A B O U T O U R D I V E S
With over 20 dives sites within easy reach of our base you will not be short of variety in your diving programme. We are very lucky in Adrasan, the marine life here is undisturbed and plentiful and we have a wide variety of species to see. We also have remains from the turbulent history of the region which dates back over 3,000 years. Here we can find more than just the ubiquitous amphora, we have tombs that were the cargo of a ship that sank nearly 2,500 years ago, anchors, and the spoils of pirate ships that used nearby coves. Below we have a description of some of the many dives that we do:-
We have over 20 dive sites to choose from and none of them are more than a 45-minute boat trip away. Also as we are the only dive-centre in the area the sites are clean and never crowded. We have provided a review of some of these sites for you.
The Bat Cave
The
dive begins in open water and leads to a steep wall that sinks down to about
50m. In front of the wall you can see shoals of monkfish and large groupers are
often found hanging around as well. Suddenly about 10metres underwater a
sizeable hole in the wall appears. This is the entrance to The Bat Cave. Don’t
worry about claustrophobia because the hole is about 10 meters wide and can
easily contain several divers at the same time. The hole bores about 15metres
into the cliff and if you’re lucky you can catch the amazing view of a few
mackerel at the exit. Next you come to a small bend that marks the beginning of
a 30m long tunnel. In the cave itself you can spot many prawns, sea cucumbers
and crabs. The tunnel is located at a depth of 5 metres, which makes it ideal
for safety stops.
It’s possible to surface anywhere in the cave and look at the bats hanging
from the cave roof above. From then on you can either snorkel through a crack to
daylight or dive again and view the shoals of calamari and schools of small fish
in the open water. The bat cave dives have now resumed after a female
Mediterranean monk seal used the cave to have pups. Monk seals grow upto 2.5m in
length and weigh up to 320Kg.
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Leek
Island
Leek
island is located at the mouth of the bay of Adrasan and is so called due to the
wild leeks that grow on it. It is ideal for steep slope and current (drift)
dives. We jump in right at the northern end where the wall drops away to almost
80 metres. We slowly drop to 20 metres until a large dark hole appears in front
of us. We are at the mouth of a huge cave. The entrance itself is covered with
fantastic small underwater life forms such as anemones and the cylinder rose.
Many Mediterranean
fairy basslet swim in front and if you glance deeper you will frequently spot
large groupers and greater
amberjack. If you dive into the cave you can often find yourself amidst
prawns and hermit crabs. After studying the cave we continue our dive along the
wall towards the surface. The wall itself is covered in beautiful red algae with
moray eels and octopuses hiding in the cracks.
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Hacivat
Hacıvat is a sharp pointed cliff named after a classical Turkish joker. The boat anchors in about 10m of water. We swim directly down onto the cliff top and then reach a canyon wonderfully overgrown with red sea sponges. Having dived through the canyon we swim along a reef that continues until just below the water’s surface. The stony seabed falls gently away and along it there are many antique relics to be seen. If you glance at the reef wall you may find yourself being watched by shoals of monkfish. At the far end the reef climbs over a steep wall that plunges down until about 40 metres. This is where large Dragon Heads and red mullet feel at home. Leaving the wall the reef climbs up once again and is perfectly designed for surfacing.
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5 Islands is often the second part of a day trip for us. For a long time this area was barred for divers by the military and archaeologists. Now finally we can explore it. There are many steep walls and very clear water filled with a variety of fish. In addition there is an underwater mountain, which rises from a great depth to about 20 metres. We have a current dive, which requires the use of a rope to overcome the strong currents. This takes us down to the top of the reef where we can sit and watch shoals of fish passing us by. We often see Lamb Fish, which come to check out what we are doing. They will swim right in front of your mask so you get a real close up of hunting fish that weigh up to 40Kgs! There are also some 2,500-year-old Lycean Tombs on the seabed that are all that remains of an ancient wreck.
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The
Wreck of The PARIS
The
Paris is a French warship (a gunboat) that was built for the First World War and
sank during the Second World War. The Paris was powered by a steam engine and
now lies at a depth of 20—30m. The site of the wreck is near Kemer which is a
large tourist resort. We organise a day trip to dive the site early in the day,
before the crowds get there, and combine the dive with shopping in Kemer town
before heading back via a dive at Three Islands.
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Night
Dives
As
night time falls under the water a host of new sea life comes out and our
secluded bay is an ideal spot to see the evening performance! We dive both from
the beach and sometimes from the boat. In fact most of the night time treats are
easily found from a beach dive. On the dives we will see Cuttle-Fish, Shrimps,
Eels and this year we have a resident Turtle who sleeps every night under some
trees that have washed down the river, at the edge of the bay, during winter
storms. These are forming a natural reef and an ideal spot for our friend to get
some rest. The peace of a night dive and the eerie spectre of our lamps
exploring the still crystal waters is an experience not to be missed.
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What
else?
There
are many other wonderful places to explore such as Corban Koy (Peasants Bay),
which is a hidden bay that was used as a hideaway by pirates. Here you can see
the seabed is scattered with Amphora and other relics. In other sites we have a
Blue Hole, Ottoman Anchors lost by trading ships, a warm water spring, and lots
more walls and caves to explore.
