Kekova: Turkey's Sunken City and Premier Sailing Destination

Dear Sea Lovers

With very little time left until the opening of the summer season, we have entered the days when we start preparing our boats or doing our research if we are going to rent.

We would like to introduce or remind you of the KEKOVA Region, one of the well-known areas of our country for marine tourism.

This magnificent location within our Antalya Region is a place with few examples in the world for marine tourism in terms of its history, natural beauty, sheltered nature, and climate.

In KEKOVA, where a mild climate prevails even during winter months, the middle of summer season passes quite hot.

For this reason, in our navigation recommendations, we suggest the beginning of the season for the KEKOVA region.

It is a region where we can truly spend beautiful days with its climate and tranquility.

In the middle of summer months, with the increase in day trips, you can benefit from very few of the 11 coves we guide within our system.

But at the beginning and end of the season, from all of them.

There are historical wrecks on land and underwater in many coves, especially in Kaleköy.

Just as it has very sheltered coves, there are also locations we can use for day trips.

You can access information and images of all these bays at:

https://www.coastguidetr.com/tr/korfez/1102/kekova-antalya-korfezi-arasi

page.

The only provisioning center in the region is Üçağız. 

You can easily anchor off Üçağız and meet your needs from here.

A perfect place with its charming streets, colorful restaurants, and historical ruins between the alleys.

Previously, the wooden piers in front of the restaurants have been replaced with a Marina-style structure.

Although it seems appropriate in terms of security and transfers, aesthetically it doesn't suit this village at all, appearing as a technical structure contrary to its authentic atmosphere.

In our opinion, such a facility should not have been placed in front of the village.

As a sailor who constantly cruises and provisions along all Turkish coasts, I can say that the large market located here is the most comprehensive and most affordable market serving sailors.

We hope it doesn't change this policy over time.

While doing our KEKOVA shoots, we also spoke with people living in the region and providing tourism services, and received contributions to the promotion of the region.

We wanted to tell KEKOVA from their eyes and their words as well.

First, we decided to talk with Hasan Yazır, who has been running a restaurant in Üçağız for years.

Hasan opened this restaurant after working as a professional captain for many years. 

He contributes to tourism with the warmth of a family business along with his wife and children.

HASAN YAZIR

“I am 56 years old. I am born and raised here. I graduated from Akdeniz University Tourism Department. I worked as a captain for many years. 

Since the age of 35, I have been running the restaurant, which we own, together with my wife.

Our profession is very beautiful. We meet new people. 

This is the greatest wealth.

Our daughters also help us during school holidays and learn languages.

Years ago, there were wooden piers in front of our restaurants and sailing yachts would berth. Those were very beautiful days. Warmer, more sincere days.

Later, since this is a Conservation area, the Minister of Culture and Tourism at the time, Ertuğrul Günay, had the wooden piers demolished and had this Marina you see built.

Time has shown whether what was built was right, whether this common area is well-maintained.

Boats doing daily and weekly tours carry out their transfers from here. 

Transfers are made here by road from a very wide geography.

Road transportation here is almost nonexistent.

Üçağız has become very crowded with boats doing daily tours. 

This also drove the sailors away.

The bays are the same bays but years ago they were more beautiful, cleaner. 

I don't think commercial boats make enough money here. The pie is divided too much.

Now everything is in the hands of tourism companies.

If boaters established a cooperative, it would be more economical for the user, more profitable for the operator.

Maritime rules in the bays have been pushed aside by the crowds. We also witness people calling each other “Shepherd” over the radio.

The fact that noise regulations on land do not apply at sea, and the broadcasting of noise as music is very distressing.”

During boat transfer hours, the land minibuses and the Marina are overflowing with crowds. 

One wishes “it had been built somewhere else.”

We are talking with a captain preparing for his tour at the pier. Where do you take your guests, what do you do? 

He wants to be addressed as “Rambo.”

Well, what can we say, tell us Rambo.

RAMAZAN ALİÇAVUŞOĞLU(RAMBO)

I'm a local here. You can find 40 people with my name here, but when you say Rambo, they'll point to only me.

In Kekova Gulf, the season from May to October is very good.

In winter, we haul our boats to the boatyard here with a 200-boat capacity.

Tours to the bays depart from Çayağzı and Üçağız. There are different routes.

Boat customers are few. There was a lot of effort to become a cooperative but it was not successful.

This was also somewhat achieved with customer demand.

The busy period is two months. Other than that, it is calm.

Now we are trying to go out to sea more consciously.”

The problem of unnecessary surplus of daily tour boats is, in our opinion, a bleeding wound of all our coastal towns.

Machinery-equipment, timber... 

The occupation of mooring places. Those beautiful boats waiting, standing idle and requiring maintenance every year.

If we think that KEKOVA Bays can only be explored by boats, we would be mistaken. 

A business based in Kaş also operates canoe tours in KEKOVA Bays.

As we said, the climate and sea are very favorable. If we say both sport and excursion, the option is ready.

We asked young guide Oğuzhan about Sea Kayak KEKOVA Tours.

OĞUZHAN DURMUŞ

“I am from Zonguldak, I am 26 years old. I have been doing sea kayaking since I was 15.

We organize tours because there are historical sites and a sunken city in this region.

There are very sheltered bays.

Our classic tour takes 3 hours. The long tour is 6 hours. 

During these tours we also provide meals in Kaleköy or continue with packed lunch provisions.

We provide service all year round but the busy period starts in mid-April.

Our customers were British and French but they decreased. Turkish customers have gradually increased but unfortunately the mentality difference cannot be overcome.

They look at this beautiful activity with the mentality of “Am I going to paddle in the heat and pay money on top of it?”

But it started to increase gradually.

For example, the Turkish group participating in today's tour will explore all Kekova Coves by paddle with a 3-day package.

Our sea, our history, our coves are this beautiful. 

Very different and superior compared to other foreign countries. If only we knew their value.”

 Yes, "If Only We Knew Their Value" is the headline. 

We experience different adventures in this region during our various visits. 

Unfortunately, it is not possible to enter some coves during tour boats' operating hours. Even if you enter, there is no peaceful anchorage.

The most well-known of KEKOVA Coves is Kalekoy.

Its castle on the hill, charming small houses, waterfront restaurants, narrow steep streets and wooden piers.

If you plan to anchor in front of the village without mooring to the piers, you need to be very careful.

Sudden downpours that occur out of nowhere can put your anchor in a difficult situation. 

Similarly, winds blowing from the beam while tied to the piers can cause discomfort.

When you climb up the steep and narrow streets from the shore to the castle above, all of Kekova spreads beneath your feet.

Protected area prohibition implementations are a problem that the people of this region frequently face. It is forbidden to hammer a nail in the village.

The restoration of the castle has been completed.

We are going to a charming establishment on a pier. 

We are talking with the owner while looking down from a bird's eye view.

HASAN TAKIR

“I was born and raised here, I am in heaven. 

Our Kalekoy is not under restoration but is being preserved.

Over time, our customer base shifted from foreigners to locals.

Boats moor at our pier but this location is not very safe. 

We still continue to have problems with living and education. 

Because it is a protected area, not even a nail can be hammered in the region.

There is no school. Our children go to Ucagiz by boat in all weather conditions, and from there to Demre. They return home after school.

Imagine the situation of a 7-year-old first-grader in rain and storm. This suffering.

Our fort was restored and turned out very beautiful.

Except for the heat in June, July and August, I can say we are in heaven.”

Yes, “Heaven”.

GOKKAYA HARBOR comes first among the sheltered coves in the region.

https://www.coastguidetr.com/tr/koy/110217/gokkaya-limani

You wouldn't be disturbed even if you stayed at anchor 365 days. The nearby BUZAĞLIK and ÇAMLIK bays are a refuge for those who prefer solitude.

https://www.coastguidetr.com/tr/koy/110220/buzaglik-koyu

https://www.coastguidetr.com/tr/koy/110219/camlik-koyu

Among the bays of the region facing the open sea, KARALOZ is like a pirate hideout. 

https://www.coastguidetr.com/tr/koy/110218/karaloz-koyu

The only bay with a pier in the region is SIÇAK KOYU.

https://www.coastguidetr.com/tr/koy/110210/sicak-koyu

It is located on the western side of the gulf and backs onto historical areas.

You can access information about the historical areas from our website.

When our bow was set towards SIÇAK KOYU, we wanted to speak with the owner of the only restaurant in the bays.

What does he do, how does he live, how do his eyes see this place?

RAMAZAN KAPLAN

“I was born here in 1956. 

First, I worked as a shepherd for many years. We would go up 110 kilometers away, to altitudes of 1,900 meters. They were freezing places. Eventually, there was no place left there, the highlands became apple orchards.

I finished shepherding and came here to do tourism 30 years ago. We are still operating.

I became famous for my chips and salad, our customers are very satisfied.

My pricing policy is very reasonable.

My pier has a depth of 3 meters and docking is free. I bring water by tanker for those who want it.

First I lost my son to a heart condition, then my wife to cancer, my daughters got married and now I live alone. 

Here I am experiencing toilet and water problems due to the Protected Area regulations.

Customers don't come to places without water. We can't dig wells, we can't place tanks. They complain, the municipality writes fines.

We have no electricity. We are trying to solve this issue with solar energy but this is also very limited. 

We have 34 panels, 16 batteries but they barely suffice for refrigeration. 

When the sun is gone, the electricity is gone too.

We get our supplies from Üçağız. Similarly, I buy water from there for money and bring it here.

20 years ago Kekova was a poor place. There was no water or electricity. First Demirel brought water, then Özal brought electricity.

Tourism started to develop.

Over time, natural life here died a bit. 

Users don't keep the bay clean.

Commercial boats operating tours in the bay are divided into three or four groups, they apply different pricing policies. 

They can't maintain balance.

Our people are affectionate.  

We have 2 nice markets, one is very large.

Water is the biggest problem of this region. It comes from a distance of 110 km to Üçağız through pipes and is insufficient.

They burst the water coming from the mountain in agricultural lands along the road. The state could not prevent this. 

The beautiful water of the highland becomes like poison by the time it reaches here. The pipes must definitely be changed, expanded, and the water coming from Gönbe must come directly here.

There is a fishing ban for normal fishermen in our seas but not for spearfishers.

Fish have decreased. Spearfishers catch fish day and night and sell fish to Antalya restaurants.

They evade the coast guard. 

We must definitely protect our seas.”

Indeed so. Speaking of protecting our seas and bays. We want to convey to you an incident we encountered in the region.

We were anchored at night in Gökkaya Harbor area. There was an important football match the same night. 

Match commentaries were echoing from scattered boats into the darkness of night, and the voices rose even higher during goals.

After a certain time, the match must have ended because flares started being fired with enthusiasm from a gulet.

We suppose the retirement of expired flares coincided with the excitement of the match.

Very dangerous scenes. The sky lights up from time to time. Colored flares sometimes fall into the sea, sometimes extinguish over the forest and start threatening some boats.

We are in astonishment.

It is impossible to measure the degree of recklessness.

If we intervene, we don't know what we will face.

While we were thinking about what to do. Suddenly we saw the Coast Guard boat approaching our vessel in the darkness without lights.

Suddenly they turned on their spotlights at that moment and came alongside us swiftly.

Silence, silence.

All vessels understood that we were not alone in these calm, deserted coves, and we proudly witnessed the Coast Guard's sensitivity and intervention.

The next day we set course for Üçağız and visited the Coast Guard station one by one to convey our thanks and congratulations.

Yes, the season is approaching.

There is a KEKOVA over there. 

Fair winds.