Diving off the coasts of Türkiye's southern provinces is a popular activity but careless sports enthusiasts can also damage sunken treasures, like the French warship “Paris 2” in Kemer, Antalya as divers often take pieces from the ship as souvenirs.
The French warship was sunk by the Turkish navy during World War I off the coast of the Kemer district. It was rediscovered in 1995. The 50-meter-long (164-foot-long) ship became a significant diving spot after its discovery.
Academic Mehmet Gökoğlu stated that the growing interest in diving among visitors can cause significant damage to the wreck, which is one of the world’s most important diving tourism sites.
“There are tiles on the ship. Every year we count those tiles. This year, we noticed a decrease. Some visitors take objects from the wreck as souvenirs. Fishing nets thrown into the sea by fishermen are also present on the wreck. These nets need to be removed without causing damage to the ship,” Gökoğlu emphasized.
Pointing out that the wreck serves as an artificial reef, and therefore, many marine organisms live on it, the expert said: “We need to protect this place. The wreck is deteriorating over time. We need to eliminate factors that accelerate this deterioration.”
