Alanya and its surroundings are the best diving sites in Turkey. An important feature of this popular diving destination is that most of the diving sites are located around the city centre and the coastline of Alanya Castle. This makes it possible to dive several times a day and around 50,000 dives per year on average. The interesting flora and the diversity of the underwater life in the sea make Alanya a popular diving destination.
The Aquarium is a suitable training diving site located about 4-5 minutes away from Alanya by boat. It is also suitable for diving during bad weather conditions. The Aquarium ranges in depth from 4 to 25 metres. The seabed is made up of stones and seaweed. There are a plenty of octopus, stingrays, moray eels, sea bass, sergeant fish and clams.
Amfora is the second closest diving site to the harbour and can be reached by boat in 5-10 minutes. Its name comes from the numerous shards of amphora scattered around the area. The area is about 29 metres deep, it is a home to a wide variety of sea life. The bottom surface is rocky and fish species such as dark sea bass, moray eels, octopus, stingrays and grey spinoffs are often seen here.
Pirates have played a crucial role in Alanya’s history, which adds some mystery to the region. The Pirate’s Cave is the most popular diving spot in Alanya and is suitable for both beginners and experienced divers. The distance from Alanya Harbour is 8 to 10 minutes and the cave depth varies from 10 to 32 metres. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when you come across a sunken ship at a depth of 25 metres. The stones in the cave reflect light and create a fascinating colour play. Sea life is presented by plenty of stingrays, octopus, perch and barracuda.
The Middle Cave is ideal for advanced divers and deep sea diving. It is a 14-minute drive from Alanya harbour and has a minimum depth of 15m and maximum depth of 34m. The entrance of the cave is 15 metres deep. The seabed structure is rocky. During your dives you can see dark sea bass, octopus, moray eel and sea bream.
Cave of Lovers is an ideal location for both training and professional diving. Its depth varies from 10 to 34 metres and the seabed is mostly rocky. There is a small cave at the foot of the mountain at 4 metres depth and an ancient anchor at 20 metres depth. The sea creatures here are mainly sea bass, pufferfish, octopus, moray eel, bream, and clam. The distance to the harbour of Alanya is 15 minutes.
The Phosphorus Cave is just 20 minutes by boat from Alanya Harbour. Its depth varies from 8 to 33 metres. There are two different caves: one at 5 m depth and one at 12 m depth. The sea bottom is completely rocky and the sea life is rich with predatory fish and sea mollusks. Phosphorus Cave is suitable for both licensed divers and beginners.
Tunnel, which lies west of the castle at a depth of 13 meters, is excellent for professional divers. The tunnel is 3-6 meters wide and about 42 meters long. Travel time by boat to Alanya port is about 20-25 minutes. While snorkeling, you will see octopus, stingrays, morays, sea bass and others.
Rambo is one of the most popular diving sites around Alanya and hosts over 50,000 dives each year. Rambo is about 25 minutes from the harbour near Cleopatra Beach. The entrance to the cave is 13 metres deep and is large enough to accommodate 4-5 divers at a time. A seven-metre tunnel leads divers into the cave, which is half-full of oxygen. The stalactites and stalagmites in the cave are reminiscent of Damlatas Cave, one of Alanya’s most visited sites. The seal, named ‘Zehra’ by divers, makes the place even more attractive.
