Scuba Diving in Alanya – Two Boat Dives for Beginners and Certified Divers

The first breath through a regulator always feels strange – and about a minute later most people forget the strangeness entirely, because there is a grouper hovering beside them. The waters around the Alanya peninsula are clear, warm in summer and full of rocky reefs, which makes them a forgiving place to try scuba diving and an easy-going day for those who already have a certificate.

Never dived before?

You do not need any qualification for an introductory dive. On the way out, your instructor explains the basics on deck: breathing through the regulator, clearing your ears, staying calm and using simple hand signals. Then you go in together and stay at a gentle depth of a few metres, with the instructor beside you from the first moment to the last. Children can try an introductory dive from the age of 10 – just tell us when you book.

Already certified?

Bring your certification card or logbook and you dive in a small group with a dive guide, at depths suited to your training. The coast here is full of rock formations, small caves and arches; look out for octopus, moray eels, colourful wrasse and groupers, and with luck a sea turtle. The exact sites depend on the sea on the day.

Between the dives

The boat leaves the harbour at around 10:00, the first dive follows at about 10:45 and the second, at a different spot, at 13:30. In between, lunch is served on board, and there is time to swim, snorkel or stretch out on deck. Friends or family who would rather stay on the surface are welcome on board at a reduced price; children pay €20 to come along and snorkel, divers €45.

Health, safety and the best season

Before diving you fill in a short health form. Please do not dive with a cold, ear or sinus trouble, heart or lung disease or epilepsy, or while pregnant – and avoid flying for 24 hours afterwards. Dives run from about May to October; the water is warmest from July to September, when visibility is usually excellent. If you want more coastline without the tank, try the Big Kral boat cruise or look down on the bay from a tandem paraglider.