Boat trips in Cyprus mostly exist to reach the parts of the coast the roads gave up on. The Akamas peninsula is the main one: no tarmac worth driving, so the cruises leave from Latchi harbour and run west along cliffs to the Blue Lagoon, where the water sits over white rock and reads turquoise from the deck. Half-day trips take about four hours with two swim stops; full-day boats go on to Fontana Amorosa and the tip of the peninsula, and the difference is mostly how long you spend anchored rather than how much coast you see.

From the east the runs are different in character. Boat tours in Cyprus out of Ayia Napa and Protaras work the Cape Greco sea caves and Konnos Bay, usually with a glass-bottom section and a stop at the Blue Lagoon on that side of the island; from Limassol the coastal cruises are longer and quieter, often with lunch on board. Paphos harbour runs short two-hour trips to the coves north of the Tombs of the Kings, which suit anyone who wants the sea without the whole day.

Season runs April to November, and the water is warm enough to swim from May. Book a sunset cruise in Cyprus and you get the Akamas cliffs lit from the west, which is the version worth paying for. Two practical things: the afternoon wind picks up on the west coast, so morning departures are the calmer ones, and boats near Lara beach keep their distance between May and August because the turtles are nesting.