Seven hundred metres from the coast of Alanya, across from restaurant Filika in Damlataş, a paradise is growing as we speak. Eight months ago you would only find sand and rocks on the bottom here; now a lush under-water-world has been created. By sinking a boat, 2500 amphorae and 500 concrete blocks to the bottom, an artificial reef was created. All of this with the intent to give the under-water-world of Alanya new life and to give an impulse to the diving tourism.

An artificial reef is a man-made structure under water meant to develop or protect the sea life at that place. Often for the creation of an artificial reef, old boats or car wrecks, military tanks or airplanes are used. All kinds of algae, corals and oysters can easily attach themselves to these hard surfaces. And in return, provide food for fish and other sea animals such as lobsters and octopus.
“This way a complete new world is created under water in a place where before there was only sand and rocks”, says Nihat Ünlü. He is an experienced diver and one of the initiatives of the artificial reef in Alanya. The ‘garden’ that is now created under water, covers 10,000 square metres. One of the highlights is an old military boat that was sunk last June 24th. There are also about 500 concrete frames of 600 kilos per piece that serve as living- and hatching place for fish. To get them on the aimed spot the boat had to drive 83 times back and forth, because it could only take six frames per trip.
There were also 2500 amphorae – jugs with two ears that go down in a point – brought to the bottom. “Three truckloads full came from Izmir”, Ünlü explains. “Octopus like to nest in these amphorae.”

Innovation
The idea to create an artificial reef came form the conviction that Alanya urgently needs an innovation if it wants to keep her competitive position as a popular holiday destination. Because sun and sea can be found everywhere, says Ünlü: “You can see the number of tourists coming to Alanya decreasing. Many hotels have aged and can’t handle the competition with resorts in Belek and Antalya. This means that you have to keep developing as a seaside resort and have to search for alternative attractions for certain groups of tourists. Divers are usually people with more capital than the average person. Therefore we thought it would be a good starting point to stimulate the diving tourism. Divers come if there is something to discover under water. And an artificial reef makes sure that there is something to discover.”
Two years ago the first steps for this project were taken. Ünlü presented his plan to the mayor and governor of Alanya, who immediately gave him his support. They gave him the urging advice: ‘Keep your ears closed and just do your work’, don’t pay attention to any distraction.
Because the creation of the artificial reef would cost a few tons, they first had to find an investor. “That was really the easiest part. The Danish charity organization Pangaea was immediately interested. They decided to support the project financially under the condition that divers who want to visit the reef are asked for a contribution, which is collected for a shelter for orphans in Alanya.”
The next step was to get the correct licenses and to make all the preparations. That took us two years. “There were times when I almost gave up”, Ünlü laughs. “It showed that there were no rules yet regarding this area, so they had to be created first. The most important part of creating an artificial reef is that no damage is caused to the life under water by using, for instance, car tires or other bad materials. This used to happen in the past, but nowadays it doesn’t anymore. We have had much research done in cooperation with the Ege University in Izmir to show that the objects we would use for our project are absolutely harmless. We have cleaned the boat and removed the motor, tank and all electric wiring, all according to the rules.”
Eight months ago things got serious. In an extensive press conference Ünlü and his partners announced the plan for the artificial reef. Even though the reactions were mainly positive, there was also some resistance. ‘Pollution of the sea’, the opponents said. And at the last moment, two months ago, a local paper wrote that the entire reef was going to be cancelled, because the boat had asbestos. Ünlü: “Everyone writes whatever they want. At that point I had all the necessary licenses and papers. I have had four researches performed; each cost six thousand Euros to show that the operation is completely environmentally friendly. At a certain point I even said: if there is one person that can show that what we do is bad for the sea and the life in it, then I will cancel the entire project. But naturally nobody could find that kind of proof.”
And now the artificial reef of Alanya is a fact. Ünlü takes a look at it every day and saw that after just two days an octopus had nested in one of the amphorae. “In a few months it will look like it has been there forever. There will be schools of colourful fish swimming around in the clear water and you will see a labyrinth of coral floating around. You can see that lobsters and tortoises hide in the reef. And all of this just a few hundred metres from the coast. Let the divers come!”