Active Pursuits

Watersports

There's nothing like a walk through the Underwater Archaeology Museum to inspire the diver in you. The waters off Bodrum are full of caverns, caves, and reefs and just recently, the Turkish Naval Forces announced plans to sink a decommissioned military boat off the coast. Aegean Pro Dive Centre, Kavaklisarniç Sok. Asarlik Sitesi 30, over in Bitez (tel. 0252/316-0737; fax 0252/313-1296; www.aegeanprodive.com; open Apr-Oct), provides a safe and easy way to get you there, running two dives a day with lunch served in between. Price for 1 day with equipment is 47€ ($68/£34). The 1-day discover scuba course is also 47€ ($68/£34). If you bring your own equipment, the price is $60 (£30). They also offer 3- and 5-day packages, group rates, snorkeling for nondiving tagalongs, and PADI certification.

It's also possible to join one of the scores of diving boats crowding the harbor just past the entrance to the castle, all of which hawk dive tours with certified divers.

If you've thrown caution to the wind ("All About the Blue Voyage") and decided to take a last-minute Blue Cruise, contact Aegean Yacht (tel. 0252/316-1517; fax 0252/316-5749; www.aegeanyacht.com) or Gino Group (tel. 0252/316-2166; fax 0252/316-5026; www.ginogroup.com). As the main yacht agents along the Aegean and Mediterranean, both have multiple locations along the coast, hiring out their own fleet of yachts or booking gulet cabin charters. Tour boats also line the harbor for sun-and-fun day trips to nearby beaches. Day tours cost about 20€ ($29/£14), leaving around 11am, and returning by 6pm.

Day-Tripping

Bodrum is perfectly situated for 1-day trips to Ephesus (usually Wed and Sat), Pamukkale (Mon and Fri), Dalyan, and Kaunos (Thurs and Sun). The trips are scheduled to coincide with local market days in the respective destinations. All are easily arranged through local travel agents for around 30€ ($44/£21) per person each.

If beachgoing is the main event, a tour of the Bodrum Peninsula will offer a glimpse of fantastic bays and (as of yet) authentic seaside villages. On the northern end of the peninsula and only 8km (5 miles) from Bodrum is Torba, where fishermen haul in their nets and you can stroll along the beach to the remains of an old Byzantine monastery.

The simple hillside village and serene bay of Türkbükü, long a favored hideaway of Turkey's jet set, has, to date, made room for a steady stream of travelers onto this little "secret" destination. But Türkbükü may yet transform into a proletariat heaven; the local government has its sights set on the exclusive, 10YTL ($8.70/£40) cup-of-coffee beach clubs that have offered luxurious cushioned wooden piers draped in sailcloth to the entitled few by threatening to dismantle the beach docks. For now, the favorite sunspots are at Ada Beach, Maki Hotel and Beach, Maça Kizi Hotel, Bianca Beach Club, and Havana Beach Club (with its open-air fitness center, all located in Türkbükü).

The wooden decks continue to jut out over Torba Bay at Kala Beach in Torba, Sahil Yolu, No. 191, and in Ortakent, a grassy lawn gives way to the sand and sea at Palovera Beach.

The new marinas at Yalikavak (typical and charming) and Turgutreis (caters to those on the high end of the tax bracket) are meant to fill the gap for yachters traveling between Kusadasi and Bodrum, where beaches and sheltered waterfront promenades lined with restaurants and souvenir shops make for an easy and enjoyable day out.

At the westernmost tip of the Bodrum Peninsula is the enchanting fishermen's cove of Gümüslük [STST], site of the ancient city of Myndos, now partially visible just under the surface of the water. The village increases in charm in the evening, when area residents choose their favorite waterside fish restaurant [ST] (the best is Gusta; tel. 0252/394-4228) from the many lining the cove. Thanks to its archaeological value, Gümüslük has rejected the onslaught of "progress," and will hopefully remain as remote, charming, and scenic in the future as it is today (no building is permitted!). The remains of ancient harbor walls are scattered at the base of the headlands just to the north and west of the village; bring a snorkel to explore the site to which Brutus and Cassius escaped in 44 B.C. after having murdered Julius Caesar. Guarding the entrance to the cove and harboring its own set of ruins is Rabbit Island, connected to the mainland by way of a sunken ancient city wall that allows visitors to wade over from the town center. There's also an inviting beach at the far end of the village.

As the tourist body crunch in and around Bodrum forces "regulars" to seek new and unspoiled frontiers, the little village of Yahsi is happy to pick up the slack. Restaurants such as Kösem (Yali Mevkii 2, Ortakent; tel. 0252/348-3666) play host to almost exclusively Turkish clientele, and for now, prices here remain reasonable.

Other great beach destinations are Akyarlar, the choice of advanced windsurfers due to the strong winds; the less windy Ortakent Beach; and scenic Bitez Bay, full of windsurfing traffic and a long sandy beach.