SUNKEN ships discovered in the seas surrounding Anatolia should be open to tourism to improve diving tourism in the country, according to the Turkish Foundation for Underwater Archaeology (TINA) President Oğuz Aydemir. 

Aydemir thinks sunken ships cannot be protected, while Turkish Underwater Sports Federation President İnkılap Obruk claims Turkey would rival the Red Sea if sunken ships were open to diving tourism. 

Turkey drew attention from the world when the 3,400-year-old Uluburun ship was found in 1984. The sunken ship and remnants discovered within it are currently being displayed at the Bodrum Underwater Archaeology Museum.

An Uluburun replica, which was constructed in 40 days, is one of the most popular diving places in Kaş’s Limanağzı area. It is difficult to protect the hundreds of sunken ships and ancient cities.

The areas around the sunken ships are forbidden for divers since the cost of underwater excavations and conservation process is too high and because of safety concerns for treasure hunters. 

Aydemir, the head of TINA, which supports a project of Dokuz Eylül University on Turkey’s sunken ships inventory, said scientific work revealed that Turkey was the number one in the world in terms of underwater richness. 

He said Turkey’s underwater archaeology had great potential to serve the country’s cultural tourism, noting that the regions around sunken ships were forbidden zones for diving activities, but the measures were insufficient in protecting sunken richness. 

“It not possible to guard these sunken ships all of the time. Unfortunately, illegal diving cannot be prevented. There are many countries in the world that open their sunken ships to tourism providing their protection,” he said.