Diving in Kas |
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Kas has become an important diving centre which in turn is a significant part of the tourist industry for Turkish and foreign visitors. Diving clubs operate from the harbour, and compete with each other for accessing the oldest submerged ruins of theMediterranean. The area has arguably the best visibility and variety of sea life along the Turkish coast, and the relatively short distance to the dive sites means that half-day trips are very popular. Weekends during the summer can get very busy, asit offers some of the cheapest diving areas in the country. There are many impressive sea caverns around Kas which are accessible through diving. These include: Kekova Island, Asirli Island, Guvercin Inn, and Mavi Cavern, which is the most famous. The seas around Kalkan are suited to experienced divers, with species of sea life including sharks, turtles, tuna and thornback rays.Patara has coral and sea sponges, and the Fener waters descend from 11 – 132m, with lively and colourful sights. Oksuz Island is known for its lizard fish, a member of the shark family. 60m off the east coat of Uluburun and 9km southeast of Kas lie the ruins of a cargo ship dating back to the 14th century BC. As a result of dives in 1984 the ship’s cargo, which had slipped to a depth of 61m, was removed and some of it exhibited in the Bodrum Underwater Archaeology Museum today. Near the Greek island of Meis off the coast of Kas, there are the submerged remains of an Italian plane from World War II. Its first sighting is at a depth of 57m, its tail going as far as 70m, and there is still ammunition within the wreckage. |
