Activities & Sports When you think of the color blue, words like calmness, serenity, and peace are usually the first that come to mind. As you gaze at the sea, you feel good and drift off into your thoughts. But imagine being inside the sea itself—exploring this magical world as if you were flying alongside its living creatures. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?
About Diving…
This fascinating sport can be categorized in various ways, but for simplicity, we will divide it into two main types: scuba diving (with equipment) and free diving (without equipment).
Free Diving
Free diving is, in its simplest form, a type of diving performed without any breathing equipment. The diver takes a single breath at the surface and completes the entire dive with that breath. In fact, free diving has a long history. In the Far East, people used to dive while holding their breath to collect pearls and make a living. The Bajau fishermen of Borneo have long been known as “sea nomads” or “people who walk on water.”
Scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus)
The key feature that distinguishes scuba diving from free diving is the ability to stay underwater for extended periods.
Among the most popular scuba diving destinations in the world are the Great Barrier Reef in South Australia, the Bahamas, the Red Sea in Egypt, Papua New Guinea, the Galápagos Islands, Mexico, the Maldives, and Thailand.
To experience scuba diving, you first need basic equipment and technical knowledge. Essential equipment includes steel or aluminum tanks filled with compressed air, as well as a neoprene wetsuit that keeps you warm and comfortable underwater.
Now, let’s talk about how you can experience this incredible adventure.
Kaş is one of the first places that comes to mind in Türkiye when it comes to diving, thanks to its crystal-clear and unpolluted waters. With its rich fish population and diverse dive sites, Kaş has steadily increased its popularity over the years, and its diving industry has reached a remarkable level on a global scale. You can either try a Discover Scuba Diving experience or take a diving course through systems such as CMAS (World Confederation of Underwater Activities), SSI (Scuba Schools International), or PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors), and begin exploring the underwater flora and fauna of the Mediterranean in just four days.
Once you become a certified diver, you gain the ability to dive anywhere in the world. Generally, the PADI system is more widely preferred due to its global recognition. With a PADI Open Water Diver certification or a CMAS one-star certification, you are allowed to dive up to 18 meters. The training process takes about four days and includes both theoretical and practical lessons to help you develop essential knowledge and skills. Each dive typically lasts around 45 minutes.
In Kaş, diving boats depart twice a day—once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Diving here not only allows you to meet people from all over the world, from those taking underwater photos to first-time divers and certified professionals, but also offers the chance to encounter fascinating marine life such as barracudas, amberjack schools, rabbitfish, squid, moray eels, groupers, and stingrays in the Mediterranean waters.