Live Aboard Diving, Fethiye Turkey, September 2019
Friday 7th September 2019 saw a group of fourteen from TAC meeting up at Gatwick for a trip to Fethiye in Turkey to spend a week on a live aboard run by Mehmet and Jane from Seahorse Diving. After an uneventful journey we arrived at the boat on the Friday afternoon, checked in and started to plan the week ahead. Fethiye is a great, lively coastal town on the Mediterranean coast and home to a bustling marina where the boat is based. Friday evening and Saturday morning were spent sampling the bars and restaurants of the town and delights such as the ancient Turkish baths. After lunch we left the marina, sailing for an hour or so to Turunc Bay where we anchored up. Some of us had been with Seahorse Diving before, so knew that we were in for an excellent week of exciting diving, fantastic food and relaxation about a spacious and very comfortable boat (a Turkish Gullet). The boat has en-suite double or twin cabins, a large saloon, acres of space on the decks in which to sun bathe and relax, plus a huge diving area towards the bow where kit is stored. The food is all freshly prepared by the crew and the boat operates on a full board basis with tea and coffee and cake / biscuits available between dives. Beer, wine and soft drinks are available to buy with an honesty chart system allowing you to settle up at the end of the week.
The boat typically overnights in a quiet bay before sailing to a new destination the next day. There are usually two or three guided dives per day led by Mehmet (ex-Turkish navy) who probably has more experience of diving this coast than anybody! He is an expert at pointing out hidden sea life and showing divers the best that this coast has to offer. The dives are predominantly on walls and slopes with some spectacular drop offs and caves thrown in for good measure. Ancient amphorae are regularly seen on dives. The water in September was a very comfortable 27 degrees with occasional cold patches where fresh water flows in from the mountains via underwater springs. The dive schedule was as follows to give a flavour of what we did:
8th Sept – Check dives in Turunc Bay, steeply sloping seabed with boulders.
9th Sept – Kabac Cave, long cave passing right through a headland with WW2 aircraft wreckage at the end. Karacaoren Reef, a boulder slope with sections of wall and abundant fish life.
10th Sept – ‘Tectonic Cove’, spectacular underwater rock formations and walls with a layer cake appearance. Eval Cape, a rocky headland with much evidence of ancient amphorae.
11th Sept – Big Reef and Aquarium Reef, two spectacular reefs like large pinnacle standing up from the seabed with great walls and sea life.
12th Sept – ‘Turkish Baths’, a very unusual cave , entered from underwater and in which you can surface and see the sky through a hole in the roof. Yellowstones, a pretty reef system with fish life.
13th Sept – Turunc Bay, a last dive in a pleasant Bay to end off the week.
Besides the dive listed, there was also plenty of opportunity to throw some kit on whenever the boat was anchored and do additional dives, This allowed us to complete some outstanding Dive Leader training in an environment far nicer than a Kent lake!
Sadly we had to leave the boat upon our return to the Marina in Fethiye, but we opted to stay on for a few days and arranged several excursions to local sites, and took plenty of opportunity to relax and enjoy the nightlife. All in all it was a great trip with a fantastic boat and crew. I am sure we will return.
Contact details are: mehmetavcu.com or info@seahorseholidays.com
TAC members on the trip: Colin, Vanessa, Rob, Linda, Dave , Karen, Martin, Bernie, Danny, Tracey, Mark, Terry, Jeff and Wendy.