Scuba

What It Feels Like

Ayvalik is an established northern Aegean day-boat diving base. Ayvalik 3 Sea and Kuzey Mavi publicly describe guided dives or courses departing locally, while the provincial tourism authority documents shallow reefs, rocky outcrops, walls and deeper red-coral sites around the islands. Choose a sheltered, depth-appropriate site with a current TSSF-authorized operator. The protected nature park and underwater-heritage rules mean that a site appearing on a tourism map is not necessarily open for an independent dive.

Signature Sites

Start Here

Barbonaksa Sigligi
Provincial/local site references place its shallower top around 6 m.
Uc Taslar
A named rocky outcrop and fish-school site in the local dive inventory, with protected, weather-appropriate routing required.
Ezerbey
Provincial tourism material includes this offshore feature; ask for current legal access, exact site name and depth limits.

Advanced

Gavur Limani (Buyuk Ilyosta)
Local dive references describe a shallow-start rocky wall that deepens substantially.
Deli Mehmet Sigligi
Recognized in the official Ayvalik site list and regional coral discussions.
Kerbela
Official Ayvalik inventory and underwater reporting identify this deeper coral habitat.

Planning Playbook

Operator Checklist

Confirm the current-year TSSF center and instructor details using e-Devlet, not only historic provincial rosters or secondary snapshots. Ask whether the departure is from Ayvalik harbor, whether a companion may board, number of dives, rental equipment, tank fills, sea state cancellation rules, insurance, emergency oxygen and the exact approved site. A newly permitted Byzantine-era wreck mentioned in September 2026 reporting is not independently verified as a generally bookable or penetrable site. Plan all wrecks as external-only unless explicitly cleared and appropriately trained.

Conditions Fallback

Confirm the current-year TSSF center and instructor details using e-Devlet, not only historic provincial rosters or secondary snapshots. Ask whether the departure is from Ayvalik harbor, whether a companion may board, number of dives, rental equipment, tank fills, sea state cancellation rules, insurance, emergency oxygen and the exact approved site. A newly permitted Byzantine-era wreck mentioned in September 2026 reporting is not independently verified as a generally bookable or penetrable site. Plan all wrecks as external-only unless explicitly cleared and appropriately trained.

Avoid