poros-water-sports-greece

Meet the Family That Host the Best Watersports in Greece

By Ryan Brown published on 29 November 2019

I could see him approaching in the distance, hauling four people behind him on the speed boat, and they were clinging on to the crazy biscuits as best they could as they skimmed and bounced over the wake.


I sat on the floating pontoon with the other guests around, some who had gathered to see if this round would hold on. You could hear the horsepower kicking up as he turned, sending the four behind the boat into a g-force spin that most don’t manage to make it out of.


“Oooooh!” Everyone yelled collectively behind me, followed by whoops and laughter. None of them made it. Sitting back on the floating pontoon with a cold beer and people watching as the brave (or foolish) give a shot at one of the crazier water sports on the menu is almost as good as doing it yourself. But nothing compares to the real thing.


The speed boat cruised up and Jason docked it and hopped off in one fluid motion as if he had done it a million times. He probably has. He flashed a big warm smile and gave me a hug.



Jason from Poros Watersports in Greece

“Brother! Good to see you! Welcome home.” He said, and though I have had the delight to visit the Saronic Islands and hang out with him for four summers with MedSailors, it was as if he hadn’t seen me in years. That’s just his nature, and the same for his family’s, as they one by one greeted me the same way in between taking guests out on the water.


That’s what is special about Greece, and the people you meet there — it feels like home whether it’s the first time visiting and meeting them, or the hundredth. And it always feels like home when you experience Poros Island.


“Hold on, it’ll be just a minute,” Jason said, as he was getting ready to take one of our guests’ water-skiing. It was never a problem at all to wait around on that pontoon. You always get some amazing people watching whether it be the crazy couch, the crazy biscuits (as described above) or when somebody comes and pulls off a wicked go at wakeboarding.


Surrounded by steep pine-topped mountains framing the bright cerulean waters around Poros, with the white and blue buildings stacked one on top of the other, and links to ancient Greek mythology and history — Poros has an air of awe to an already breathtaking island. You have a perfect combination of natural beauty, history, drool-worthy cuisine, and of course my favorite — the water sports.


Jason and his family-run Askeli Watersports on Poros, steps away from the sandy stretches of beach around Askeli bay at the foot of a valley. It looks out at Poros town on the right, to an old Ottoman-era island fort ahead, with the open sea to the left. Seriously, how does someone do this for a living?


“It’s a family business — my dad, my uncle, and my brother. It’s been open since 1980, nearly 40 years. MedSailors has been coming here since 2012, right as it started. So about the 8th year.”


Jason laughed, sat on the giant inflatable banana boat that is usually meant for zipping around a group of guests. Now, it’s being used to, at my request, get him and his family’s story.



MedSailors Poros Watersports

“Oh please, you’ll have to cut this up, I’m so awkward on camera.” He said, and I reassured him that it’s exactly the reason why I’m always behind one. To avoid the possibility of my own banana boat interview. I was itching to see how it all began, how MedSailors ended up coming to this awesome place.

“This is a long and fun story, but I’ll keep it short. In the early days of MedSailors, a group of guests came to do watersports. One of the owners came out here and did the water sports with them.” He paused, “I suppose he liked it.” And laughed at that, knowing I wanted to hear more about it.


It’s the best job in the world I thought when I first visited four seasons ago, and many guests say the same. But it’s not without its exhausting moments. Jason kicks off every day of the summer before 9 am, and doesn’t stop until 3 am when his cocktail bar (which we like to dance the night away at) closes for the night. Often I wonder how he lasts the summer working non-stop.


“The best thing is just being with happy people all of the time. And having fun with them at the same time. It’s great.”


I’ve been coming to Jason’s Askeli Water Sports for four seasons now, and it’s a place I look forward to visiting every summer. It’s always a constant with this family — the way they treat everyone and make them feel that they are a part of it too. It never gets old sitting there watching them take out guests for one helluva ride, a moment to conquer their fears parasailing, or teaching them something new at wakeboarding or water skiing. It’s not even hard to figure out why I love the place so much and why guests do as well — it’s the way they make you feel there, and the way you feel when you leave.



MedSailors guests riding the crazy sofa in Greece

The adrenaline rush wouldn’t be the same without them.


Want to try the epic water sports around Poros and get to experience the story for yourself? Join us on your own MedSailors Saronic sailing holiday!

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