Turkey's Saros Bay tank wreck becomes popular dive site

An M62 T battle tank was deliberately sunk in June last year at a depth of about 10 metres, roughly 100 metres off the shore of Gökçetepe village in the Keşan district of Edirne Province. The project, called the Artificial Reef Project, was carried out by the Edirne Governor’s Office together with the Turkish Underwater Sports Federation (TSSF) and the Edirne Saros Tourism Infrastructure Service Union (ESTAB) to boost diving tourism in Saros Bay.

The tank, noted as Turkey’s shallowest tank wreck, has attracted both domestic and foreign divers. Because it lies in relatively shallow water, day‑trippers from Istanbul can perform a trial dive to see the submerged tank. TSSF official and three‑star diving instructor Ahmet Yumurtacı said, "It is a rare spot where you can dive to see a tank underwater; the interest has grown and thousands of dives have been made since last year."

Diving students such as Irem Yıldız, who visited the site for the first time, described the experience as “a completely different world under the water,” highlighting the appeal of the artificial reef for marine life and the growing popularity of the Saros Bay dive season.