Sea Kayaking Kefalonia, Greece
SEA KAYAKING
KEFALONIA
GREECE
greek language german language

The Sea Kayaking Kefalonia team

Our team always tries to make sure that you have a great time. But in order to do that we first make sure that we have lots of fun ourselves! Everybody in the slideshow is part of the Sea Kayaking Kefalonia family!


We are Yvonne and Pavlos, the owners of Sea Kayaking Kefalonia.
Below you can find some information about ourselves as well as the rest of the team.

Yvonne Walser
Yvonne, Socotra island, Yemen I was born in Switzerland and I am swiss-greek. I was raised in Switzerland where I fnished my marketing studies. I came to Greece in 1994 and before starting 'Sea Kayaking Kefalonia' I worked as a german language teacher and as a tour guide in Kefalonia as well as outside Greece.

My outdoor activities qualifications include REC (Rescue Emergency Care) Level 2, Tour Leader for Explore company, Red Cross first aid, PADI Open Water Diver, motor boat license. I am also a founding member of the Greek Sea Kayak Club.

My passion is backpack travelling. I have visited countries like Peru, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, India, Nepal, China, Egypt, South Africa, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, Belize, Panama, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Yemen, Chile, Argentina... I like getting deep into the countries' culture and nature observing people and animals.

My hobbies include trekking, cycling, reading, etc. I speak Greek, German, English, Spanish and some Italian and French.



Pavlos Georgilas
Pavlos, Egua river, Italian Alps I was born in Greece. My studies include a bachelor in electrical engineering and a master in business administration. My working experience includes customer facing roles in big multinational companies like Nestlé, Compaq Computers, Hewlett Packard.

Pavlos, Shibam, Yemen











In the past I was a water-polo player in one of Greece's best teams. Since 1996, kayak (both sea and white water) is my passion. I am a member of the legendary TEAMadara, a group of white water kayakers with rich activity in the greek and not only, rivers.

I am sea kayak instructor certified by the BCU (British Canoe Union). My outdoor activities education and qualifications include: BCU 5 Star Sea Kayak, Level 3 UKCC Coach with Advanced Water Endorsement (a set of qualifications owned by a few top coaches in the world), Professional Lifeguard, REC (Rescue Emergency Care) Level 2, numerous white water courses in Greece and the Alps, Tour Leader for Explore company, PADI Advanced Diver, sailing license, motor boat license. I've also served for 21 months in a rescue boat in the military navy, which enhanced my seamanship.

My other hobbies include sailing, apnea, astronomy (founding member of the Astronomy Club of Thessaloniki), celestial navigation, scuba diving, backpacking, cycling, etc. My travels have taken me in parts of Asia, Africa, Central and South America. I am also a founding member of the Greek Sea Kayak Club. I speak Greek, English, Italian and some French and German.



George A. Gazetas
George Gazetas I was born in Arta and raised in Athens. As a teenager my passion used to be kart racing and I had a tendency towards discovering inner aspects of racing biomechanics and motorsport engineering thus I followed studies in mechanical engineering. I lived part of my life in Khalkis (Euboea) and Corinth and travelled a lot mainly around Greece and abroad as well.

With its minimalistic nature, expedition orientations and potential, sea kayaking became soon a fascinating big part of my life.

I enjoy playing guitar and ukulele, climbing, trekking, cycling, camping in the wilderness, traveling with the motorcycle while listening to loud good music from my earphones…. Plus many more…

I ‘ve been working for years as a white water rafting trip leader and corporate event coordinator and assistant for a variety of outdoor activities and companies and for the summer of 2012 it is more of my pleasure to join Pavlos’ and Yvonne’s team in Kefalonia.

Qualifications include BCU(UKCC) coach level 1, trained Level 2, BCU 4 star leader sea, Long Term Paddler Development (I) Cert., Foundation Safety and Rescue Training Cert., BCU 3 star open canoe, Rescue 3 international swift water rescue technician (I), IRF trip leader class 3, HRC First Aid certified, HFMC - UIAA rock climber and member, Greek Army Special Forces Nurse Cert.



Vincent James Quirke (the real one!)
aka Se Harris Pliatsikas
I was born in the south of Ireland. As a kid I spent most summer holidays travelling around Ireland and camping out with my family. I was always excited for these adventures and it probably inspired my decision later on in life to travel to new countries around the world and work in adventure sports. My studies began with 3D and classical animation. I graduated after 3 years and soon began to train on a one year outdoor sports course, earning qualification as a level 3 proficiency white water paddler, level 1 coach, as well as a level 3 proficiency sea kayaker under the ICU. Through Mountaineering Ireland I gained my single pitch award in trad climbing and coaching as well as a mountain skills award. Over the years I have built on my qualifications with a BCU sea kayak leader award, REC Level 5 Remote wilderness first aid (Red Cross), Coastal Navigation cert, Open boat level 2 skills, Powerboat license and river safety rescue 2. I have been very fortunate to have been able to travel to and work in some of the most beautiful locations on the planet and just as importantly to have worked with and befriended some of the most amazing people that I know, both work colleagues and clients. My paddle family grows more and more every year as does my knowledge as a result of this.



Harris Pliatsikas
Harris Pliatsikas ¡Hola amigos! I was born in Germany and raised in Trikala. As a young student at the Department of Software Engineering of Arta's Tecnological Educational Institute, I was introduced to kayaking by George A. Gazetas, neighbors at the time and as the years went by it became more than a hobby or a job: it became my passion. Sports and outdoor activities have always been an active part of my life, starting with football at the local clubs of the little league at the age of 9, moving to sea kayaking around the age of 18 and long distance running at the side for a time. I enjoy casual hiking in the woods, cycling around, and nature in general. I also work as a web designer. My other hobbies include playing some ukulele and observing the natural world from above, taking photos with my drone. I started working with Yvonne and Pavlos in 2017 as sea kayak guide, making trips around the island. Qualifications include BCU 3 star, HRC First Aid certified and BCU 4 star Sea Kayak Leaders Trainee.


We are very enthusiastic about running 'Sea Kayaking Kefalonia'. We are passionate about customer satisfaction and we are expecting you to come and experience it...