About Us

Who we are and our work

Our History

Hellas Underwater Explorers was founded in 1995 by Instructor Trainer George Petrou. They have demonstrated a very significant Educational & pioneering Exploratory work.

They continue dynamically into the future with the addition of Trimix Diver Vasilis Petroulias as a key member in the position of Vice President and web designer.

The First Steps (1982)

Our story begins in 1982 when George Petrou received his first diving certification NAUI Open Water diver with instructor Loukas Bistarakis in Mykonos.

Subsequently, he completed with Stavros Bakandreas the next two amateur stars EOUDAATK/CMAS at the Friends of the Coast Club, at the 2nd Marina of Vouliagmeni, diving deeper into the underwater world in the most realistic way. The schools with Stavros Bakandreas were decisive in making him "fall in love" with diving and acquire proper foundations and mainly mentality.

Environmental Awareness

His environmental awareness and behavior, his love and respect for the flora and fauna of the underwater world were what distinguished him and strongly differentiated him in the diving environment of that time.

Professional Development

Subsequently he became a Divemaster with Ali Pourakbar. His passion for the depths and education led him to become a PADI instructor and then train in the demanding CMAS/EOUDA system, achieving the highest level of 3*** EOUDA/CMAS Instructor.

International Training

Wanting to perfect himself in diving, he trained abroad (Egypt, England, Netherlands, Sweden) according to the standards of the American Technical Diving Organization TDI. In Hurghada, Egypt, he obtained the highest educational level Advanced Trimix Instructor Trainer from TDI.

Founding of HUE (1995)

In 1995 he officially created the diving school and exploratory team Hellas Underwater Explorers. For about a decade, HUE had the honor of undertaking the representation of the American organizations TDI/SDI.

Specialization & Development

HUE specialized in Technical Diving training, with many of the trainees evolving into important instructors and professionals in the field.

The "Stone Years"

During the "stone years of prohibited" diving, HUE not only kept Technical Diving alive but developed it dynamically with absolute legality and in cooperation with state and local authorities.

The Vision & Innovation

HUE brought to the field a new style of education characterized by:

Courtesy and professionalism
Realistic underwater practical training
Complete material and technical infrastructure
Ability for practical application in exploratory missions

Innovation & Evolution

The provision of high aesthetic content manuals, videos, PowerPoint presentations, diving software and the establishment of Quality Organized Training Standards combined with Environmental Awareness and behavior, brought the revolution that the diving field needed.

Pioneers of Technical Diving

At that time there were very few teams involved in technical diving and exploration. Important teams were:

Antonis Kavalieros (Titanic)
Kostas Thoktaridis
Vasilis Giannopoulos team with Jean-Jacques Bolanz, Louigi Casati and Patrick Deriaz (1988-2003)

The Transition to a New Era

HUE, following important people like Messrs. Papagrigorakis, Kartelias, Giannopoulos and organizations like EOUDAATK, were a valuable link in the transition to a new era.

Change of Mentality

The change came about through the participation and effort of HUE, colleagues and organizations such as the magazines Greek Diver by Mr. Varveris and Katadysi by Mr. Evgenitakis.

Modern Education

New divers are trained with courtesy and high quality both in water skills and theory. Today, environmental awareness is a given and safety is of primary importance.

Pioneering Conferences

HUE organized the first two Recreational and Technical Diving Conferences in cooperation with the Department of Oceanography of the University of Athens, presenting:

Decompression
Decompression methods
Trimix Computer
Rebreathers

Today

Today our country has:

Numerous diving centers
Training organizations
Qualified instructors
Modern legislation
Liberated coasts

The Future

The future is in our hands as long as we treat people and the environment with responsibility and love.

Our Mission

Our goal is the creation and offering of:

Exploratory work
Educational work
Research work
Scientific work
Environmental - Ecological work
Rescue work
Social work

Our Vision

We at HUE believe that we must work for:

Enhancing diving safety
Exploration and protection of the environment
Leaving a better world for future generations

Become a Member

Become a member of our effort and support our work.