While Santo Maris Oia Luxury Suites & Spa doesn’t offer accommodation for families with children, we are still happy to recommend you things to do if you happen to visit the island with little nomads. This because our resort promotes actively local attractions and businesses in support of the local community.

The underwater world of Santorini owes a lot to Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the famous French naval officer, explorer, and conservationist who sailed the legendary Calypso to the island hoping to find the Lost City of Atlantis. A memorial plaque in his honor commemorates his expedition and his work in a cave at 7m depth off the coast of Santorini since August 20, 2011, when it was placed there by his son, Pierre-Yves Cousteau, and Alexander Reichardt, who is also the creator of the plaque. Apostolos Stylianopoulos, the first Cousteau diving instructor in Greece, and owner of Atlantis Dive Center in Oia, is in charge of the monument, which can only be seen by divers.

So you can dive to see the plaque and the wonders of the sea when you visit Santorini. The Atlantis Dive Center organizes diving excursions and other water activities around the volcanic islands of Caldera, Nea Kameni, Palea Kameni, Thirasia, and Aspronisi. The center offers diving classes with expert divers certified by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors.

The center offers diving excursions for beginners, as well as daily half-day trips to two different dive sites for expert divers. They also have snorkeling tours around the volcanic islands of Santorini in sites with clear, shallow water, where you can explore the treasures under the sea in safe conditions.

Atlantis Dive Center is one of the few Cousteau Dive Centers in the world. They are not just divers: they are active environmentalists committed to the protection of marine life in the area. “A well-managed, well-sized, well-protected marine sanctuary could generate substantial economic benefits for the island of Santorini, extending the touristic season beyond the summer months and creating jobs, in addition to helping fish stocks replenish to ensure the livelihoods of fishing communities,” according to Custeau Divers. The professional fishermen of Santorini gave their unanimous approval for the creation of a marine protected area on March 15, 2014, a project supervised by Cousteau Divers, with the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation since 2011 when they employed the HCMR (Hellenic Center for Marine Research) to help.

While this hiking trail is usually described as more beautiful when the trip begins in Fira and ends in Oia, the reverse is equally fascinating. Depending on your skill level and speed, this can be a journey that can last up to four hours.