What is canyoneering?
It’s only one of the coolest adventures you can take!
Seriously, canyoneering (or canyoning) is defined as “travelling in canyons using a variety of techniques that may include other outdoor activities such as walking, scrambling, climbing, jumping, abseiling (rappelling), and swimming.” (from Wikipedia).
Essentially, it’s moving through a canyon, which is already usually an incredible experience, but with some added technical difficulty. When you reach a spot in the canyon that has a steep cliff, you just use ropes to rappel down to the bottom. Sometimes there are waterfalls involved, which make it even more awesome.
In this particular trip, there was no water flowing through the canyon, but it was still pretty awesome. We traveled down a short canyon that opens up to Seitan beach, on the Akrotiri peninsula in Crete.
First Step: Learning the Techniques
Since none of us had been canyoneering before, our guide, Tim, showed us the ropes before setting out (literally!). We had to practice hooking up to the rope and the proper technique for rappelling.
After the intro session, we gathered up all our gear and set off in the van. We had canyoneering harnesses that have a butt protector, multiple ropes, dry bags, Figure 8 descenders, gloves, and plenty of carabiners.
Second Step: The Approach
We started at the top of the road that leads into Seitan Beach, but instead of driving down to the beach, we walked in the opposite direction. I believe this canyon is on private land, but Tim knows the owners and had their permission to use the route.
We got to the beginning of the canyon and started by hiking down. It immediately became obvious that knowing the weather forecast is crucial to this sport: a flash flood would be extremely dangerous while trapped in this narrow space.
Third Step: Practicing on the Short Drops
A few minutes later we reached our first drop-off. This particular route is excellent for beginners because there are a couple of short rappels to boost your confidence. At the end are two 30 meter (100 ft) cliffs, which give you an adrenaline rush that will keep you coming back!
In canyoneering, it’s very important to always be clipped in to the anchor when you are close to the edge. Sometimes there are multiple anchors to allow you to traverse across particularly tricky sections. At these spots, you want to always keep at least one carabiner from your harness clipped in to the rope.
After a couple of drops, we could begin to see the beach from afar. While most of us had been to this beach before, we had no idea it was possible to rappel the canyon right next to it!
Fourth Step: Stay Calm on the Big Drops!
It wasn’t long before we reached the first of the 30 meter cliffs. It’s a bit nerve wracking to realize that a strong hold of your brake hand is all that’s preventing you from plummeting down a huge cliff! But once you actually get clipped in and start rappelling, it’s a blast!
It’s also a great team-building exercise. All of us are co-workers, and you have to be able to trust your climbing partners with holding the rope that prevents you from falling a hundred feet. I think we definitely felt more closely bonded after this trip!
At the bottom of the last drop, we had a herd of goats pass us by while we were waiting for everyone to get down. These goats are excellent climbers and are a classic sight in the mountains of Crete. The sound of their bells and their braying is unmistakable.
Fifth Step: Celebrate by Swimming at the Beach!
Okay, so this step isn’t really necessary for canyoneering, but it’s still fun! It was a short walk from the last rappel to the beach. It was early enough in the year that the beach was not crowded, although I think the few people there looked at us funny with all our gear. We all swam in the freezing cold water!
We had also brought some food to share as we relaxed at the beach. It was the perfect way to end an awesome trip. I wrote about Seitan Limania beach a bit in my previous post describing 10 amazing beaches in Crete. Just for the record, it is my favorite beach in Crete just because it’s so unique!
Here’s another “secret” about this beach: there is a small church built into a cave that you can access from the road to the beach. We had to walk up the steep switchbacked road to get back to the van at the top. On the way, Tim showed us the path that led to the church and talked about some of the traditions surrounding the Greek Orthodox Church.
Now I really want to get into canyoneering in the future. In the US, it’s very popular in the slot canyons in the Southwest. Someday I’m going to take a trip there and do some rappelling down waterfalls!