TURKEY AN UNDERWATER PARADISE

   Amateur underwater sports activities are organised by Turkish travel agencies, which supply equipment and boats for foreign tourist. Major hotel on the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts also provide underwater sports facilities. Kuşadası, Didim , Bodrum, Datça, Marmaris and Fethiye are principal underwater sports centres. There are two German and one Turkish firm in Bodrum, and at other centres these activities are organised by the Company diving organisation.
   Turkey's Aegean and Mediterranean coasts are fascinating areas in which to dive and take underwater photographs.
   The dangers and deleterious results of fishing with breathing equipment has been realised by those countries littorial to the Red Sea and is now forbidden in touristic areas and coral, reefs, which have been proclaimed National parks. It is expected that similar precautions will be taken in Turkey soon.
   Each year, in the picturesque Black  Sea town of Şile, diving clubs organise an underwater fishing competition. The competitors are not permitted to use breathing apparatus. Last year the winner caught a 15 kilo sea bass. Although the Black Sea coast is not suitable for diving throughout the year, in good weather when the sea is calm and clear, it is a veritable paradise for divers.
    Diving in the Bosphorus is a wonderful experience .
    The sea in this lovely waterway is clean, and the fish which abound have an excellent flavour. Although the water temperature varies according to the season, it is possible to dive winter and summer. However, it is essential to know these waters well, since there are some unpredictable currents.
   Visibility is low in the water around the Princes Island in the Marmara Sea, on good days going up to as much as 15-20 metres. If you are lucky, you may even see a tuna. There is, a rich variety of underwater fauna, which make macro photograph worthwhile, and it is not beyond possibility to glimpse and photograph a historic wreck.
   Although the seas around Turkey do not have the quantity of brightly coloured fish seen in the Red Sea, Caribbean and Pacific Ocean, they are nevertheless fascinating. It is always possible to discover historic remains or a wrecked ship on the seabed, but you must not take anything to the surface and should inform the relevant authorities about such finds.
   While visibility in the waters around Istanbul get less day by day, around Çanakkale the underwater world is so rich in fish and wrecks, that it deserves to be proclaimed a national underwater park. You may also sea equipment remaining frm the Gallipoli landings underwater here. Locations of similar remains in other countries have been declared national parks, as in the case of Truklagoon in the Pacific; where tanks, ships, aircraft, and much else may be seen on the seabed, and diving is permitted so long as you do not disturbanything.