Months ago, around the time I got my scuba diving certification in Australia, I saw a picture on-line that captured my attention:

(photo by Rico Besserdich)

It was just a photo with no link, so I had to do some Googling to find out where in the world this underwater plane was located. And lucky me — it happened to be in a country I planned to visit later that year. While the rest of my Turkey itinerary had yet to take shape, I knew that the seaside town of Kas would make the cut.

Fast forward to December… I’m making my way down the Turkish coast, and Kas is my next stop. The only issue is that during the off-season it’s harder to find dive operators, and I need someone to take me to this plane. I contact a few shops in advance over email and find exactly ONE dive company — Natura Blue — still operating. The owner, Yusuf, graciously agrees to take me out for a dive on the afternoon I arrive.

The multi-hour journey from Fethiye to Kas is spectacular. I’d met some girls the day before at my pension who’d rented a car for this trip, and as soon as I scoped out the scenery I knew they had the right idea. How I would’ve loved to stop at these empty seaside beaches for photo ops… instead, I settle for shaky shots out the window of the mini-bus.

That jewel-toned water is calling my name… and check out those stone steps carved into the sea wall below:

By the way, these are the local dolmus vans that run up and down main streets in Turkish towns. It’s rather cheap to ride them; I used them in Fethiye to get to the bus station since my pension was just outside of the downtown area.

In the afternoon I arrive in Kas, walk from the bus station to my hostel and deposit my bags, then meet Yusuf a few blocks away at the town dock.

Here’s the Natura Blue dive boat:

And here’s the spot where we’ll dive to the plane — it’s a Dakota C-47, which was dropped intact by local authorities and dive centers to establish a new artificial reef. Of course the fact that it’s an underwater plane makes it a naturally curious dive spot for scuba enthusiasts like myself. Well played, Turkey, well played.

Yusuf and I jump into the extremely clear water and minutes later this emerges out of the deep blue:

Here’s Yusuf, motioning me to follow him inside the plane:

I feel oddly woozy once we’re inside. I’m frantically taking photos to document the experience, which is somewhat of a distraction in this small space, and suddenly I scrape my hand on the metal walls of the plane’s interior. My thumb is sliced open and bleeding. Have you ever watching something bleed underwater? It’s a surreal sight, to watch ribbons of blood flow upward in the water.

I press my thumb into my hand to compress the wound while trying to act like nothing is wrong. I’ve looked forward to this for months and don’t want to cut our dive short.

We don’t see much else on this dive besides the plane. Yusuf points out a few interesting fish, but I’m mostly focused on photographing the plane from all angles (… clearly) and trying to suppress my bleeding thumb. It’s the most distracted and freaked out I’ve ever been on a dive.

A few final shots before we begin our ascent:

We ascend via a nearby rope that leads from a cement block on the sea floor up to the surface. And wouldn’t you know it… I cut my OTHER hand on a barnacle on the rope. Next time I need to rent diving gloves.

But we get to the surface safely and I show Yusuf my wounds. He has some hydrogen peroxide on board to clean the cuts, and once we get back to the main dock I spot a pharmacy nearby and pick up Neosporin and more bandaids. Within days both cuts are completely healed — whew. I’m glad I don’t need medical attention, although imagine me explaining those cuts to a doctor: “Well, it happened on an airplane. Underwater.”

Once that’s taken care of, I have the remainder of the evening to enjoy Kas. This town must be bustling in the summer, but it’s extremely quiet and I don’t see a single other tourist while walking around the main streets. I am the only person staying in Ates Pension, which is lovely. Here are some views from their rooftop, where I spend the rest of my evening, save for a quick dinner on the main square in town.

The dorm room in Ates Pension… I had it all to myself! I took the bed above-right, just under the heater, since it gets quite cold in the evenings.

The rooftop lounge:

I witness one heck of a sunset from the roof — these shots were taken just outside the dorm room where I’m staying.

The next morning I enjoy breakfast overlooking the bay of Kas.

I spend awhile walking around town. Everything is charming and scenic, further cementing my love for Turkey.

Part of me wants to stay a second night, but there isn’t much to do in town at this time of year except admire the sights. Plus I’ve checked out photos of my next stop — Antalya, a larger city located further up the coast — and there are even more impressive places ahead.

If I were here during a more popular season, there are boats that ferry passengers just off the coast to the Greek island called Kastelorizo. My friend Phil wrote about his time there months prior on Facebook and I’d made a note to check it out, but sadly there’s no regular boat service during my visit. How neat that there’s a Greek island just a few kilometers off the coast of Turkey? If you plan a trip to Kas, I hope you check it out — and let me know how it is.

Here’s my friend’s status, which I took a screen shot of on my iPhone so I’d remember it months later. Thanks for the tip, Phil!

Random update: I tried these ketchup crisps (verdict: gross) and chicken kabobs with salad and chips for dinner (verdict: delicious).

I hope my Brit and Aussie friends will approve of my word choice of ‘crisps’ and ‘chips’ in the above sentence!

That’s a wrap from Kas. It’s truly a stand-out spot along the coast and I hope you get there if you’re visiting this part of the world. If you’re a scuba diver, check out the Dakota C-47 and bring dive gloves!

I have one more coastal stop in store before my Turkey travels take me back inland — a full report on Antalya coming tomorrow!