Among the places where I have worked as an instructor and dived, there is one dive spot that is always one of my favorites. During the years I have been working in Kaş, Turkey, I have made dozens, maybe hundreds of dives to Kanyon Diving Spot. Sometimes each one feels the same, but there are dives that give you new excitement and happiness. Kanyon is one of them.
The departure of Kaş boats from Kaş harbor sometimes resembles an operation. Dive boats and tour boats leave the harbor at very similar times. A short rush fills the calm Kaş harbor. After the last eye contact with the lighthouse at the end of the harbor, some boats steer in the opposite direction of the sunrise. They head towards the Neptune Diving Point.
Boats with different plans continue on their way to the Five Islands. Tour boats in a hurry, as if going to Kekova to meet their elementary school love, sail full speed ahead regardless of who is starboard or port.
Heybeliada is on your left and the number of boats decreases as you enter the Five Islands. The remaining boats are probably on their way to the Canyon for morning dives.
The canyon is one of the favorite spots. There are many divers in the water. It is necessary to be careful when maneuvering to land from the stern. After the boat is anchored, the buoy is thrown and the divers start to enter the water one by one. You can start watching underwater from the boat even before you enter the water. The Mediterranean… There is a calm transition from the sandy shore to the rocks. Melanurs come to the shade of the boat to entertain the non-diving guests.
When we start to descend to a depth of 3-5 meters, a half sandy, half rocky bottom structure welcomes us. It is necessary to pay attention to buoyancy in order to maintain visibility and not to damage the bottom structure. We need to proceed at depths of 3-5 meters for a while towards the mouth of the canyon. On the way, small pieces of the Dimitri Shipwreck catch our eyes, as if signaling what we will encounter in the canyon.
As you start to leave the protection of the island where our boat is moored and get closer to the entrance of the canyon, you start to feel the current. At this point the current can sometimes be very strong. As you move towards the mouth of the canyon, it flows and flows as if it wants to push you back. Here is that small plain just before you enter the canyon… The endless blue between two giant walls rising dramatically from the sea floor. It looks like the gates to an underwater kingdom.
This is the Canyon, a narrow gorge that goes down to a depth of about 20 meters.
When you enter the canyon with a final push against the current, you feel as if you are in a space shuttle that has left the atmosphere. Suddenly the current is over, the weight is lifted off you and you begin to glide through the canyon. Sunlight filters through the water, creating a mesmerizing glow on the canyon wall. We continue to gliding, keeping our fins away from the fragile canyon wall.
At the bottom of the canyon, at 22 meters, you will see formations such as cavern and chimney. We skip these places in order not to damage this beauty that took centuries to restore.
The real magic of the canyon comes when you cross the canyon gorge. The sensation is similar to that of soaring between the massive walls, a feeling of flight where the seafloor lies beneath you. But the Canyon also holds another secret waiting to be discovered – a shipwreck.
When you least expect it, just when you think the canyon is over, you come across this wreck, the Dimitris (Cotton) Shipwreck, a freighter that met its fate in 1968… Now, at a depth of 27 to 42 meters, it lies as a silent testimony to the power of the sea. The scattered remains of the cotton cargo create a quiet but mesmerizing sight.
Before examining the wreck, we salute the touching monument left in memory of Gökhan Türe at a depth of 30 meters.
As we get closer to the wreck, the sea water starts to cool as if to remind us of the depth. Dimitris, also known locally as the Cotton Wreck, is a freighter that sank off the coast of Kaş during a storm in 1968. The ship’s main mission was to carry cotton. The ship couldn’t resist the harsh weather conditions and crashed into the rocks, and as a result of this dramatic event, it sank into the depths of the sea.
When you leave the ship behind, the right wall stretches on and on, waiting to be explored. So I will leave you alone with your imagination on the right wall of the canyon without taking you to the surface.
This fascinating dive spot is a place where a new story is waiting to be told around every corner. If you are lucky enough to enter the canyon early in the morning, I am sure you will have an unforgettable dive.
Have a safe and enjoyable dive!
