Turkey is a country I had already visited a few years ago. In fact, I rode my motorbike all the way from Gibraltar to Turkey in five days and spent a few weeks there exploring the beautiful country. However, I left with a thirst to dive off the Turkish coasts.
I headed to the seaside town of Kaş. I had to choose between Kaş and Bodrum, as both offered similar diving opportunities.
I always enjoy photographing marine life in each country where I dive. Being part of the Mediterranean, Turkey’s waters had, as expected, limited marine life during my dives. Perhaps for this reason—and for the sake of dive tourism—many artificial reefs have been created. These include a retired plane, now a wreck on the seabed, a military tank, and several marine vessels.
I was particularly fascinated by the numerous amphoras and stone anchors scattered across different dive sites around Kaş. I saw both fragments and, in some cases, complete artefacts—many of which are typically displayed in museums—and some dating back thousands of years!
My last dive, and the most interesting one, was to a WWII plane wreck, lying at depths between 58 and 70 meters.
The wreckage belongs to a Savoia Marchetti SM 79, known as the "Sparviero" (Sparrowhawk), widely considered one of the most successful hunter-torpedo bombers of WWII. Since its first flight in 1935, it set several airspeed records and was responsible for sinking numerous Allied ships with its torpedo bombs in the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas.
In 1941, the aircraft took off from an Axis-controlled Greek island on a mission to bomb British warships in Meis harbor. During the raid, it was one of three planes targeted by anti-aircraft fire. One plane crashed in the Kaş mountains, another sank near Meis harbor, and the third (this plane) glided into the sea near a small Turkish island. All crew members perished. The pilot was initially buried in Kaş by the Turks, but later his body was exhumed and reburied in Italy by the Italians.
The wreckage was discovered in 1990. Strong currents make it difficult to reach the site, which lies on a sloped underwater seamount at a depth of around 58 meters. The plane’s three engines are well-preserved, with encrusted propellers and rust, while various aircraft parts are scattered nearby. Further down, at around 70 meters, the rubber tail-wheel and additional parts can be found. Some unexploded ammunition remains near the wreck, still believed to be active.
Below are some videos I have put together, from mine and from the dive guides footage:
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