News
Diving with… Ahmet Durmaz, Sailing Liveaboard Okyanus JD, Turkey
In this ongoing series, we speak to the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…
What is your name?
Ahmet Durmaz
What is the name of your business?
We are J-Diving and Tourism LLC in Turkey.
What is your role within the business?
I am the owner of my company.
How long has the business operated for?
Since 2006.
How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
I have been diving since 2000. I am SSI AOWI and CMAS 1* Instructor.
What is your favorite type of diving?
I like each type of diving as long as it’s away from mass diving tourism. I like diving slowly and enjoy each moment underwater.
If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?
I am the only Sailing Dive Liveaboard in Turkey where I can bring together diving and yoga. Divers may attend our special diving and yoga tours. Divers who would like to be away from mass diving tourism may attend our tours. On the other hand, starting this year I will offer yoga and breathing techniques to divers after each dive briefing to prevent back pains while getting ready and after diving. Divers will overnight in beautiful bays and wake up in amongst wonderful scenery each morning.
Non-Divers are very important for us. They can swim freely since our waters don’t have any dangerous species. Our SUP’s can be used each time cost free. And we like hiking on the hills after diving.
What is your favorite dive in your location and why?
ATABOL Reef is my favourite dive place. It is rich with groupers & barracudas and it has incredible underwater topography.
What types of diving are available in your location?
We have reefs and drop-offs.
What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
I am always with my guests on my boat. I work for my guest’s happiness. I don’t leave my guests to others’ hands. I practice my yoga almost every day and my guests may join me. I love to take them hiking on the hills. We also snorkel together.
What is your favorite underwater creature?
Groupers.
Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?
We have applied to the Turkish Navy to get old ships for artificial reefs.
As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?
Over-fishing and spear-fishing.
Is your center involved in any environmental work?
We have applied to the Turkish Authorities to prevent over-fishing and spear-fishing in our region. We have also been cleaning underwater when we see any garbage and also doing beach clean up in the coves during our dive season.
How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?
Scuba Diving centres are struggling hard to increase the number of licenced divers. The problem is how to keep divers active. In Turkey most of the daily dive centers are offering equipment for free. They do not rent equipment like us. But they miss the point that the more divers have their own equipment the more they would like to go diving. Seeing dry dive equipment at home encourages divers to go diving. Freediving is attracting more interest recently. I am offering my Sailing Dive Liveaboard to Freediving Instructors so that they can organise their own tours.
In Turkey we need urgent measures to protect our country underwater. Our waters are very clean, visibility is sometimes up to 50 meters and water temperature is good. We only need protected dive sites.
What would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?
As J-Dive Turkey, we are specialized in Sailing Dive (Scuba and Freediving) Liveaboard in Turkey.
Where can our visitors find out more about your business?
Phone / Whatsapp +90 533 480 81 45
Social Media : OKYANUS JD
Great news for RAID divers around the world: Gozo Diving & Gozo Technical Diving have joined the RAID network and now offer RAID courses, and RAID-quality support in one of the classic Mediterranean dive destinations.
Malta is a well-known and highly rated diving destination. The water is warm (around 28 degrees), the visibility is epic (20-40 metres), and many sites have weak to moderate current. So, there are great dive sites for every level of experience, and these include fantastic and historic wreck dives.
Located on the Island of Gozo, RAID’s new dive centre, offer the complete range of recreational, technical and Instructor courses. The facilities include two classrooms, access to an onsite pool and a full CCR room. So, visiting divers and instructors can enjoy nitrox, trimix, as well as oxygen-compatible air fills, rentals of sidemount cylinders, twinsets, and stage cylinders, DPV rental and of course high-end teaching, coaching and experienced guiding.
Gozo Diving and Gozo Technical Diving has more than 30 years of experience in training, exploration and diving professionalism. Now fully aligned to offer the the complete spectrum of RAID courses, which means both experienced divers as well as those who want to start exploring the underwater world can come and enjoy the dive site attractions of Malta and Gozo knowing they’ll get the fun and full-service experience our agency and network of RAID dive centres are famous for.
To find out more, email: info@gozotechnicaldiving.com or visit their website at: www.gozotechnicaldiving.com
Photos: RAID Blog
International Dive Show DIVING talks 2022 takes place from 6-9 October in Troia, Portugal. Here’s four great reasons why you should attend…
1. The ‘Talks’ and the Speakers
What do you get when you have in the same room Dr Alessandro Marroni, Dr Óscar Camacho and Dr Simon Mitchell? Undoubtedly an incredible amount of knowledge in diving physiology and hyperbaric medicine. If you are a diver, you know the value of such a debate.
What do you expect to see in a Bill Stone presentation?
Wouldn’t you like to discuss with Thomas Stachura, Leigh Bishop or Armando Ribeiro their findings underwater in the expeditions that led to the discovery and identification of new shipwrecks?
2. The Exhibition: brands and trials
It’s about talking with ‘who knows’ and testing that piece of equipment even underwater if you want!
Friday, October 7, is BRANDS DAY. Try dive the Mares SCR Horizon, test your preferred scooter, and more. Bring shorts or a swimming suit. This is happening in the swimming pool. Join us on October 7. Diving Talks is also Brands Day!
3. DIVING talks is a family/ partner friend event
You don’t need to leave your family or partner behind.
If you want to attend, transform this trip into a partner or family trip to Portugal. There are many things they can do while you enjoy the Talks.
It is not that you need to have something planned. The peninsula is such a fantastic site to enjoy; there’s the beach if you want to relax by the sea, there are trails you can check out, or you can relax by the pool.
4. YOU CAN ACTUALLY DIVE!
If you have free time and want to explore Portugal underwater, DIVING talks can be the pretext for a ‘stay and dive’ side-program.
Diving talks partnered with Portugal Dive, a boutique dive concierge that organizes dive trips to Portugal; the mainland and in the Azores and Madeira archipelagos.
Diving recreational or technical, you can expect the European Atlantic’s most transparent waters full of life, schools of fish, the big pelagic, and even monk seals: all that and wrecks, inland caves, you name it.
Opt to arrive one-week earlier or leave one-week later, and chose the stay and dive program for your type of diving and preferences.
For more information, contact Arlindo Serrão via e-mail: arlindo.serrao@portugaldive.com or check out the following links:
- Website www.divingtalks.com
- Facebook www.facebook.com/divingtalks
- Instagram www.instagram.com/diving.talks
- Twitter www.twitter.com/divingtalks
Gozo Diving and Gozo Technical Diving join RAID
DIVING talks 2022: 4 great reasons why you should attend!
Jeff chats to… Ana Filipa Sobral, Founder of The Manta Catalog Project in the Azores (Watch Video)
DIVING talks 2022: the discussion we all want to hear
Wining and Diving – The Azores
Cool Drysuit Dives
The underwater wonders of the UK’s seas, a story in photographs
Scuba Diving and Marine Life: Monkfish or Anglerfish (Watch Video)
Jeff chats to… Arlindo Serrao, Founder of PortugalDive.com about diving in Portugal, The Azores and Madeira (Watch Video)
Diving in Switzerland #6 – The Tadpoles are growing!
Diving in Switzerland #5 – Rediscovering a forgotten dive site
