Meet Maro Vedava

Co-founder and Creative Director of maRea Cruises

Hi, I am Maro Vedava, co-founder and co-owner of maRea Cruises and our traditional wooden boat, Maroula.

I am a Greek multimedia and digital artist, fusion belly dancer, DJ, independent researcher and visionary theorist. For many years, my creative work has explored the relationship between nature, mythology, the body, spirituality and different forms of artistic and technological expression.

My work and wider artistic universe can be explored at www.marovedava.com.

At first, a cruise company might appear very different from the world of art. For me, however, maRea Cruises is a natural continuation of the same journey: a way of creating meaningful experiences through atmosphere, beauty, movement, storytelling and connection with the natural world.

From the city to the sea

Captain Argie and I created maRea Cruises after choosing to move away from the intensity of city life and build something more personal, closer to nature and the sea.

Although I was born and raised in Thessaloniki, the need to live closer to the elements, to a more natural rhythm and to a deeper sense of freedom has always been present in my life and work.

The coast around Stavros and the Strymonikos Gulf offered us the space to create a different rhythm of life—one shaped by changing light, open horizons, clear water, local history and the movement of the seasons.

Together, we wanted to offer something intimate and genuine: not simply transportation by boat, but meaningful experiences that allow people to slow down, breathe and discover this beautiful part of northern Greece from the water.

The creative spirit behind maRea

My role in maRea Cruises is closely connected to creativity, atmosphere, communication and hospitality.

I am responsible for much of the company’s visual identity, storytelling and the way each experience is presented and shaped. My background in filmmaking, visual art, performance and event creation influences the way I approach every aspect of maRea.

I pay attention to the details that determine how a journey feels: the colours, the music, the welcome aboard, the flow of the day and the balance between relaxation, discovery and human connection.

For me, a boat trip is not simply a list of destinations and swimming stops. It is a complete experience.

It begins with the first moment aboard Maroula. It continues through the changing view of the coastline, the feeling of entering the water, the music, the conversations between guests, the local stories, the shared food and the particular atmosphere created by the sea.

A morning cruise, a private celebration or a sunset journey should each have their own natural rhythm and character.

A life shaped by art, movement and experience

Before creating maRea Cruises, I followed a long path through art, academic research, dance and international cultural events.

I initially studied filmmaking at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and later completed a Research Master’s degree in Media and Performance at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. During the same period, I also studied Western Esotericism at the University of Amsterdam.

As an independent researcher and visionary theorist, working under the name Psyence Vedava, I have published academic texts exploring psychedelic culture, participation, performance, feminine spirituality and the relationship between bodies and media.

Dance has also been part of my life since childhood. I began with classical ballet and later explored contemporary dance, jazz, hip-hop, tango, yoga and fusion belly dance. Over the years, I attended classes and seminars with international teachers and performed at festivals and cultural events in Greece and abroad.

My experiences as a visual artist, performer, dancer and event creator have taught me how much people remember not only what they saw, but also how an experience made them feel.

This is something I bring into maRea Cruises.

I want every journey to feel warm, beautiful, unforced and personal—a moment that remains in the memory long after our guests return to the shore.

The meaning of maRea

The name maRea reflects the philosophy behind the company.

It evokes the tides and the rhythmic movement of water under the influence of the Moon. It also echoes Rhea, the ancient Greek Goddess associated with flow, creation, transformation and the regenerative cycles of life.

This symbolism expresses something that has always been central to my creative work: the understanding that nature is never motionless. It moves through cycles of change, rest, renewal and return.

The sea carries this wisdom visibly. Every day it changes its colour, energy and mood. It asks us to become present and to move with it rather than against it.

In this sense, maRea is more than the name of our company. It represents the meeting point between the sea, the Moon, the landscape and the natural cycles that have inspired human imagination and mythology for thousands of years.

Art, mythology and the landscape

My background naturally shapes the way I experience the landscape around us.

The Strymonikos Gulf is not only a beautiful setting. It is a place where nature, local life, memory, mythology and ancient history meet. From the waters around Kafkanas to the coastline below Ancient Stageira, every journey carries traces of a much longer story.

I have always been fascinated by ancient cultures, sacred landscapes and the ways in which human beings create meaning through their relationship with nature.

When I look at this coastline, I do not see only a scenic destination. I see layers of history, stories and changing human relationships with the sea.

I enjoy sharing this sense of place with our guests—not through formal lectures, but through small stories, observations and moments that allow the landscape to reveal its own character.

Moon Nectar Temple

My creative space in Thessaloniki is Moon Nectar Temple, which I established as a place dedicated to art, movement and the exploration of the feminine divine.

There I have taught fusion belly dance and yoga, organised artistic and spiritual events, hosted circles and ceremonies and developed my own visual and performance work.

This experience of creating intimate environments where people can feel welcome, inspired and connected also informs the hospitality of maRea Cruises.

Although a temple and a boat may seem like very different spaces, both can become places of transition: places where people step outside their everyday routines, become more present and reconnect with themselves, with others and with nature.

International experiences

Over the years, I have participated in a range of artistic, cultural and transformational events in Greece and abroad, including Boom Festival, Free Earth Festival, High Art, Eutopia Gathering and Priestess Convocation.

I have contributed through visual art, academic presentations, workshops, dance, music and participatory experiences.

Meeting people from different countries and cultural backgrounds has shaped the way I understand hospitality. It taught me that genuine welcome does not require formality. It comes through openness, warmth, curiosity and the willingness to share something real.

This is the kind of atmosphere I want visitors from Greece and around the world to experience aboard Maroula.

Music and atmosphere

Music is another important part of my life. After almost twenty years of listening to psychedelic electronic music, I also began DJing, with sets ranging from psydub, dubstep and downtempo to progressive trance and psy-tech.

Although the atmosphere aboard maRea is designed around the character of each journey, my relationship with music influences the way I think about rhythm, mood and emotional flow.

The right music, like the right light or the right route, can subtly transform a moment. It can make a sunset feel more expansive, a quiet journey more contemplative or a celebration more alive.

A balance of creativity and seamanship

Captain Argie and I bring two different but complementary worlds to maRea Cruises.

He brings decades of professional maritime experience, sound judgement, local knowledge and a deep respect for the sea. I bring the creative direction, visual identity, communication, atmosphere and attention to the emotional experience of the journey.

Together, we shape each cruise around safety, authenticity and genuine Greek hospitality.

Maroula, our traditional wooden boat, brings these worlds together. She has history, warmth and character. She does not separate people from the landscape but allows them to become part of it, travelling at a pace that leaves room to look, listen and connect.

As co-owners, we are both personally invested in our boat and in every experience we offer. maRea Cruises is not a distant or anonymous tourism company. It is something we have built together, combining our lives, skills and different ways of relating to the sea.

Welcome aboard

Through maRea Cruises, I hope to offer our guests something simple but increasingly rare: time to feel fully present.

Time to swim in clear water, enjoy the changing light, discover hidden parts of the coastline, share beautiful moments with the people they love and experience northern Greece away from the usual crowds.

Whether you join us for a Morning Escape, a Sunset Delight or a private journey aboard Maroula, I look forward to welcoming you and sharing with you the landscape that inspired us to create maRea Cruises.

For more about my art, research, dance and creative work, visit www.marovedava.com.

Welcome aboard,

Maro Vedava
Co-founder, Co-owner and Creative Director
maRea Cruises