24 July 2018•Update: 25 July 2018
By Omer Hakan Kibar
ANKARA
People from all over the world are coming to Turkey to enjoy some of the world's best free-diving centers and unique underwater activities.
Turkey has become a leading nation of sea tourism after it established state-of-the-art scuba diving centers and hundreds of diving facilities in recent years.
There are 254 diving centers in the country, which offer water sports to both tourists and locals. The Mediterranean Sea region alone has 83 diving centers.
Kas, Kemer, Canakkale, Fethiye, Ayvalık, Antalya, Mersin and Bodrum are the most popular diving spots. Besides the diving centers, interest in Van Lake is also increasing day by day.
The country's underwater sports federation TSSF President Sahin Ozen told Anadolu Agency diving centers were playing an important role in boosting tourism.
"In the summer, tourists, diving enthusiasts and many people from different parts of the world come here... to see our diving centers and the colorful underwater habitats. The interest grows every year," he said.
Ozen added: "We have 254 active diving centers at our seaside and inland waters, with hundreds of hard-working diving instructors and guides. Our diving instructors are very experienced and safe for dive training and international experience."
Turkey has also opened its diving services to the disabled with 52 trained instructors, Ozen added.
The Kas underwater activities center, established by the World Confederation of Underwater Activities (CMAS) and Turkish Underwater Sports Federation (TSSF) jointly, is considered as one of the best in the world.
Ozen said Kas is a very popular destination for fans of underwater activities. "Kas is the best free diving center in the world because of its hosting of the international free diving championship. In 2018, athletes from 20 countries made reservations to compete in our center.
"For the first time in the world we have hosted European and world free diving champions; the emergency response system for the safety of diving athletes has been highly praised by CMAS and other country's federations. In deep dives, in case of emergencies, we have a system which is able to quickly raise the athletes by 1.5 meters through an emergency response button; we also have a special camera and guide cable system. We export this system to the world."
