Scuba Diving in Turkey

A country of great cultural heritage and a popular holiday destination for the European market, Turkey also makes for an attractive dive destination. Turkey dive sites offer a vast variety of wrecks, reefs, caves, and walls.

With remains of broken pottery on many dive sites and ancient shipwrecks dotted all along the Turkish coast, diving in Turkey gives divers a glimpse of the long history of the country. Over 125 shipwrecks have been mapped in the Turkish waters; the oldest dating back to the 14th century B.C., making it the oldest shipwreck ever excavated. A concentration of wreck dives in Turkey can be found at Gallipoli, where the remains of ships that sunk during the battles of the Gallipoli Campaign now attract many divers from all over the world. The Gallipoli Campaign happened during World War 1 in 1915, when the British navy, joined by French and Italian allies, attempted to attack Istanbul through the Canakkale Strait. Their attempt failed, due to unexpected Turkish resistance and they withdrew nearly a year later, leaving behind several hundreds of shipwrecks, including war ships, landing crafts, and supply ships.

But diving in Turkey offers more than an abundance of good wreck dives. The small fishing village of Kas is the gateway to easily the best and most varied diving in Turkey. From wrecks to caves and reefs with scattered ancient pottery, Kas has something to offer for every diver. The nearby Kalkan has been gaining popularity a little later, since diving was prohibited here till 2002. Nowadays, divers can enjoy diving from Kalkan to islands, reefs, wrecks and walls. The towns of Fethiye and Bodrum are busier towns that besides culture, shopping and nightlife, also offer some good dive opportunities.

The season for diving in Turkey runs from April to October, with water temperatures starting at 17 degrees Celsius in the beginning of the season and going up to 28 degrees around August. Diving in Gallipoli can be slightly colder, with thermo-climes of 14 degrees Celsius. Visibility can be excellent here, often exceeding 30 to 40 meters.

Lundi是加里波利残骸中最受欢迎的残骸潜水之一。1zplay这艘货船于1915年4月15日被鱼雷大火沉没，仍然完全完好无损。残骸铺在沙质底部的27米深处，长满了海绵，为龙虾和其他甲壳类动物提供了大量的藏身处。在加里波利（Gallipoli）的另一个重要的残1zplay骸潜水是军舰HMS Majestic。该沉船的弓与岸边成直角，深18米，而船尾则深27米。尽管沉船在很大程度上被潜水员拆除，但残骸仍然有有趣的部分，例如1zplay甲板上的大炮，它完全被藤壶所包围。可以发现大量的牙本质，Bream和Goby在沉船周围或内部上课。

Some of the best dive sites in Turkey are found around Kas. Lighthouse Reef & Ottoman wreck is an interesting dive for beginners and experienced divers alike. The remains of the Ottoman shipwreck, consisting of some wooden parts, now attract a wealth of marine life to this area, which is surrounded by sand, rocks and seagrass. Schools of fish, mollusks, shrimp, snails and stingrays are frequently sighted here. Dive site Blue Hole, another Kas diving highlight, is for experienced divers only, as much of this dive is cavern-like diving. On this dive, divers can spot octopus, crabs, anemones and groupers.

Heybeli Island, close to Kalkan, has several good dive sites. The rocky topography around the island has plenty of crevices to explore, and a torch is recommended to get a closer look at the critters. Amongst others, stingrays, grouper, damselfish and barracuda inhabit the waters around Heybeli Island.

Dive site Afkule in Fethiye is an excellent wall dive for the experienced diver, requiring good buoyancy control, since there is no bottom within recreational diving limits here. The wall is colorful and overgrown with anemones, corals, sponges and gorgonians. Moray eels, shrimp and blennies have made this wall their home. As a special point of interest, there is a cavern where divers can enter and surface.

Saros Diving位于Canakkale，并组织了独特的残骸潜水旅行，到Gallipoli的残骸，Gallipoli是土耳其沉船潜水的亮点。他们设备齐全的潜水船需要各个层次的潜水员，1zplay以查看Gallipoli最好的残骸，通常会参观2个地点。1zplayPADI，SSI和CMAS教练提供了从试用潜水到专业水平的潜水培训。

Situated in Kas, with its own bungalow style accommodation on site, Sundiving is a 5 star PADI dive resort that offers daily diving trips in high season to some of the best diving in Turkey. Their packages that include bed & breakfast and diving are of excellent value, and they have a restaurant, bar, beach club and house reef on the premises to ensure a high-quality and effortless Turkey dive vacation.

Kalkan is located close to Kas and is another excellent exploration base for diving in Turkey. Dolphin Scuba Team has been operating in Kalkan since 1993 and is the longest established dive center there. Their raving online reviews are good indications of their quality operation and customer service.

Divers Delight has two locations, one in Fethiye and one in Marmaris, and has a professional and enthousiastic team of PADI and CMAS instructors. Recognized as a PADI 5 Star Dive Center (Fethiye) and a PADI 5 Star IDC Center (Marmaris), Divers Delight takes pride in their custom-built dive fleet and personal customer service.

主题在博德鲁姆组织当地潜水潜水中心1zplays, and PADI and CMAS dive training in multiple languages. Their excellent online reviews show their commitment to divers’ safety and customer service. Their comfortable dive boat and well arranged itineraries make sure divers have a no-stress diving experience in Turkey.

Istanbul is the capital city and main international gateway of Turkey. To dive in Kas, Kalkan and Fethiye, the airports of Antalya and Dalaman are closest. These two airports have direct connections with several European cities as well. To dive the wrecks of Gallipoli, divers need to reach Canakkale, which is only a short domestic flight from Istanbul, or a six-hour bus drive away.