Everything I Saw Diving the Paris 2 Shipwreck in Kemer, Turkey

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Austin Tuwiner

Dive Sites

June 10, 2026

In June 2026, I dove the Paris 2 wreck off the coast of Kemer, Turkey. What made this dive stand out: I got to do it with Özcan, the local diver who discovered the wreck himself.

It's a World War I French steamboat sunk by Turkish forces using a plan that involved exploding citrus fruit. At 98 feet, with limited visibility and live ammunition still on board, this is a dive that will test your skills!

Dive Log · Kemer, Turkey

Paris 2 Shipwreck

Garmin Descent MK3i

Max Depth

98ft / 30m

Avg Depth

55ft / 17m

Dive Time

31min

Water Temp

71.6°F / 22°C

Visibility

20ft

Entry

Boat

Recommended Certification

Advanced Open Water

Wreck Mediterranean Turkey 36.6051, 30.5817

Dive Site Entry

I dove the site with Diving Kemer, the main diving chart 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

The Paris was a French steamboat operating during World War I.

Turkey was aligned with Germany at the time, and General Mustafa Ertegun devised a plan to sink it.

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 1993 or 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.

You'll also find large quantities of charcoal stamped "ET," the fuel the steamboat ran on

Ceramic tiles believed to be from the ship's kitchen

One of the few wreck penetration entry points available.

What Marine Life I Saw

Some sort of Polyp growing on the side of the ship. For 100FT deep, that's a lot of color!

Blue and brown hairy nudibranchs were crawling everywhere.

Dive Conditions

Visibility was 20 ft when I dove in June 2026. Limited viz is typical on this site.

The no-decompression limit puts your max dive time at 32 to 33 minutes at this depth. I logged 31 minutes.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Austin Tuwiner

I'm a PADI Divemaster based in South Florida.

With over a decade of diving experience, I help readers become better divers, buy their next piece of gear, and plan their dream dive vacation!

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