Saroz – Çanakkale – Turkey
We are living on a peninsula surrounded by 3 different seas, curious about the world underneath the blue surface color…You want to have a hobby which combines science, adventure, aesthetic, and sport in this day and age…
Turkey offers a diverse range of diving experiences. Argos Diving Club, based in Saroz, is located just a few minutes away from Çanakkale’s premier dive site, the wrecks of Gelibolu.
The decision to come to and dive is an easy one but who to choose to dive with may not be so straight forward. When making this decision, please consider WHY Argos Diving Club should be your first choice.
Apart from the history, where divers used very primitive equipment, and masks made out of children’s buckets, today’s most scuba diving centers is equipped with a top diving technology that allows you to enjoy your underwater explorations to the maximum. Argos Diving Club offers you a well designed curriculum, which will make you a diver in just a few days!
Our scuba classes consists of theory lessons (the fundamental elements of diving and basic safety rules), and practical dives in the shallow sea accompanied by friendly, and professional instructors.
Students who successfully finish their training program will receive CMAS International Diving Certificate and a CMAS Membership Card that will allow them to dive all over the world, and open a new door to further scuba adventures. Furthermore, this certification is a basic requirement for other dive shops that offer air filling for tanks. Those, who find a new passion in scuba diving, are encouraged by our center to take further qualifications, where reefs, walls, wrecks, and night dives are just appetizers on the Blue Planet’s menu.
Everyone is welcome to come and dive with us. You must be 14+ years to dive, and we strongly recommend that you have a medical check-up (heart, lungs, teeth and ears) before diving. We can organize travel for the individuals or large groups to any destination you require at competitive rates.
Since 1995, Argos Diving Club has been growing not only in size, but also in experience. Frequent diving trips are organized to many diving locations of Turkey, such as Saroz Gulf, Çanakkale, Gelibolu, Dardanelles, Ayvalık, Çeşme, Bodrum, Kaş, and Kıyıköy (the Black Sea). Furthermore, we are using the latest technology (GPS and Sonar) to do a further underwater research, and make every dive a limitless opportunity to explore the undiscovered!
If you are a non-diver, you can still enjoy your time on the beach, or snorkel around in the shallow waters. Argos Diving Club is here to help you make your experience a real holiday! There is no need to bring anything with you, because we provide it all. From tents, sleeping bags, mats to full diving equipment, and food. You just lay back, relax and let us do the rest for you.
Other equipment used
4.30 m long zodiac boat
quality diving equipment
friendly, and professional instructors
first aid kit and oxygen set onside
Argos minibus for transportation
2 compressors to fill up the tanks
That’s why us & we are different, we’ve dived and experienced the sea, and we care about our clients. We can organize travel for the individuals or large groups to any destination you require at competitive rates. At the end of April, when the temperatures are warm enough for diving, Argos Diving Club opens its season for customers. There are several locations around the Saroz Gulf suitable for camping and diving purposes.
In the past, Argos Diving Club traveled to various destinations every weekend, such as Gökçetepe (a nice camping area with a nearby pine forest, just a few steps away from the beach), and Gökçeada (a nature paradise island). At last, Argos has found the perfect place for its customers who enjoy nights under the open sky, with an unforgettable view of the moon, the sea, and the mountains: the beach of Uzunkum. Since last year, we have made Uzunkum our fixed camp base… our home.
You don’t need to be a diver to join us in our camp. Our facilities are open to everyone. Put on your shoes, and go hiking on the rocky hills and smell the pines. Put your swimsuit on, and get some tan, or refresh yourself at the sea!
COURSES
Safety is a number one priority in Argos Diving Center. We provide safe and professional training. Since our inauguration in 1995, we have trained nearly 400 CMAS 1* OWD, 75 CMAS 2* OWD, 37 CMAS 3* OWD and 23 CMAS 1*&2** Diving Instructors.
Our training consists of 2 parts. In the first one, students will learn the fundamental elements of diving and basic safety rules (trainee gets his/her training book and CD’s and 8 hours of lessons with the help of CD’s and Dia show). Second part consists of 2 days of practice, which include 3 knowledge development dives and 2 open water dives (total of 5 dives). After finishing the training successfully, the trainees becomes a qualified CMAS 1* Diver.
What is C.M.A.S. ?
In 1959, delegates of 15 different countries formed Confederation Mondiale des Activites Subaquatiques (The World Confederation of Sub aquatic Activities) in Monaco under the direction of famous Marine Biologist Jean-Jacques Cousteau. CMAS today is found in 178 countries worldwide, registered millions of member divers, and thousands of diving schools. It is the world’s leading Diver Training Organization that is known for active help in scientific, sportive, technical and medical fields.
C.M.A.S diver and diving instructor training system is a step-by-step learning system where you advance yourself from the easiest level to the professional and master degree. All the training steps consist of different theoretical and practical information gains. The aim of the training is to gain all necessary knowledge and skills and to reach the required standards.
OUR FAVORITE DESTINATIONS
Argos Diving Club is an expert in diving sites that the Northern part of Aegean Sea has to offer. From Saroz Bay to Çanakkale, Gelibolu, Gökçeada or Ayvalık, it offers the best that is to see in the depths of local waters. Thanks to rich historical events that took place here in the past, Argos Diving Club has named this place “The Graveyard of the Aegean”. A variety of shipwrecks and artifacts to be seen are only a proof that this nickname is deserved.
Argos Diving Club uses zodiacs and a new dive boat called “3 SEAS” as a mean of transportation to the more distant places. Every dive we make is an experience itself, and everyone is welcome to join us aboard!
There are plenty of other locations we like to visit during the summer, such as Kale Koyu-Asker Taşı (reef), Uzunkum-Toplar Burnu (wall), Ibrice, Gökçetepe (reef), Kömür Limanı (wall), Minnoş Kayalıkları (reef), Despot (wall), Bebek Kayalıkları (reef), Çeşme, Bodrum, and Kıyıköy (practice of a hard-hat method of diving). Besides the Aegean Sea, Argos Diving Club also organizes diving trips to further locations in the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea or the Black Sea.
SAROZ BAY
North Aegean Sea
Latitude (DMS): 40° 30′ 0 N
Longitude (DMS): 26° 19′ 60 E
Asker Taşı (Soldier Stone)
Asker Taşı is situated at Uzunkum region which is just a few hundred meters away from Cape Toplar. The reef is 1 mile out in the sea and has a diameter of approximately 250 meters. The upper part starts about 12 meters under the water and finishes off at 33 meters. The rocky formation mirrors the richness of Saroz. The tens of varieties of nudibranches close to 15 cm, and European lobsters increase in number in September.
Cape Toplar
It is the only place in the west of Ibrice harbor that provides opportunities for deep diving. There is the possibility of finding many coves covered with multicolored sponges which are home to the moray eel, conger eel (Conger conger), several species of scorpion fish and octopuses. You will especially see the crawfish during your deep wall dives which will inspect you with curious eyes. Cape Toplar can provide you with a diving opportunity of up to 50 meters and is besieged in the summertime by strong afternoon winds. Thus I advise you to make the first deep dive of the day at this point. May I also suggest a night dive for the experienced divers and photographers.
Ibrice Harbor
This is a harbor hidden between the steep rocks that descend into the sea. You can drive up to the beach and make any kind of dive you desire. Those who come here to dive generally stay at the hotels in Keşan or camp out. You can enter the sea either from the place where the lighthouse is or from the beach next to it. The magnificent underwater colors and living forms await you at 3 meters. These waters that will give you a different excitement in each season also provides an opportunity for deep diving because they reach 45 meters.
Üç Adalar (Three Islands)
Three Islands consists of one large and two small islands. This is the place to go diving when there is a strong wind at the other diving pints at Ibrice inlet or Güneyli harbour. The secluded spots of the island provide a good place for trainees and experienced divers. You may encounter many broken amphora at the south end point of the big island. It is also possible that you may see many varieties of fish like locust lobster (Scyllarides latus), blotched pickerel (Spiarca maena) and salpa (Sarpa salpa) among the rocks covered with multicolored sponges while the dentex accompany you. The other islands, besides the big island, are not of much interest for scuba divers.
Minnoş Island
This magnificent rock rises 15 meters above the surface of the sea and will take you from the first meters into a world of orange colored hard corals. Do not exceed the maximum depth of 40 meters by getting enraptured in this beautiful world that continues into very deep waters. You can make a complete tour of the island during your dive. If you are very lucky the dolphins and sea turtles that escape from the fishing nets in the open waters of the island will come. You can encounter the large spotted dogfish (Scyiorhinus stellaris), angler fish (Lophius piscatorius) or large skates where the rocks finish and the sand starts.
Bebek (Baby) Rocks
They are the last magnificent rocks to see before the Saroz bay joins the Aegean Sea. Divers experienced in currents will enjoy the variety of colors and life forms. The rocks that rise a few meters from the surface of the sea continue hundreds of meters below. They are home to at least 6 separate diving spots and are the place where the crustaceans change their shells in the month of April. After 12 meters, the coves of these colorful rocks are home to moray eels. You will experience the thrill of your life as you go deeper when a dolphin, angler fish or a large spotted dogfish appears suddenly in front of your eyes. Who knows you may even encounter a huge sea turtle. It is a paradise for macro photographs even though it is a region where one has to use a wide angle lenses. If you have not dived at these rocks that means you have not dived in Saroz.
All text taken from a book “Diving Guide Of Turkey” written by Mr. Fehmi Şenok. For more information on the author, his books and other diving locations, please, visit his website at Diving Guide Of Turkey
ÇANAKKALE (The Dardanelles)
NORTH AEGEAN SEA
Latitude (DMS): 40° 17′ 60″ N
Longitude (DMS): 26° 15′ 0″ E
The Wreck of Lundy
Make Lundy your first experience if you never dove to a sunken ship before. The 1908 model 188 ton wreck is located at Suvla bay (between Cape Büyük Kemikli and Cape Küçük Kemikli). According to sources, the British decided to withdraw from Arıburnu and Suvla bay on December 7th, leaving behind many equipment of war. This was after the French and Russians supported the decision to withdraw suggested by Lord Kitchener to the British Council of Ministers. They sunk 5 large ships and over 60 transport boats in the region between Suvla bay and Arıburnu. This ship which is thought to have had a 12 member crew, has been our guest for the past 84 years and is host to our underwater history in the region. You can see the silhouette of the boat at 13 meters and tour the deck of the boat and the conning bridge at 18 meters. It sits at 28-30 meters and still possesses its propeller.
Refinery Ship
This is the second spot generally frequented because it is situated inside the Suvla bay and is not affected by strong weathers. The ship is still in possession of its broiler that was used to distil pure water from seawater for the soldiers during wartime. This ship that fought for many years is now buried in the sand at 14 meters depth.
Cape Küçük Kemikli
Cape Küçük Kemikli with its endless sandy beaches is an ideal spot for the training of beginner divers. This long beach of approximately 7 kilometers is protected with all its natural characters. The beach which is always quiet except on weekends when campers and divers arrive is also the place where the Anzacs landed. There are many monumental cemeteries on these lands that survived through two big wars such as Büyük Anafartalar and Küçük Anafartalar. The two picturesque villages that gave their names to these wars provide interesting photographs with their village houses and coffee houses. During the landing of the Anzacs and British soldiers in the past, the location buoys they threw over were dragged towards the mountainous regions instead of the valleys by the strong currents, making them land in the wrong place. This strong current has lost nothing of its power. You will encounter magnificent rocky areas during dives. The underwater structure resembles that of Cape Büyük Kemikli and is a beautiful spot with crawfish, groupers, two banded sea breams and a colorful underwater life.
British and Anzacs Boats
Hundreds of boats had been used during the sea and land landings. Most of these can be found on the beaches at Arıburnu and Küçük Kemikli. You can see many examples on the beach and also 3-5 meters under the sea between Arıburnu and Suvla bay where the British and Anzacs soldiers landed. The two largest of the group are the most important points for diving today. These two landing boats lie on the sand close to Kabatepe harbour. They are positioned in the open seas of Arıburnu at 42 meters and inside Suvla Bay at 27 meters and can be noticed from the first meters by their dark shadows. The upper rails of the wreck covered with large peacock worms and purple colored sponges are like a grill. Conger eels and prawns are frequently encountered creatures.
Majestic
The majestic was built in 1895 and was the oldest warship of the British. Winston Churchill, while planning the Gallipoli War, had declared that the ship was too old to be used. The other high ranked authorities, thinking that the Dardanelles and Istanbul would be easily captured, incorporated the ship into the fleet regardless of the warnings. Diving to this ship which took part in the sea landing of March 18th is altogether another experience. When you see a black and white photograph of this ship at the museum, your excitement will be twice fold. The wreck is situated at Morto Bay close to Seddülbahir, which is the exact end point of the Dardanelles Strait. This 1895 model British ship was sunk by a torpedo from U-21 German submarine. The ship with a length of 119 meters weighed 14.900 tons and sunk with a crew of 757 on the coasts of Çanakkale. The silhouette of the ship appears at 15 meters. The underwater fauna around the sill active bombs, the turning base of the ship’s cannon, the chimneys and the observation tower that lies sideways is of great interest especially for the photographers.
Landing Boats
These boats are situated under the Seddülbahir lighthouse just after the bay of Morto outside the Dardanelles strait. Two landing boats lie next to each other on the sand at close to 30 meters of depth. Troll boats which are generally used for whale hunting, served during the war for mine searchers and land attacks. There are schools of two banded sea breams inside the ship and you can encounter the angler fish, large spotted dogfish and skates at the sandy areas close by.
German Torpedo Ship
At the time, the British war ships Inflexible and Irresistible were cannoning the Зanakkale coasts during First World War, the Germans, as allies of the Ottoman Empire had their headquarters at the place where Çimenlik fortress is situated. One of the bombs that was thrown, fell close to the German headquarters. The soldiers were immediately evacuated from their barracks into the torpedo ship that was anchored on the coast and tried to escape through the strait. However, one of the bombshells from the Irresistible ended the life of the German ship on March 18th, 1915. The ship with a crew of 1315 sunk just outside the present yacht marina in Зanakkale. It is situated at 16 meters right in the middle of the Dardanelles strait where the sea traffic is the heaviest.
All text taken from a book “Diving Guide Of Turkey” written by Mr. Fehmi Şenok. For more information on the author, his books and other diving locations, please, visit his website at Diving Guide Of Turkey.
MORE INFO
These scripts and photographs are registered under © Copyright 2006, Argos Diving Club / Saroz – Çanakkale – Turkey. All Rights Reserved.
Posted by Robert Harrison 
Posted by Robert Harrison 
Posted by Robert Harrison 
