Fault line becomes home for sea creatures

HATAY

A fault line formed on the coast of Hatay’s Arsuz district due to a magnitude 6.2 earthquake shaking Adana’s Ceyhan district in 1998 has become the home of sea creatures.

The fault line, which is approximately a kilometer long, acts as a natural reef 13 to 18 meters below the sea and 15 to 20 meters from the coast.

Besides hosting various sea creatures, the fault line is also a center of attraction for diving enthusiasts. Tourist dives are organized in the region, and divers enjoy discovering the biodiversity within the fault rupture.

Adana Underwater and Nature Sports Club (ASDEM) President İhsan Öd told the state-run Anadolu Agency that the fault was one of the indispensable diving spots in the region.

Stating that the fault line hosts different species in every season, Öd said, “The fault is a reef, a long piece of rock that was broken in the Adana earthquake and emerged as a result of this earthquake. It has an average length of 1 kilometer. Although it changes from time to time, it has a depth of 13 to 18 meters.”

Stating that the rock blocks formed by the earthquake provide protection to the sea creatures in the region, Öd said: “The fault is home to many living things; we can see many species. At the same time, the fault continues to be a home for Lessepsian migrant fish species that come to the region. The upper part of the fault is 9 meters in depth, and the lower part varies between 13 to 18 meters; it is a region full of sand and rocks. It is a really good area for diving. We can see different creatures here at various times.”

Emine Tan, one of the divers in the region, said that she has been diving for about 10 years and that she finds it pleasing to swim among many fish and examine the structure of the fault line.

“When you dive to 9 meters and come to the fault line, you feel that you are looking at a valley from the top of a mountain, and the bottom is sandy. Then you suddenly come to 13 to 14 meters. It is an amazing feeling because you drop yourself into a gap from 9 meters, and it feels like flying. You experience the excitement of being underwater, seeing fish and encountering new things. In this sense, diving into the fault line is a good experience.”