Antalya Diving Spots
Uluburun Antique Wreck
A sunken ship belonging to the Early Bronze Age was discovered in 1982 by a sponge diver 60 meters away from the eastern shore of Uluburun, 8.5 kilometers to the south-east of Ka?. After the works started in 1984 and thousands of dives were done for 11 seasons, a wonderful cargo that was lost in 14 BC was brought up. The ship was about 15 meters long and was made from cedar trees. The stern of the ship was lying at a depth of 44 meters, and the bow 52 meters away. The cargo the ship was carrying had rolled down to a depth of 61 meters.
In general, the cargo of the ship consisted of raw materials, but there were manufactured materials as well. There were over 100 round and flat cobalt- blue, turquoise and lavender colored raw glass ingots, according to Ugarit and el-Amaran tablets, they were thought to be Mekku and Ehlipakku which were brought from Syria and Palestine shores. Those ingots were the oldest and the most complete glass ingots found. Among the other unique archeological findings were cedar wood pieces and a kind of black wood brought from tropical Africa. The old Egyptians called them Akaju wood. Among some other raw materials are full size and carved ivory pieces, more than a dozen hippopotamus teeth, some kind of small sea snail shells used for fumigation, turtle shells used as a sound box in musical instruments, tile or metal mouths, handles and ostrich eggs that were used to make vases and cups.
At least two are complete, out of five large earthenware jugs, there were tiles for export, old-fashioned oil lamps and other artifacts that were thought to be hung on the walls, but their use is unknown. There were also some silver bracelets, bangles and gold pendants. The origin of a golden glass without a handle is unknown. There were beads made from various materials which included agate, gold, tile, glass and Baltic amber beads. Among the other works of art, there were two duck shaped ivory cosmetic boxes with hinged wings functioning as lids, copper cauldron and bowls, a horn from a hippopotamus tooth, and a lot of tin cups. A rod used in religious ceremonies, and the only other similar one was discovered in Rome.
The bronze weapons on the ship were arrows and spear points, daggers and Italian and Mycenean made swords. Among the cargo and the food, figs, almonds, olives, raisen, seeds of Nigello Sativa, sumach, coriander, pomegranade and one or two wheat and barley seeds were found. Some lead pieces for fishing nets, some weavers shuttles to repair nets, fishing hooks, a fish spear with forks indicate that they fished from their ships.
Although it was difficult to identify the nationality of the ship, it is thought to be of Middle East origin. The artifacts from this ship are on exhibition in the The Museum of Underwater Archaeology.
Gelidonya Antique Wreck
A cargo ship, while sailing to the south east of one of the 5 largest islands situated in the southern part of Taslik Promontory, which is the old name for Gelidonya, at the far west of Antalya Bay, crashed into the rocks and began to scatter its goods and shortly afterwards it sank and sat on the rocks on its stern. This wreck, lying at a depth of 26-28 meters, was discovered by a sponge diver in 1954, and after a study dive in 1960, the ship was found to belong to the Bronze Age. One of the important features of these dives is that the excavation was carried out under the leadership of an archaeologist diver with the same standards applied on land.
After the analysis of the bushes and the branches supporting or holding the heavy cargo in situ, it was estimated that the ship sank towards the end of 13 BC Most parts of the ship were destroyed by Teredo sea worms. Planks were attached together with wooden nails used during the Classic Greek and Roman ages in boat construction. The placement of the cargo gave the impression that the ship was no longer than 10 meters, but with the recent findings it is now understood that it was longer than this.
The cargo of the ship was scrap copper and tin ingots that was brought from Cyprus in order to make bronze articles. The importance of the Gelidonya wreck comes from the historical information gathered from the excavation. It is accepted that in the second half of the Early Bronze Age, Myceans held the monopoly of naval trade in the Eastern Mediterranean. Phoenicians then began to adopt naval customs during the iron age. The reason for the dating Homer's Odyssey to 8 B.C. by the 20th Century linguists is that Homer often mentions Phoenician sailors and their bronze work. Furthermore, the Gelidonya Bay wreck excavations pointed to other possibilities.
From the studies carried out in 1994, it was found out that stone anchors were used and so this shows the ship was Middle-East origin. The articles brought out of this ship are exhibited in The Museum of Underwater Archaeology.
The Sunken French Ship
In the Summer of 1942s, in order to take the North African war under control, the allies were showing their determination to defeat Rommel, the German general. Whatever the cost might have been, the allies were determined to cut his supply routes, and isolate Rommel. Though Turkey seemed neutral, her sympathy for the allies and her declaration of war with Japan made its shores unsafe for the axis forces. The same danger was also valid for the French navy which served the Germans. As autumn was approaching, a French support ship with a destroyer escorting it, was running away from the heavy bombing of the allied planes. It had come close to the shores of Antalya, but that wasn't the end of her escape. The planes continued their chase as far as Adrasan Bay. Thinking that it would be a suicide to remain together with the support ship, the destroyer left the ship. The only thing to do for the 'Society' was to take refuge in Antalya Bay. But the result wasn't as had been expected. The people of Antalya, from the strong points in Karaoglu Park watched in surprise the ship being bombed, the explosion of its ammunition and its sinking nose down after being torpedoed, and leaving a lot of dead. The fishermen of Antalya acted right away and tried to save the wounded and collected the bodies. This ship which looked like a hospital support ship, contained ammunition and some vehicles suitable for desert conditions. For camouflage the sailors weren't wearing uniforms and while getting help from the fishermen, they tried to take their personal belongings with them, for these reasons the ship was called "High Society Sunken Ship".
This ship, whose real name was "San Didier" has been lying under a buoy around a hundred meters from Antalya Yacht Harbour. The bow of the ship had turned south, and the deck to north at a depth of 18 -34 meters and inclined about 35 degrees to starboard.The ship is about 70 meters in length. Between the years 1946 and 1974 most of its equipment and the human skeletons were brought up. If we consider hundreds of dives and bringing up of other equipment, it wouldn't be wrong to say that there isn't much left to take out. Still, it attracts the attention of wreck divers. In order to make a dive, it is necessary to get permission from Antalya Governership and the Sea Police. Another important point to note is its being close to the harbor and lies in rather crowded sea traffic.
Dove Island
This small island, which is to the west of Antalya and a few kilometers away, is also another spot of interest for divers. Due to its size and structure, it is not suitable for settlement. The shore on the west side is shallow (Maximum 8 meters), and the bottom is mostly sandy. The most interesting part is the north-east side with its rocky structure going down to 22 meters. The existence of a small cave on the east shore presents a surprise for divers. Although the north-east wind blowing from the west doesn't cause any waves, it may cause surface currents depending on the strength of the wind. This island is interesting not only for divers but also for people having a boat trip.
Kas Plane Wreck
One of the diving associations discovered an Italian war plane with 3 propellers that crashed and fell on the reefs near Meis Island. The plane had crashed for unknown reasons during the Second World War. The engine of the plane becomes visible at a depth of 57 meters, the other parts and the tail go down to the depths of 70 meters. Around the wreck there is still some unexploded ammunition. Except for the engine, the other parts of the plane lie under the sea complete, but of course time has done a lot of damage to the fuselage.
Three Islands
It is an area which consists of some small islands further away from Tekirova. It is one of the most popular spots for diving because of its richness, clear sea and closeness to many other diving spots. It is about 45 kilometers from Kemer Marina. Another reason why diving centers prefer this spot is that there are various diving spots and the opportunity for different types of diving. Another feature of these islands is that they offer different diving alternatives depending on the weather conditions. A bit further from these islands there is a forbidden area between Finike Akcaoru Promontory and Kas, Inceburun.
Gok Cavern
Gok cavern in Finike contains fresh water, which attracts the attention of divers. Below a depth of 15 meters, the water in it mixes with salty water. The existence of salactites inside the cavern indicates that it was dry once upon a time. After the dives done in 1995, it was recorded that it was the deepest cavern that a dive had been done up till then.
B-24 American War Plane Wreck
In August 1944, a B-24 American fighter named "Hadley's Harem", while turning back to its base in Cyprus after completing its bombing mission in Romania, when it was over the Aegean sea, was shot, but was able to fly to Manavgat, (Township of Antalya) and fell into sea 200 meters off the coast. The crew who survived were saved by the Cengel Koy villagers. Three of the crew members are still alive. In 1995, one of them came to the point of the wreck with a camera, took some pictures and met the villagers.
In 1995, efforts to rescue the plane wreck were made and the cockpit was brought up. After they had kept it in the gendermarie station for a time, it was sent to one of the private museums in Istanbul. The other parts of the body and the tail lie 22 meters away from Dilkum, 25 kilometers from Manavgat towards Alanya. Because there aren't any signs showing its position, the coordinates of the wreck should be well calculated. For a dive a special permission should be obtained.
Travertine
In the area between the two long beaches, Lara and Konyalti. Diving is possible from land or from a boat at various points. Depending upon their formation, travertine goes down to the depths of 14 to 25 meters. Then they give way to sand and silt. The most interesting depths are the first 20 meters. The rest is like taking a walk in a desert among junk of tires, plastic bottles and cans. One of the diving points that offer easy entrance into the sea is at the bottom of Konyalti is sharp winding road. Here the rocks go down about 25 meters and provide a wonderful sight of the sea and the natural habitat in it.
Paris Ship Wreck
This is a French cargo ship that is lying on the sand at a depth of 25 meters, about one and a half kilometers away from the Kemer Marina. There hasn't been a detailed study of this ship which sank during the World War II, and the reason why it sank is unknown. There are only rumors. The date of construction of the ship is estimated as 1896. It has got 3 decks and 2 stores. The bow, the mid part and the top of the store are wooden so they have been damaged. Lack of any kind of arms on the deck suggests that it was a cargo ship. The ammunition in the stores looks as if it was welded together. In the middle section there is a part where tiles are laid. Near the boiler, there is a wheelbarrow and pieces of coal. They all look rather interesting. This wreck, which attracted the attention of divers, has had a lot of visitors.
Suluin Cavern
The plateau of Antalya is made of travertine. This plateau was formed by limestone that was dissolved and carried away by water. Under this formation there are various fresh water springs which flow into the sea. Suluin cavern in Kirkgoz was filled with this kind of material, but in the olden times it was an underwater cavern. In 1995 the depth of this cavern was found to be 83 meters. When continued down from the canals about 45 meters, a gigantic hole is reached. The walls of this empty space are covered with stalactite and stalagmites, travertine pools and other formations. A large number of side canals opening onto this space were found after several dives.
