Alanya dive sites
The dive sites of Alanya
The limestone peninsula that carries Alanya Castle does not stop at the waterline. Below it the rock continues as reefs, boulders, short walls, cave mouths and overhangs — and near the harbour, ancient jars rest on the seabed. This is where the boat takes you, and how it decides.
How a site is chosen
Each morning the dive team reads the weather, the swell and the visibility, looks at who is on the boat — first-timers, certified divers, a mix — and picks the site that suits the group and the sea. A site is never guaranteed on a particular day. That is not a hedge; it is how safe diving on a real coast works.
The terrain
Alanya sits on a massive limestone promontory, and limestone is the sea's favourite raw material. Groundwater dissolves it from within while waves work it from without, and the result underwater is classic Alanya: rocky reefs and tumbled boulders, short walls and cracked ledges, cave mouths that appear as dark doorways in the pale rock, overhangs where the rock leans out above open water, and swim-throughs for those trained to use them. Light is the great performer — on a bright day sunbeams rake across the openings and the entrance chambers become rooms of shifting blue.
What lives here
Bream and wrasse over the reef, moray eels in the crevices, octopus in the holes, grouper holding territory around the rocks — and on some days a sea turtle over the seabed. We say often seen, never guaranteed: the sea signs no contracts. The coast also carries a Mediterranean monk-seal heritage; sightings are extremely rare, the species is critically endangered, and a cave showing signs of seal use is left alone.
For beginners, for certified divers
Beginners see the reefs, the rock formations and the cave mouths from open water, within the 13 m ceiling and beside an instructor. Certified divers dive the deeper reef profiles — around 30 m on standard dives — the overhangs, ledges and swim-throughs, matched to their certification and experience. Cave penetration is never part of a beginner dive and only for suitably trained certified divers by agreement with the team.
What is not here
Wrecks. This coast's wrecks — the Paris II freighter and the DO-28 aircraft — lie off Kemer and Antalya, hours to the west, and we do not sell wreck dives from Alanya. Night diving is not offered. Anyone promising you either on an Alanya day trip is promising something else.
Choose your dive: the beginner dive sees this coast from open water beside an instructor; the certified experience dives its real profiles.
The reefs off Cleopatra Beach
Rocky reef, boulders and ledges in the waters beneath the castle: the coast's home site.
Read more →The caves and overhangs beneath Alanya Castle
Cave mouths, overhangs and swim-throughs — seen from outside by beginners, dived by certified divers.
Read more →The amphora site near Alanya harbour
Ancient jars on the seabed near the harbour, and the octopus and grouper that live among them.
Read more →Dive sites for beginners
Sheltered reef within the beginner ceiling, cave mouths from outside, the amphora site — where first dives happen.
Read more →Dive sites for certified divers
Deeper reef, overhangs, ledges and swim-throughs beneath the castle; the deep sites for the qualified.
Read more →FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can I request a specific site?
You can tell us what you would like and the team will try. The final choice is made on the day from the conditions and the group.
Are the caves dangerous?
Seen from the outside, in open water, they are part of a normal dive. Going inside — beyond the daylight zone — is an overhead environment that needs specific training, and it is never part of a beginner or standard certified dive with us.
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Alanya Diving
Ready to see Alanya from below?
Beginner diving 45 € · certified divers 75 € · pay on the day · free cancellation up to 24 hours before.