Scuba Diving (Kemer & Adrasan)

Visitors staying in Olympos and Çıralı usually dive from one of two hubs: Kemer, the area's diving capital, and Adrasan, which is quieter and less crowded. Both offer try dives for complete beginners and wreck, cave and wall dives for certified divers.

Kemer: wrecks and islands

• Paris II wreck: The area's most famous dive site, about 7 minutes by boat from Kemer Marina. This French warship, sunk by Turkish artillery on 13 September 1917, is about 50 metres long, and its guns and torpedo tubes can still be made out.
• Three Islands (Üç Adalar): Small islands off Tekirova (Martı, Mağara, Piknik and Küçükada), known for rich marine life and a wide variety of dives, from shallow dives to cave, wall, drift and night dives.
• Other sites: Moonlight Bay, Kiriş Bay and its caves, an underwater sculpture museum and smaller wrecks.

Adrasan: calm and natural

Adrasan is one of the closest dive areas to the Three Islands and has its own highlights: Pırasa Island, known for wall, cave and drift dives, the Bat Cave (Yarasalı Mağara) and Lighthouse Cape. It is a good choice for divers who want natural sites away from busy tour boats. Just south of this coast, Cape Gelidonya is famous for its Bronze Age shipwreck, excavated in 1960 and considered the first underwater excavation of a shipwreck in its entirety (its finds are now in the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology).

Try dive or certified dive?

• Try dive: No certificate needed. After a short briefing and practice in shallow water, you dive one-to-one with an instructor at shallow depth. International training agencies usually set the minimum age at 10.
• Certified dive: Bring your certification card and logbook; wreck and deeper sites are planned according to your level.
• Course: If you are staying several days, you can take an entry-level certification course at a dive centre.

Safety notes

You will fill in a medical form before diving; if you have ear, heart or lung conditions, consult a doctor beforehand. It is recommended not to fly or go to high altitude by cable car within 24 hours of diving, so plan the Tahtalı cable car before your dive day.