Mediterranean · Turkey
Alanya
Boat dives into air-pocket sea caves around Alanya Castle
Photo: Tapico · CC BY-SA 3.0
Alanya’s diving rings the rocky peninsula under its historic castle, with every site a short boat run from the town harbour. Outside the caves the seabed is plain Mediterranean rock and eel-grass, so the caves carry the trip. Pirate Cave is a large, open cave with bats overhead where divers surface inside, Rambo, perhaps the most popular site, leads through a short passage into a chamber half filled with air, and the Tunnel lies west of the castle.
About diving in Alanya
The diving here is by boat from Alanya harbour, with dive trips running every day from 10:00 to 17:00. The sites ring the castle peninsula, from the Aquarium, 5 min from port, and Middle Cave at 12 min, out to both sides of Dilvarda, the farthest bay from the castle, and to Rambo, about 25 min away. The Aquarium has mild conditions, which makes it the alternative site when the weather turns.
Away from the caves the ground is typical Mediterranean rock and eel-grass with few fish, though the rock still holds grouper, moray, octopus, black scorpionfish and soldierfish, with barracuda and thornback rays around Pirate Cave. The caves are where the diving comes alive. Rambo has numerous dropstones inside its air chamber, and the Tunnel has small rooms along its length.
Alanya suits newly certified divers and students. The dive points around the castle peninsula suit all levels, and the Aquarium, the east side of Dilvarda and Broken Stone are used mainly for training and daily courses. Experienced divers have Middle Cave, kept for deep diving, and the west side of Dilvarda, which is used for deep and current dives as well as training. Rambo needs good buoyancy: divers keep about a metre off its sandy bottom so the water stays clear.
Best time to dive Alanya
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair |
The season opens in April, when the sea sits around 18 °C, and runs to November. June to September brings the best conditions, with the water peaking near 29 °C in August. In autumn the water is clearer, and many visiting divers arrive, mostly from Germany, Scandinavia, Poland and Russia. December to March falls outside the season, and February is the coldest month at about 17 °C.
Dive types & marine life
Schools of fish gather on both sides of Dilvarda, the farthest bay from the castle. Mediterranean monk seals turn up in the underwater caves only now and then, so a sighting is luck rather than a plan.
- Cave & cavern
- Wreck
- Night
- Groupers
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Barracuda
- Seals & sea lions
Best dive sites in Alanya
- 1
Pirate Cave
Open cave entered at 12 m past an ancient millstone, with a wreck lying at 25 m on the same site.
- 2
Rambo
Farthest site, near Cleopatra Beach; the entry tunnel at 13 m is 6–7 m long and takes five divers.
- 3
Tunnel
Tunnel west of the castle with entry and exit at 13 m, 3–6 m wide and about 42 m long.
- 4
Middle Cave
Deep cave dive with the entrance at 15 m and the site dropping to 34 m.
- 5
Phosphor Cave
Two cave groups, at 5 m and 12 m, on a site open to trainees and to night dives.
- 6
Dilvarda West
West side of the farthest bay, running to 40 m and used for deep and current dives.
- 7
Aquarium
Closest site to the harbour, 4 to 25 m over rock and seagrass, used mainly for training.
Site guides
Reef
The mild-weather alternative five minutes from Alanya Harbour
Reef
Two sides of one bay: a training slope east and a current dive west
Cave & cavern
An Alanya cave with its mouth at 15 m and the site dropping to 34 m
An ancient millstone at the entrance and bats roosting above the air space
Cave & cavern
A short tunnel at 13 m opening into a cave half filled with air
Cave & cavern
A 42 m passage through the rock with small side rooms
How to get to Alanya
Antalya Airport (AYT), 125 km west, is the usual arrival point for international visitors. Gazipaşa–Alanya Airport (GZP), 30 km southeast of town, has flights from Istanbul and Ankara plus a few budget carriers. Dive boats leave from Alanya harbour.
Dive videos
Tauchen Alanya Türkei 2020 Diving Gopro 7 Black 4K · Ich und die Welt on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Do the Alanya caves need cave training?+
Not Pirate Cave: it is a large, open cave that suits inexperienced and experienced divers alike. Middle Cave, entered at 15 m, is the one kept for experienced divers.
Can a diver choose which cave to dive?+
Not in advance. Groups are divided each morning, and the day’s sites are then set to suit the weather and each diver’s level.
Where is the nearest decompression chamber?+
The nearest decompression chamber is in Antalya, about 125 km away.
Sources
- Diving Location — Dolphin Dive
- FAQ — Dolphin Dive
- Magicdive Alanya Diving Center — Magic Dive
- Alanya — Wikivoyage
- Diving Alanya — PADI
- Alanya Average Sea Temperatures — SeaTemperature.org
- Divers flock to resort town in Turkey’s south — Hürriyet Daily News
- Alanya diving guide — TripBase
Photo credits
- Two moored boats, a white yacht and a wooden gulet, in dark water below sheer grey cliffs topped by crenellated castle walls by Tapico, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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