Kemer & Tekirova · Turkey · Cave & cavern · Reef
Big Cave
Surfacing inside the rock among stalactites and stalagmites
Big Cave is a cave dive at the Three Islands off Tekirova in which divers swim through a tunnel and come up in an air chamber inside the island rock. Stalactites and stalagmites of unknown age hang in the chamber, and two antique anchors lie on the slope outside.
Where it is and how deep
36.4996° N, 30.5540° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The opening of the cave lies 8 m under the surface. A tunnel of 10–15 m leads inside to an air chamber where divers reach the surface among many stalactites and stalagmites of unknown age. After leaving the cave the dive continues down the outside to depths of 30 m, passing two antique anchors that lie at 28 m.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Kemer & Tekirova: Diving is best from late May to early September, when the water is at its warmest.
Know before you go
- The 10–15 m tunnel to the air chamber is an overhead environment with no direct way up to open water.
Questions divers ask
Does the Big Cave dive surface inside the cave?+
Yes. From the opening at 8 m a tunnel of 10–15 m leads to an air chamber inside the rock, where divers can surface among stalactites and stalagmites.
Sources
- Divespots | Blue World Diving Center — Blue World Diving Center
More dive sites in Kemer & Tekirova
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
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
Similar dives elsewhere
A marine cave to 19 m opening onto a reef that drops past 30 m
A cave below the Eden Roc hotel, wide enough to swim through
Barracuda at the cave corner and an open chamber to surface in, off-season
Limestone tunnels, the first passed one diver at a time