More than 366,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean Sea this year in search of a better life in Europe, according to the United Nations' refugee agency, and Greece's shores are a common entry point.

"Kos is the front line of this global problem that is happening right now, and nobody has given this the attention that is needed," said photographer Andonis Kappas, who was born on the island. "We didn't have the resources, facilities.

"Most people here are friendly, but other people say they had enough, telling me, 'We can't save ourselves, how can we possibly save others?' "

Photographer Andonis Kappas

Spending days and nights on Kos' beaches -- where, as told in Homer's legendary poem "Iliad," 30 ships set sail to fight against the Trojans -- Kappas witnessed another epic event take place in the Aegean. These endless stories of human suffering arrived daily, Kappas said.

"The first boat I photographed (was) about 5 meters long, carrying 30 or 40 people inside," he said. "It was 3 in the morning. It was pitch-black and there was complete silence. No one talks when they are doing the crossing.

"Then we heard cheering, babies crying and parents laughing and comforting their children. Others (were) jumping off and taking selfies as they reached the coast."

Kappas said the tragic odyssey of these migrants is played out daily on the popular beaches of Kos, turning hotels into shelters and sunbathers into volunteers.

He said he was fascinated by the endless stories and daily heroic enterprises of families desperate to survive. He heard stories that he tried to weave into a visual collection.

"It's a very big thing to see so many thousands of people coming in a boat with their family and kids after leaving everything behind, searching for new beginnings," Kappas said.

"I met ordinary people with jobs. I met poets, college students, some who said, 'Why should I stay behind and kill myself or kill others? I don't want to die or kill anybody else. ... I just want to live."

In his neo-realist, black-and-white series, Kappas said he wanted to bring the issues and emotions to the forefront.

"I think color gets in the way of the emotions, of the truth," he said. "Black and white brings us to the core."

As a photographer with humanitarian interests, he said his journey with the migrants has just begun. Kappas said he is committed to telling their story.

"There is a huge emotion when you are with them there at the finish line," he said.

Andonis Kappas is a Greek photographer. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.