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| For many swimmers, the combination of a sheltered bathing beach backed by tall protective cliffs is their ideal swimming environment. The best examples are in the Ionian Sea in Greece and, in particular, the beach of Porto Katsiki on the island of Lefkas. Here, white limestone cliffs rise to 400ft above sea level, while giant boulders divide the beach into two crescents, one of large white pebbles, the other of very tiny pebbles the size of buckshot that mould to your body like beans in a beanbag. The refraction of sunlight down Porto Katsiki's white cliffs creates a startling optical effect, adding an unnatural blue glow to the sea. The beach of Chiaia di Luna on the Italian island of Ponza is backed by a crescent of cliffs so tall that it seems impossible to get down to the sea. The Romans, however, solved the problem two millennia ago: they built a large, brick-lined tunnel through the core of the island, connecting the elusive beach to the island's main harbour town. Your arrival on the beach, blinking from the darkened tunnel, is a moment of pure theatre. Of course, not all cliffs are as benign and safe as in the tideless Mediterranean. On the Hawaiian island of Kauai, the Na Pali coast (Na Pali means 'cliffs') requires serious trekking and swimming skills from those who wish to take a dip. |
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