Kalkan is a small harbour in Lycia on Turkey's Mediterranean coast, with some twenty dive sites in and around Kalkan Bay, many of them around the islets at the mouth of the bay. Beginners have the shallows of Snake Island, Heybeli and Frank Wall; experienced divers head for the deep wall at the south tip of Snake Island, mainland caves and Sakarya Reef, where the 1940s Sakarya wreck lies in three sections. Visibility typically runs to 25–30 m.
About diving in Kalkan
Most of the twenty-odd sites near Kalkan lie 25 to 40 minutes out by day boat, many around the islets at the mouth of the bay, and shore dives start from the dive centre's beach club. The boat leaves the beach club at about 09.30, and the first dive usually begins around 10.00, depending on where the site lies. Sakarya Reef is a calm-weather site, so a trip there waits for a settled sea.
Underwater there are rock pinnacles at Frank Wall, a wall at the south tip of Snake Island, reefs off Heybeli and Öksüz, and sand-bottom caves on the mainland with entrances at 25 m, fed by chilly fresh water. Off İnce Burun, the Turkish-built Sakarya, wrecked in the 1940s, keeps its teak-plank decking, intact winches and a vast cargo of lead ballast.
Kalkan suits newly certified divers, who have easy shallows at the north tip of Snake Island, around almost all of Heybeli and at Frank Wall, and more advanced divers, who have the deep wall and the Sakarya. Sakarya Reef also holds the mangled remains of the Duchess of York, a North Sea trawler built in Hull in 1893, in 15 m of water.
Best time to dive Kalkan
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Winter is the cool end of Kalkan's year, and February is the coldest month, with the water averaging about 16 °C (61 °F). The sea warms abruptly in late May or early June with a change in the current. From June it keeps warming to an August average near 28 °C (83 °F), the warmest month of the year, and it stays warm into November before cooling again for winter.
Dive types & marine life
Barracuda, grouper and myriad smaller fish live on the deep wall at the south tip of Snake Island. Clouds of damselfish, with amberjacks, two-barred bream and groupers, are a constant on Camel Stone Reef.
- Reef
- Wall
- Wreck
- Cave & cavern
- Barracuda
- Groupers
- Trevally & jacks
- Reef fish swarms
Best dive sites in Kalkan
- 1
Sakarya Reef
Calm-weather site off İnce Burun with the 1940s Sakarya wreck in three sections at 35–60 m
- 2
Snake Island
Novice shallows at the north tip; the south tip drops as a wall from 20 to 50 m with barracuda
- 3
Frank Wall
Rock pinnacles and plenty of fish on the east side of the bay, an easy second dive
- 4
Camel Stone Reef
Reef at 12–20 m with a short tunnel to squeeze through and clouds of damselfish
- 5
Heybeli
Remoter islet whose almost entire perimeter is shallow enough for beginners
Site guides
Reef
A short tunnel squeeze through the reef
Reef
Lycian and Ottoman anchors among broken amphora
Wreck
Teak decking and intact winches on a 1940s wreck in three pieces
Wall
Barracuda along a deep wall at the island's south tip
How to get to Kalkan
Dalaman Airport is the closest, 125 km west of Kalkan, a drive of 90 minutes to 2 hours on the D400 through a toll tunnel. Boat-dive days start at the dive centre in Kalamar at 09.00 with equipment issue.
Photos from Kalkan
Cooty16 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
KALKAN Mavi Dünyam Scuba Diving Antalya/TURKEY by SAKİ UĞURLU · saki uğurlu on YouTube
Diving in KALKAN / ANTALYA · Nejat Semerci on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can beginners dive at Kalkan?+
Yes. Beginners dive the shallows at the north tip of Snake Island, almost the entire perimeter of Heybeli and Frank Wall. Boat dives require certification and a completed medical questionnaire.
Who can dive the Sakarya wreck?+
Sakarya Reef is a calm-weather site for intermediate and advanced divers, but the Sakarya itself lies in three sections at 35 to 60 m, so it is a deep dive.
Are there caves to dive near Kalkan?+
Yes. Sand-bottom caves on the mainland have entrances at 25 m, and they are fed by chilly fresh water, so they feel colder than the open sea.
Sources
- Boat Dive | Kalkan Dive Centre — Kalkan Dive Centre
- Kalkan and around | Turkey Travel Guide — Rough Guides
- Camel Stone Reef — PADI
- Kalkan Average Sea Temperatures — Sea Temperatures
- Kalkan — Wikivoyage
- Frenk Bay Outer Wall — PADI
Photo credits
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