scheme for beginners and more advanced kids, and is for 7 or 8-13-year-olds (a supplement applies). But not everyone has to join a club to go sailing, and children under 13 can always head out with a competent parent or guardian. Our range of cruising dinghies or double handed boats are great for family sailing adventures.
Our most popular learn to sail and windsurf courses
If you've never set foot aboard a boat before then our experience RYA instructors are here to help you every step of the way. Whatever your age or your fitness the level, learning to sail or windsurf is surprisingly easy and Greece offers the perfect backdrop of warm waters, gentle breezes and golden sunshine.
Dinghy Sailing Level 1 - our 'Start Sailing' course
Our Start Sailing course follows the RYA syllabus and runs for 5 days a week, (2-3 hrs per day). It's free in all our centres for guests to join in with as they choose. By the end of the five days you should be able to confidently sail in light winds, and you'll receive an internationally recognised RYA qualification to boot!
Dinghy Sailing Improvers Level 2
As an improving sailor you will be able to 'free sail' any of our boats in light winds or join us on our level 2 improvers course. The course, designed to boost you up to RYA level 2, is free and runs over 5 days. By the end of the course you'll be confident with rigging, tacking, gybing, capsize and recovery, launch safety, and able to sail and make decisions in good or fair conditions.
Dinghy Sailing Improvers Level 3
If you're a confident intermediate sailor then you'll be able to 'free-sail' any of our boats as conditions allow, even better you'll be able to try out our latest performance boats and spinnakers.
Our level 3 course is similar to level 2 but looks to fine tune your skills as well as offering an introduction to spinnaker and performance sailing. It is free at our Porto Heli and Pelion resorts but must be paid for at our Vassiliki beach clubs.
Advanced Dinghy Sailing Level 4
If your a progressive intermediate or more advanced sailor, you'll be bale to 'free sail' any of our boats including our performance crafts. Our team will be more than happy to rig, tune and de-rig the kit for you. And don't worry about boat availability, we have one of the most diverse ranges of boats and largest guest-to-boat ratio in the industry!
Don't forget to make the most of our advance teaching modules which run for 2-5 days a week. Our advanced level instructors will help you with specialist skills such as spinnaker handling and performance sailing or dinghy handling. The advanced courses are free at Porto Heli and Pelion but charged for at our Vassiliki beach clubs.
FOILING - new for 2018!
Dinghy foiling
If you can blast reach a Laser, then you should be able to foil! We are more than excited to introduce you to this new wave of sailing. Our rare breed of foiling instructors at our Porto Heli beach club are ready and waiting for you! We run our lessons in groups as we find this is the fastest way to learn and share ideas.
As a guest at our Nautica Bay Beach Club, you will have the chance to experience our First Flight course (2 hr foiling taster - £95) and our Sustained Flight course (2-half day foiling course - £355) for a guest special price whilst on holiday with us. You must be a Level 2 sailor and 18 years +.
We use the RS Aero, adapted for the use of glide-free foils. The RS Aero needs no introduction and remains one of the most technically advanced boat in its sector. It has a super lightweight hull (30Kg) which picks up on the foil and will fly much more easily than other (heavier) boats.
We are offering tailored courses with our own fully trained RYA instructors who are among the first in the country! We run our lessons in groups as we find this is the fastest way to learn and share ideas.
Windsurf Foiling
Ocean Elements is among one of the first holiday companies to offer foiling windsurfing instruction in Greece using foiling boards from Starboard.
Our team of foiling instructors at our Vassiliki beach clubs are totally hooked and can't wait to show you this incredible new sport. You'll need some experience - ideally intermediate planing and 18 years and over. We are running two different courses designed to get you up and foiling in no time. You can try our First Flight course (2 hours, £95) or our Sustained Flight course (6 hours, 2 days at £345) but if you have an Advanced level certificate you may be able to "free-foil" on your own, using our kit.
At Ocean Elements we use the Foil 122 and the Foil 147. The Foil 122, designed purely as a foil board, is thin for maximum foil control, with 100% sharp rail edges for early planing and clean water release even when touching down. The Foil 147, is a stable and balanced foil board with a wider outline and a wider tail for more power and stability.
Windsurfing for all...
Whether you're a tentative beginner stepping onto a board for the first time or your goal is to go blasting across the bay, nail that tricky manoeuvre or just stand up without falling in, we've got all the latest gear and all the tuition you'll ever need. Younger kids will get a chance to experience windsurfing as part of our free kids club but older children can book in for the five half-day lessons alongside the grown-ups!
Start windsurfing lessons
We offer five free half-day beginner courses for everyone. We've taught all ages from 8 to 70 years old! And, we follow the RYA syllabus so you also get a Level 1 RYA internationally recognised qualification at the end of your holiday! We'll teach you all the basics - by the end of the week you'll be able to sail to a chosen point in light winds, turn around and come back to your starting point.
Windsurf intermediate - non-planing
Our intermediate lessons are the perfect follow-on from beginners course. The course is across five days and aims to move your skills up a gear. We'll focus on perfecting your tacks and gybes, introducing you to the harness, and some more expert techniques as well. You'll return home with your RYA Level 2 certificate too.
Windsurfing intermediate - planing
This is when windsurfing starts to get really exciting! It's time to get ready for planing. Woo hoo! At the end of your five, half-days you'll be sailing on all points in a variety of conditions using faster tacks and the harness, giving you a true feeling of just how exhilarating windsurfing can be! You'll also be taught how to use the foot straps and understand the beginnings of a carve gybe. You'll also return home with your RYA Level 2 certificate to boot. Our intermediate planing lessons are included at our Vassiliki resort but there is a charge at our other resorts from £25 per hour.
Advanced windsurfing
If you're a high-level intermediate with the ability to plane in foot straps or a seasoned pro looking for tips on tricks and more advanced moves, then our five half-day advanced course (free at our Vassiliki centre) will push you to your limits. You can also take the advanced course at our other resorts for an additional charge.
The advanced course runs as a series of clinics to deal with different skills with focused group sessions of between 8 and 12 people. Our instructors will sit down with you and plan your week around the groups' need whilst prioritising you personal requests. We also use video analysis and RIB boats to support our coaching alongside on-shore simulators and the very latest in boards and sails.
You'll be pushed to limit over the five days and go home happy with a well-deserved Level 4 RYA certificate.
What did you say was included in the holiday again?
- Beach Hotel (7 or 14 Nts)
- Direct Flights & Transfers
- Catering (as specified)
- Clubs For Kids & Teens
- All Your Water Sports
- Shore-based Activities
- Sail & Windsurf Tuition All Week
- Use Of The Latest Boats & Boards
- Theme Nights & Excursions
- The Latest Mountain Bikes
Our favourite summer deals in and outside of the school holidays, with a group of friends, or flying solo...
Half Term Hols
27 May - £861pp, Xenia Hotel Beach Club, Vassiliki
7 nights, breakfast, flights and transfers plus everything detailed above including water sports, kids club, mountain bike hire, sailing and windsurfing tuition.
27 May - £961pp, Surf Beach Club, Vassiliki
7 nights, breakfast, flights and transfers plus everything detailed above including water sports, kids club, mountain bike hire, sailing and windsurfing tuition.
Great Early Summer Deals
01 June - £641pp, Leda Beach Club, Porto Heli, Pelion
7 nights, breakfast, flights and transfers plus everything detailed above including water sports, kids club, mountain bike hire, sailing and windsurfing tuition.
10 June - £561pp, Xenia Hotel Beach Club, Vassiliki
7 nights, breakfast, flights and transfers plus everything detailed above including water sports, kids club, mountain bike hire, sailing and windsurfing tuition.
8 July - £1015pp, Surf Beach Club, Vassiliki
7 nights, breakfast, flights and transfers plus everything detailed above including water sports, kids club, mountain bike hire, sailing and windsurfing tuition.
Perfect Break
07 July - £965pp, Leda Beach Club, Porto Heli, Pelion
7 nights, breakfast, flights and transfers plus everything detailed above including water sports, kids club, mountain bike hire, sailing and windsurfing tuition.
15 July - £965pp, Xenia Hotel Beach Club, Vassiliki
7 nights, breakfast, flights and transfers plus everything detailed above including water sports, kids club, mountain bike hire, sailing and windsurfing tuition.
22 July - £1135pp, Surf Beach Club, Vassiliki
7 nights, breakfast, flights and transfers plus everything detailed above including water sports, kids club, mountain bike hire, sailing and windsurfing tuition.
School's Officially Out
28 July - £1168pp, Leda Beach Club, Porto Heli, Pelion
7 nights, breakfast, flights and transfers plus everything detailed above including water sports, kids club, mountain bike hire, sailing and windsurfing tuition.
12 August - £1165pp, Xenia Hotel Beach Club, Vassiliki
7 nights, breakfast, flights and transfers plus everything detailed above including water sports, kids club, mountain bike hire, sailing and windsurfing tuition.
26 August - £1135pp, Surf Beach Club, Vassiliki
7 nights, breakfast, flights and transfers plus everything detailed above including water sports, kids club, mountain bike hire, sailing and windsurfing tuition.
01 September - £744pp, Leda Beach Club, Porto Heli, Pelion
7 nights, breakfast, flights and transfers plus everything detailed above including water sports, kids club, mountain bike hire, sailing and windsurfing tuition.
www.oceanelements.com