Karaburun draws visitors for its underwater beauties

İZMİR

Karaburun has made a name for itself in recent years with its diving spots determined by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, adding to the plethora of natural beauties that its Aegean province İzmir has. It is again attracting great attention as Turkey began its normalization phase within the scope of combating the new type of coronavirus (COVID-19). 

Karaburun had for many years been difficult to access, as it had curvy roads many drivers were afraid to brave. But after the completion of the construction of a double-road highway by the General Directorate of Highways five years ago, its diving centers got the attention it deserved as more people were able to visit it, along with underwater

enthusiasts.
Last year, 5,000 diving enthusiasts were trained at 14 diving points throughout the district, and the underwater beauties of Karaburun were discovered.

In addition to underwater life, the district, which is also home to the wrecks of Eylül and Alaybey ships, which served in the İzmir Gulf for long years, offers unforgettable moments for those who want to explore underwater.
With the normalization phase that started after June 1, the district, which started to serve with tourism and diving centers, became one of the frequent addresses of diving enthusiasts and holidaymakers.

Diving enthusiasts can see sea creatures such as groupers, aria, tuna, sea bream, barracuda, moray, sea bugs and octopus during their diving in Karaburun, which draws attention with its clean sea and coasts.

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, the dean of İzmir Katip Çelebi University Faculty of Fisheries, Tevfik Tansel Tanrıkul, said that the Karaburun peninsula is a region rich in underwater life.

Stating that the curfew restriction applied due to COVID-19 contributed positively to living creatures in the sea, Tanrıkul added, “The destruction and pollution caused by people in the sea decreased during this process. There was no increase in the fish population, but behavioral differences were observed in the fish. The fish began to approach people more.” 

Stating that Karaburun is a very rich region in terms of fish population, Tanrıkul said, “We need to protect the seas and the creatures living in it. For this, natural protection areas should be declared in some regions. Karaburun is one of the places that can be a natural protection area with its coasts. There are centers providing diving training in the region. In this way, underwater tourism also develops.”

Mustafa Kemal Çankırı, a 55-year-old lawyer who dives in Karaburun, said that he had dived amid the wrecks in many parts of Turkey that the branches in many parts of the wreck, and explored the underwater beauties of Karaburun for the first time last year and could not give up.

Another diver, Celal Solmaz stated that he has been professionally diving for four years and that he dove in Karaburun for the first time. 

“The beauty of this place, as well as the underwater, has also affected me. I had the chance to see many fish that I had not seen before. The shipwrecks are also very important for underwater life,” he said.