Diving while stationed in Incirlik Turkey?

[MrChen]

My cousin will be doing a 1 year tour in Turkey. He's really interested in diving while there. He'll be arriving this winter.

Some questions, hoping someone has experience as a service member or works in the area:

• Are any SB members active divers in the area?
• Have any SB members previously been stationed there and were active divers?
  • If so, how did you find others to dive with?
  • Are there any active clubs?
• Are there programs to expand certification on base?
• When is the best time of year to visit the area? I'm in Florida, so I prefer warm water
• Are service members able to leave base to go diving or does it have to be a sponsored trip with base services?
• From Adana, is it best to go to west to Mersin or directly south to Karatas, or somewhere else?
• At some point next Spring or Summer, I'll probably fly out in the area to visit for a week or 2 of diving, do you recommend diving in this area or meeting up somewhere else in the area?
  • If elsewhere, where?

 

[runsongas]

fly to egypt

 

[VsubT]

Agreed, direct flights to Sharm are easy from that area. Tons of options there.

Lance

 

[MrChen]

Cool, that gives us a vacation idea. Any ideas what diving will be like for him from Incirlik?

 

[sdeachoe]

From the Outdoor Rec website.

Outdoor Recreation: a break from the mundane

Good luck

 

[MrChen]

From the Outdoor Rec website.

Outdoor Recreation: a break from the mundane

Good luck

I've looked at several pages from the air base and the services squadron. Unfortunately, everything seems dated, even the FB page. It probably has to do with the constant turnover of a short tour assignment. I did tell my cousin, if there isn't a group of divers, he might have to be proactive. I suggested he reach out to someone in the services squadron for help organizing trips, training, and access to gear. I believe there's Navy personnel there too.