Mediterranean · Turkey
Kemer & Tekirova
Canyons and an air-filled cave at the protected Three Islands, plus two wrecks
The dive boats of Kemer and Tekirova work the Three Islands, a protected cluster of rocky, uninhabited islets about 3 km offshore where diving is the only activity still allowed. The diving is rock, caves and wrecks rather than a fish show: the drop-off at Big Canyon, the air chamber inside Big Cave, a sunken propeller plane and the Paris II, a French ship sunk off Kemer in 1917. Caretta turtles turn up with some luck, and one family of Mediterranean seals lives around the islands all year.
About diving in Kemer & Tekirova
Diving here is a daily boat trip to the Three Islands, rocky islets about 3 km off the shore of Tekirova. The islands are a protected area: nobody may set foot on them or fish, and diving is strictly controlled and the only activity still allowed there. At Big Canyon the boat drops divers on one side of the wall and they dive across to its mooring on the other. The Paris II wreck lies off Kemer, away from the islands.
Underwater the islands are rock: reef plates, canyons, drop-offs and huge underwater cliffs, cut through with little caves, with amphorae up to 2000 years old lying among the rocks. Moray eels, octopus, groupers, sea bream and lobster are commonly seen around Kemer, and stonefish, barracuda and moray eels live in the two small caves at Kiriş Cave. Protection has brought a healthier population of Caretta turtles to the Three Islands.
The Turkish Mediterranean is good for beginners, and the islands have room for them: shallow slopes, and Small Canyon can be dived at every depth. Deep and wreck diving is kept for experienced, certified divers: the Deep Cave, the Airplane and the Paris II, plus the drifts at Adventure Reef. Marine life is limited, so the trip rewards divers who come for caves, cliffs, wrecks and the chance of a turtle rather than dense shoals.
Best time to dive Kemer & Tekirova
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
From December to April the sea holds at 17 to 19 °C, with February the coldest month at 17 °C (63 °F), and one Tekirova centre opens only from May to November. In May the water reaches 21 °C. The best stretch runs from late May to early September, when the sea warms from 25 °C (77 °F) in June to 29 °C (84 °F) in August. September is still 27 °C, and diving carries on through October and November while the water cools back to 21 °C.
Dive types & marine life
Caretta turtles are often seen at Adventure Reef and turn up at Small Canyon with a little luck. One family of Mediterranean seals lives around the Three Islands all year.
- Reef
- Wall
- Cave & cavern
- Wreck
- Sea turtles
- Seals & sea lions
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Barracuda
Best dive sites in Kemer & Tekirova
- 1
Big Canyon
Reef plate at 9 m on the northern tip of the Three Islands, with a drop-off to 38 m.
- 2
Big Cave
Entrance at 8 m and a 10–15 m tunnel that surfaces inside a chamber of stalactites and stalagmites.
- 3
Paris II
French ship sunk in 1917 by a shot from a cliff near Kemer, lying at 23–32 m.
- 4
Small Canyon
Drop-offs and cliffs beside Big Canyon, with amphorae and an antique anchor in the shallows; dived mostly at 9–19 m.
- 5
Airplane
Propeller-plane wreck on a sand plain at 28–38 m.
- 6
Adventure Reef
A fourth island that never breaks the surface; drifts are not unusual and dives reach 35 m.
- 7
Small Island
Rock site from 5 to 40 m whose cracks hide octopus and lobster.
Site guides
Reef
The fourth of the Three Islands, which never broke the surface
Wreck
A propeller plane sunk on purpose in 2012
Reef
A tunnel cave through a field of rocks between two islands
Wall
Amphorae up to 2000 years old along a drop-off to 38 m
Cave & cavern
Surfacing inside the rock among stalactites and stalagmites
Cave & cavern
Barracudas and moray eels in an underwater cave by Kiriş beach
Wreck
A 1917 freighter sunk by shore artillery, minutes from Kemer
Wall
An antique anchor among the rocks in the shallows
Reef
Octopus and lobster tucked in the cracks of the rock
How to get to Kemer & Tekirova
Antalya Airport (AYT) is the arrival point: a bus from either terminal, or the tram from T1, runs downtown to Antalya bus station, where bus TA08 leaves every 30 min for Kemer, Çamyuva, Phaselis and Tekirova. The dive centres are in Kemer and Tekirova.
Dive videos
Sualtından Kemer Tekirova Üçadalar · Tahsin Ceylan on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Can divers land on the Three Islands?+
No. The islands are a protected area where nobody may set foot or fish, and controlled diving is the only activity still allowed.
Is Kemer suitable for new divers?+
Only in part. Small Canyon and Amphora Reef suit beginners and Kiriş Cave calls for some experience, but the canyons, caves, wrecks and outer reefs are advanced dives.
Is there much fish life?+
Not much: marine life is limited along this stretch of the Turkish Mediterranean, so the draw is the caves, canyons and wrecks, with octopus and lobster in the rock cracks and turtles on lucky days.
Sources
- Blue World Diving Center — Blue World Diving Center
- Divespots | Blue World Diving Center — Blue World Diving Center
- Tekirova Diving — PADI
- Kemer — Wikivoyage
- Diving in Kemer — My Kemer Tours
- Kemer average sea temperature — seatemperature.org
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