Turkey 2002

This article has also been published by BSAC

A fellow Sports Diver and I found details of the European Diving Centre (EDC) on the BSAC website and chose to dive with them as it is rated as a 'BSAC Premier School.' EDC has branches in Fethiye, Marmaris and Olu Deniz. We were advised that Fethiye is the less 'touristy': it is rather modern (it was rebuilt after it suffered an earthquake in 1957) but still has a Turkish feel and also seems to be prosperous, the main trade being tourism.

We looked into package deals with the view to booking the diving separately but then found it was cheaper and just as easy to book our own flights direct with the Turkish airline, Pegasus (PGT). (Do note that the majority of flights to Turkey depart in the evening and consequently the first day is written off from a diving point of view as the boats are out all day and therefore an afternoon dive cannot be fitted in). EDC booked B&B for us at a mere £12 per night per person in the Mediteran hotel just 2 mins walk away from the dive centre. Accommodation may also be booked at The Levant Hotel (5 mins walk in the opposite direction). EDC arranged for us to be picked up and dropped off at the airport for £30 each way. You can also sometimes benefit from a 10% discount on early bookings. Our one-week's June dive package and accommodation came to £239 p/p and as we managed to get our flights for £107 we felt we had a bargain!

On arrival at Dalaman airport (ensure that you have a £10 note in sterling for airport tax) we were met by the EDC representative. It was a pleasant drive to Fethiye as it only took an hour and gave us a chance to see the countryside and the locals starting their day in the cool heat of the morning. EDC has a shop in the centre of Fethiye but the school, from where the diving takes place, is on the outskirts. The school (a very busy 5 Star PADI Instructor Centre) has three covered hard boats, which were harbored just along from our hotel. The hotel rooms were basic (no air conditioning) but clean, with ensuite shower, balcony with a view of the sea and a quaint boat yard (hammering could be heard first thing in the morning but did not spoil our stay as we were always up bright and early for diving but should be kept in mind for non-divers). We were there at the end of June and would recommend requesting a room with air conditioning should you travel any later in the summer than that. The hotel also has a swimming pool but the highlight was a small wooden jetty along which boats were tethered and where we sat for breakfast and dinner. There is also a bar on the water's edge ideal for that infamous nightcap! The Levant by comparison (we walked past and viewed it from the outside) has a balcony terrace that also overlooks the bay but has the road in front.

After checking in at the hotel we slept for a few hours and enjoyed a late breakfast (buffet style of local fayre: feta cheese, fresh bread and jam) and headed off to the main EDC shop in the centre of Fethiye (the local one is closed during the day once the boats set sail). As mentioned above, diving is not possible on the first day unless you are very hardy and are capable of going straight into it, having slept on the flight (we landed at 04:00), as you would need to register first thing and then be out diving for the full day. We were at least able to plan our week's diving on the first day as in the main shop we were able to have a look at the dive profiles and decide which we wanted to do and to work out which day we chose to take as a day off to do some sightseeing. We then made our way to the Dolmus station (the local mini-buses, pronounced 'Dolmush') and hopped aboard to visit Olu Deniz for the rest of the day where we enjoyed a swim in the beautiful blue lagoon and felt that our first day had not 'gone to waste'!

The daily routinewas to ensure that one was signed up for the next day's dives the afternoon before (or all arranged on the first day) and thereafter meet at the diving school at approximately 08:45 each day. EDC will appoint you to a boat according to your experience and level and therefore all are catered for. One is aware at all times of their high safety standards: logbooks are carefully checked on registration. A day-tripper tried to sign up for a day's diving but as he had forgotten his log books they would not register him and he had to give up after attempting to persuade them otherwise! So, be warned, don't forget your logbooks! The boats usually set sail at about 09:30 but by meeting at 08:45 it allowed time for registration on the day and the moving of kit from boat to boat if necessary (kit was kept aboard the three boats at night or alternatively could be locked away in store room next to the dive school). The EDC has a bar and café where bacon, egg and chips could be ordered and the general atmosphere was relaxed and a case of lazing around, once registered, until it was time to board the boats.

My buddy and I are Sports Divers approaching the 50-dive benchmark that seems to be favoured by PADI centres and were considered 'experienced' divers. The boats were arranged, on the whole, numbers permitting, for beginners to be on one boat and the more experienced divers to be on the other. Groups can also be catered for, as there was a large BSAC group there at the same time as us who were also accommodated together in our hotel and who were kept together as a group for dives. EDC again maintaining its safety standards, on many of the dives arranged in addition to the Dive Leader at the front of the dive, for a Dive Leader to be at the back of the diving group to ensure that there were no stragglers or problems encountered.

The average water temperature for the week (last week in June) was 21°-22° C. I wore a 6mm wetsuit with long johns and shortie and my buddy wore a 7mm semi-dry without its extra shortie layer. We wore gloves (more for the tunnel dives for protection rather than warmth) but no hoods. We felt we were wearing just the right suits for that time of year and changing just before the dives on the shaded lower deck ensured that we didn't get too hot before the dives. In July and August one would be more likely to feel uncomfortable in the heat when changing I think therefore that my personal preference would be to visit in May, June, September and October. However, as one is kitted up for a very short time you should not therefore be unduly put off, and of course, as the water temperature increases, so the layers of suits decrease!

The boats are maintained to a high standard and are even luxurious! The upper 'dry' deck has rugs and coffee tables. The boats have the usual safety equipment on board and all carry oxygen. Once aboard, wetsuits, BCDs and regs were hung on coat hangers on the lower deck and goodie bags stored under benches. Weight belts were already set up with 4 x 2.5 kg and loose 1kg and 2.5 kg weights were to hand to customise one's own, a limited supply of lead shot weights were also available. The water there is very salty and most people ended up with 2.5 to 5kg on top of their usual weight. Fresh water tubs and a hose are onboard for all the trips and therefore kit can be rinsed speedily and hung up to drip-dry for the next dive/day

The diving comprises of two dives a day with an optional lunchtime dive. For the lunchtime dive it was just a case of buddying up and going for it! One would be signed out on the record sheet and that was that! Although, once again, the safety procedures are good as they checked who was buddying with whom and what the dive plan was. The lunchtime dive (an extra £7) was usually in the bay and so very straightforward and a case of following the shoreline. Lunch is included in the day's diving fee (local cuisine of rice, meat, salad, bread) and extra drinks may be purchased throughout the day. If there are a lot beginners on board, the boat would be docked for a 3-4 hour break in the bay for training thereby giving others time for diving, snorkelling, swimming or just enjoying the sunbathing on the large, carpeted deck (there is also a shaded area).

The boats moved out of the bay after lunch and headed off to the afternoon dive destination after which we would sail back to Fethiye, docking at about 18:30 and time would be spent hanging around EDC again having coffee, beers, snacks etc. After about an hour the buses would collect those who wished to have a lift back to their hotels (no need for the Mediteran but I understand that they will also pick and drop off from as far away as Olu Deniz).

The night dives usually take place on Mondays and Fridays at 19:30ish and once the kit is moved to the correct boat you are free to wait around until it is time to set sail again when you would just cross the road and hop aboard! Again, the standard of safety may be commented on here as the staff at EDC very wisely insisted that no alcohol be consumed prior to the night dives and any that were spotted doing so were immediately barred from joining the dive.

Those who have non-divers in their party would be encouraged to take them along for the boat trip as the sail into the sunset is breathtaking. The return journey by moonlight is equally magnificent and the lights on the shore of Fethiye provide a pretty edge to the coastline. The boat journey is approx 40 mins each way. Mercifully the kit is left aboard overnight including empty cylinders so no unloading goes on in the dark and with tired limbs! (The routine is to carry 2 cylinders off the boat each at the end of the day to help out).. It is usually time to stagger back to the hotel afterwards and enjoy that nightcap on the jetty with the comfort of one's bed within close proximity!

All the diving was interesting: it can be described as 'topographical'; fascinating rock formations. The tunnel dives are ideally suited to Sports Divers and up as those less experienced may find the tunnels challenging (they are not in themselves difficult and are a great introduction for first-timers like myself). The other dive sites are suitable for the newly qualified Ocean Diver. The maximum depth was approximately 25 metres on all dives. For skills purposes, deeper dives to 35m may be arranged with the instructors. The sea life is not abundant but in fact on the night dive adds to the interest as it is great fun and challenging seeking it out. On the whole, we were constantly pleasantly surprised though as shoals appeared, or the odd cluster parrot fish, octopus, crayfish, seahorses (not seen by us unfortunately but by those on one of the other boats), moray eels, scorpion fish, wrasse and the most beautiful 'flying gurnard' which opened up its blue fan-like fins as we hovered above. We were therefore not disappointed with the sea life but more pleasantly surprised and ensured that we paid attention to the rock formation and the sea life became a bonus.

The highlights are 'Mexican Hat', 'Aladdin's Cave', 'Three Tunnels' and the night dive on 'Rabbit Island'. Mexican Hat was excellent! We descended to approx 20 metres from where we entered a tunnel (3-4 m in diameter) through which we finned upwards until we did a safety stop at 6 m where the water becomes like a 'heat haze': natural spring water mixing with the salty seawater. We surfaced in the most amazing 'cavern' and when we turned our torches off we could see the light coming through the rocks and the sea shone a brilliant turquoise. Another dive site similar to this one was Aladdin's Cave, but where we surfaced there was a hole in the top of the rocks and it was equally beautiful with the sun shining through to the water where we bobbed about on our inflated BCD's. The Three Tunnels was another 'adventurous' dive as it involved diving in and out of narrow ravines. The highlight of that dive was waiting for the group to emerge and seeing the air bubbles permeate through the tunnel 'roofs'.

Rabbit Island night dive was fun as my buddy and I busily searched 'Navy Seals style'(!) with our torches under rocks and in nooks and crannies and felt a sense of achievement when, amongst the more usual array of marine life, we discovered 2 octopus and watched as one changed colour to a pale blue and then a pale pink. We also saw a red baby octopus with white spots, not such a great camouflage!

There were only two disappointing dives (in terms of lack of sea life and topographical interest): Aldiana Bay and one of the night dives at Aquarium Reef. Aldiana Bay, I gathered from general chit chat, is not considered one of the better dive sites and it is possible that we just got bad timing with the night dive at Aquarium Reef. Rabbit Island for the night dive, however, we recommend highly.

In the evenings we frequented the same restaurant located opposite the post office (ETTP) and cannot be missed as it has an ice cream parlour at the front. The food is authentic and incredibly reasonable and used by the local guides at EDC. The homemade ice cream is a must! Meals usually work out at approx £5 per head. There are plenty of restaurants offering a wide variety of cuisines including the more typical English dishes. English bars may also be found.

A 'trendy' bar to sit outside or to enjoy the dancing inside is the Ottoman Bar. The locals usually pour in after 11pm and dance along to Arabic music with tambourines! Great fun!

The Dolmus are incredibly reliable and seem to run every 5 minutes and will even wait for you to catch up! The average journey is approx 50p and pick- up and drop- off outside the hotels. The last one finishes at approximately 12:30am.

All in all we had a great time and it was cheap and cheerful and we would recommend it to anyone who would like such a week away but not to expect too much in terms of sea life but the 'challenge' of (easy) tunnels and caves. It is also ideal for the less hardy divers who do not like to lug kit around as it may conveniently be left on the boats at night and the cylinders are already aboard. Non-divers may organise day-trips through the local tour agents and should bear in mind the divers are out on the boats all day.

I found, on the whole, that compared to other diving holidays, it was 'hassle free' as we were a leisurely stroll away from the diving school and the Dolmus stopped outside our hotel for our evening trips into town. Finally, the fact that the whole day was spent out on the boats meant that plenty of rest was to be had in between the dives, which I have not come across before on diving holidays (except liveaboards).

The EDC is a very professional organisation with high safety standards and merits its BSAC award. At the same time the staff are fun, friendly and extremely welcoming. It should also be noted that those who wish to have any of their BSAC skills signed off may arrange to do so with one of EDC's BSAC instructors. Nitrox is available for hire as is full kit. Finally, remember to buy one of their T-shirts as a souvenir, a £1 from every purchase goes to 'Save the Dolphin' fund!

Jo, July 2002