Paleokastritsa's fabulous 'deep blue'

The crystal-clear waters, the underwater caves and trenches, all amid the prism of innumerable colours created when sunlight penetrates the sea, come together in Paleokastritsa, on the Ionian island of Corfu's western coast.   For aficionados of the "deep blue", a dive club was first founded in 1963, as the Barracuda Club Korfu, by Joachim Bergan. The club's legendary dive boat, the Barracuda III, still operates today, even if the club's name and management has changed over the years.   The most spectacular dive spots lie between five and 20 minutes from the coast, including the Kolobri trench, replete with arch-like rock formations, small underwater caves and deep rifts. Other highlights are the Hermones shipwreck, a British mine-sweeper that sank in 1945 when it struck a mine; the Skeloudi site, located beneath the huge cliffs where the Paleokastritsa Monastery is perched, and where divers below can swim amongst various kind of sealife.   Paleokastritsa and its eponymous cove are located 15 kilometres northwest of the town of Corfu. The village itself is situated amid characteristic scenery of olive trees and small ravines leading to the crystal clear waters.   The turquoise waters of the sea and the sandy beaches along with the cove make Paleokastritsa one of the best known sites on cosmopolitan Corfu.