Turkish turquoise waters usually offer superb visibility and many treasures. Within the seas of Turkey, divers can discover a fascinating submerged world, from sunken ships to planes and even the remains of ancient cities.
A sunken French military transportation ship at the entrance of the Port of Antalyoı87654321”a is submerged in the water at 20-32 meter deep. It belongs to a French war ship which sank in 1942 during the war. Most of the ship’s load was removed during works between 1946 and 1974. The ship draws attention from divers.
A sunken ship named Pati is off the Kiriş Aquarium Cove in Kemer and it is very available for experienced divers. The 15-meter long Georgian flagged ship divided into two on a stormy night in 2001. It completely sank in 2004. Some types of fish such as groupers and morays and sometimes tuna fish can be seen around the ship.
Another sunken ship close to Kaş is the ancient Uluburun ship. The 3,400 year old ship was found in 1984 brought to surface. The sunken ship and remnants discovered within it are currently being displayed at the Bodrum Underwater Archaeology Museum. A Uluburun replica, which was constructed in 40 days, is one of the most popular diving places in Kaş’s Limanağzı area.
A sunken coastguard vessel, which is located 400 meters off Kleopatra beach, is popular among underwater photographers. The submerged vessel is in 28 meters in depth and home to various species.
The ancient sunken Gelidonya ship, which was discovered in 1954, is in 26-28 meter deep, dating back to the early Bronze Age, according to surveys. It is estimated that it sank in the end of 13th century. A lot of the ship had been eaten by sea wolves.
Back in July 2009, a WWII warplane was sunk in waters off Kaş. A 65-foot-long Douglas Dakota DC-3 once flew at altitudes of 8,000ft, now lies 70 feet beneath the surface of the Mediterranean.
Antalya also houses Turkey’s and Europe’s first underwater museum which was opened last year. The Side Underwater Museum displays 110 sculptures in five different themes. 30,000 people visited the museum last year and the museum is expected to draw 500,000 people annually.
And now Turkey introduces new destinations for divers. Two ferries which had carried passengers in the Aegean city of İzmir since the 1970s are submerged in Izmir last April and on June 4 an Airbus A300 as sunk in the Aegean Sea off the coast of the southwestern resort town Kuşadası . The plane, which is reportedly the biggest plane ever used as a reef, cost 270,000 Turkish Lira, is 54 meters long and 44 meters wide. “We expect some 250,000 domestic and foreign tourists per year to come here for diving,” said Aydın Metropolitan Mayor Özlem Çerçioğlu.
Source: Hurriyet
Photo Credit: DHA
