Diving the Paris 2 Shipwreck in Kemer, Turkey

I dove the Paris 2 in June 2026 with Diving Kemer, by boat out of Kemer, Turkey. ‍

What made this dive special is I got to do it with Özcan, the local diver who discovered the wreck.

The Paris 2 is a World War I French steamboat sunk by Turkish forces.

They were able to sink it using a plan involving exploding citrus fruit.

Resting at 98 feet (30 m), with limited visibility and live ammunition still on board, this is a dive that will test your skills!

How to Get There

Diving Kemer is the main diving charter operating out of Kemer.

It's where Özcan works. If you've never dove with them before, they will first take you to a beginner friendly cavern dive to gauge your skill level.

The Paris 2 sits off the coast of Kemer, in Turkey's Antalya region.

The Story of the Paris 2

With the Paris 2 sitting off the coasts of Antalya General Mustafa Ertegun devised a plan to sink it.

Turkiye was aligned with Germany at the time, and a local fisherman was recruited to deliver "gifts" of citrus fruit to the French crew.

The Kemer region is known for its oranges, pomegranates, and lemons, so the delivery wasn't suspicious.

Hidden inside the fruit crates were explosives.

The blast sent the ship into a panic, and as it fled at full throttle, Turkish artillery opened fire from the rocks above.

The ship sank in roughly 21 minutes. All 52 people on board survived and were walked on foot to a hospital in Antalya.

The wreck sat undiscovered until 1994, when a fisherman's net snagged on something underwater.

Local diver Özcan investigated and found the Paris. He now guides dives on the site.

What's Down There

The wreck still holds live ammunition.

What Marine Life I Saw

Dive Conditions