Although it cannot be compared with destinations like the Red Sea or the Caribbean in terms of marine flora and fauna, Turkish waters offer other opporunities to be discovered and attract divers from all over the world. The diving clubs and travel agencies which offer specialized diving trips increase in number and the quality of the services offered increase also. The most outstanding feature of the Turkey's seas is the remains of past civilizations. Hundreds of underwater wrecks lie on the bottom, waiting to be discovered and explored. For example, world's oldest known shipwreck, which dates back from the 14th century B.C., lies off Uluburun, near the town of Kas.
Turkish waters are also home to a large number of wrecks from recent times.
The Gallipoli campaign during the WW1 left many wrecks in the Straits of Dardanelles and around the Gallipoli peninsula. Diving to these wrecks of the French and British WW1 destroyers and cruisers is an unforgettable experience and provides fascinating material for underwater photographers. There are also numerous wrecks of aircraft shot down in Turkish waters during WW2, the most famous one being the Italian fighter plane in Kas. Bosphorus also offers a large numbers of diveable wrecks but this needs advanced training because of the dangerously high currents of the straits. As far as cave diving is concerned, Turkey offers a lot of potential.