The beauties of nature immediately come to mind whenever Kaş is mentioned. There are also beauties in Kaş that cannot be seen with the naked eye. They are interesting and impressive shipwrecks that lie beneath the water. Let us dive into this together.

Şahika Merve Akçap, Setur Marinas Kaş Front Office Representative

 

One of Turkey's most popular districts, Kaş is a paradise for those who are into nature sports as well as those who are interested in history and especially underwater archaeology. If you can dive, you can satisfy both of these interests at once.

Kaş has always been at the intersection of important trade routes throughout the ages. Therefore, boats from different nations have passed through these waters in every period of history, and for some, the journey ended in these waters for various reasons. In early times, when maritime technology had not yet been invented, many ships sank in this region, and over time Kaş and its surroundings have been filled with silent witnesses of underwater history.

Kaş has always been an ideal spot for diving because of its clean waters. This is why, over time, in addition to natural wrecks, artificial wrecks were also created in the region to promote underwater tourism. This allows people to plan weeks-long diving marathons in Kaş today.

The most striking of the natural wrecks is that of the ship known today as the Uluburun Shipwreck. When a sponge diver accidentally discovered copper ingots at a depth of 50 meters 8.5 km southeast of Kaş in 1982, the scientific world was alerted. Archaeological excavations begin and a magnificent shipwreck dating back to the Late Bronze Age, about 3 300 years ago, is unearthed. This ship is one of the oldest ocean-going merchant ships ever found in the world. The fact that there were so many items from different civilizations on the ship is attributed by archaeologists to the ship being a part of the trade between civilizations. In fact, among the items on board was a gold seal believed to have belonged to Egyptian Queen Nefertiti.

There are many other shipwrecks in Kaş that are of interest and importance for different reasons.

  • Flying Fish Reef (Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 wreck):
    The Flying Fish Reef, one of the favorite diving spots, houses an Italian bomber shot down during World War II at a depth of 55-71 meters. This plane, shot down by anti-aircraft fire, is a real war wreck.
  • Canyon Wreck (Dimitri):
    This wreck, which is the remains of a cotton-laden freighter that crashed into the islands off Kaş in 1968, occurred naturally. It is also known as the "Cotton Wreck" and is a favorite among divers.
  • Fener - C-47 Plane Wreck
    A C-47 Dakota plane retired from the Turkish Air Force was donated to the District Governorate of Kaş in this area near Limanağzı and made available for diving tourism. It is a very popular artificial wreck at a depth of 20 meters.
  • M48 Tank Wreck:
    Brought specially for diving tourism and sunk as an artificial reef, the M48 Patton tank attracts a lot of attention from both beginners and experienced divers.
  • TCSG-119 Coast Guard Wreck:
    Having completed its service life, this patrol boat was sunk off Kaş in 2011, giving the region a new diving spot. It is suitable for advanced divers with its depth and structure.

It is like a living underwater museum in the depths of Kaş, from Uluburun to fighter planes, coast guard boats to cotton-laden freighters. Every wreck carries a trace of the past, a story. It is possible to dive to all these wrecks (with permission and by observing the rules, of course).

If you are fed up with the chaos of the modern world, treat yourself to a different journey this summer. Enjoy the crystal clear waters of Kaş and have a conversation with the silent beauties of history.

Reference; Draman, Murat, The Diving Guide Kaş, A4 Ofset Matbaacılık, 2018

Orakçal, Ekin, Uluburun Batığı, www.academia.com