Dive Gulet in Turkey

If you want to combine relaxing cruising around the Med with some easy diving, a Turkish liveaboard might just have the answer. Report by Charlotte Boan

So, what’s new?
Neilson’s Dive Gulet liveaboard was recently described as a ‘chillaboard’ by one of its guests – a fitting name. If your holiday requirements include an inexpensive trip, in warm weather, with warm-water diving and without the physical demands of a Red Sea liveaboard trip, then the Dive Gulet may be the perfect choice. It operates out of the coastal city of Bodrum and offers a five-day diving package in the quiet areas around the coast. There is a chilled, friendly, but safety conscious vibe about the crew and dive guides. The non-demanding dive schedule and excellent visibility make this an ideal week away for the new diver (there are very few currents in this area and the diving is rarely deeper than 20m) or those holidaymakers in search of relaxed diving.

How’s the diving?
The life in Turkey’s waters is not as prolific as at places such as the Red Sea, but what it lacks in life it makes up for in underwater formations. The sea bed here has been created by centuries of volcanic eruptions, which have given rise to interesting rock formations incorporating walls, drop-offs, crevices and many caverns for divers to explore. Two of the best dive sites on the trip take advantage of these caverns, providing an interesting and safe introduction to cavern diving.

The most famous of these is Bubble Cave, so-called because of the bubbles which divers send through the porous rock while travelling up through the reef wall. Descend by the rocky reef wall and you will spots lots of amphorae before you reach the cavern entrance at 18m.

Here you are likely to bump into wrasse, sponges and small parrotfish before you enter the cavern itself, which is encrusted with coral and sponges. You make your way up to 6m, where surface light invites you to exit a metre-wide hole. Go through and you will find yourself at the reef wall again, where champagne-like bubbles, created by you just minutes before, pop through the rock.

Gates Wall has to be the best of the two cavern dives, and Dive Gulet claims to be the only dive operation that visits it. This dive was so popular with the guests on our trip that the excellent dive guides (one Turkish and one English) arranged an extra dive there. Gates Wall is a cavern covered with red and yellow sponges, with arches and swim-throughs everywhere you turn, like an underwater cathedral. The cavern begins at 9m and ends at 20m, and has so much light penetration that it makes an excellent dive for the cavern novice.

For larger marine life head to Big Reef, where you will find barracuda, jacks, tuna and the odd grouper which patrol this wide reef pillar. It is an exposed site near Bodrum harbour, which sometimes has a slight current. Although you can dive to 33m here, it is best to stick around 15m and look to the blue for the big stuff. As far as marine life goes, night-time sees the liveliest action, when octopus and cuttlefish and other reef-dwelling creatures are out and about.
At most sites there are pieces of broken amphorae, which are testament to the maritime trading in the Mediterranean, which dates back thousands of years to when ancient traders used the containers to carry olive oil, wine, almonds and barley. In order to preserve the ancient artefacts, a registered dive guide must accompany divers and certain areas remain off limits.

What’s the boat like?
Gulets are traditional Turkish wooden yachts, originally used as trading vessels. Today they are seen all over Bodrum harbour ferrying sun-loving tourists around the small islands scattered along Bodrum’s coast. Dive Gulet offers comfortable accommodation for 14 guests, with good-size cabins and en-suite bathrooms. The deck area is very spacious and allows you time to escape for a quick snooze in the sun without interruption during surface intervals. The crew are very helpful and friendly and the food is tasty and varied.

What do you do when not diving?
The boat often moors up in the early evening, which gives you the opportunity to swim in the refreshing pools fed by freshwater springs, as well as explore some of the rural seaside areas. On the last day of the trip you have a chance to visit the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology inside Bodrum Castle. The museum provides an excellent insight into the maritime history of the area, including the Greek and Roman trade here. If you like shopping, there are plenty of ‘cheap’ designer labels in the markets. But if you’re not a fan of getting hassled by persistent salesman, then you could escape to a Turkish bath or relax back on deck with a cup of apple tea.

And the verdict is…
Those looking for full-on, action-packed, marine life-filled diving need not apply. The boat trip is for newly qualified divers and those who wish to chill out in current-free waters in good visibility. The dive guides are very professional, safety conscious and friendly. The trip is excellent value for money and a great week’s holiday in the Mediterranean – one that is also open to non-diving partners.

The only real downside is the loud music on the first and last nights from the clubs in Bodrum harbour – it seems that the local nightclubs fight to be the loudest music-blasters in the area, so either bring your earplugs or your dancing shoes!

How do I find out more?
Neilson only operates Dive Gulet between May and October, when fish life is at its best and the weather and water are warmest (about 22ºC). A seven-night trip based on two sharing costs £529 per person, which includes flights with Thomas Cook Airlines, transfers, tanks, weights, food, soft drinks, local beer and wine. Flights are from London Gatwick and Manchester (with a £20 supplement). Extra dives, kit hire and a range of courses are available at extra cost. For more information call DIVEChannel.co.uk on 0870 880 2848