Dive Review of Turtle Bay Dive Centre/Hotel Sempati in
Mediterranean/North Cyprus

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Turtle Bay Dive Centre/Hotel Sempati, Aug, 2007, by Carol Cox, FL, USA ( Sr. Contributor 22 reports with 17 Helpful votes). Report 4249.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We went to North Cyprus for a few days because we heard it had better diving than the part of Turkey we are located in, and we weren't disappointed. The hotel price was extremely reasonable--we had a larger suite for about $42 a night. The pick-up from the airport was a bit pricey, but I can't blame them for the cost of fuel and distance to Girne. The hotel had a nice pool and the dive shop was on site. The only complaint is that the location was 10 miles from town. Inexpensive shared taxis could get you into town for a couple of dollars, but they didn't run at night and the taxis were pricey. Meals were available at the hotel for a reasonable price, and you could also find some outdoor grills a short walk down the road. The hotel also had a nice Turkish night. The convience of the on site dive shop was great. We met Caroline and Drew at the shop in the morning, loaded the gear, that was stored in the shop at night, in the truck, and walked the short distance to the launch site. Our boat was an inflatable and despite stories I've heard, it was easy to hand up the gear and get back on at the end of our dives. There was a bit of distance between the truck and the launch, which would be my only complaint about this operation. The dive sites were 5 to 10 minutes away from shore. One site has a lot of groupers as friendly as any in the Caymans. I was just learning to use a new digital camera, but managed to get some great shots--including a grouper close-up that I let Turtle Bay use on their web site. The area also has a variety of colorful nudibranchs. Other critters included octopuses, squid, Spanish lobsters, a moray eel with cleaner shrimp, and blennies. The night dive was done from the shore in the cove where the RIB is parked. We weren't disappointed with the night life. We also did an excursion to the Greek part of Cyprus to dive the ferry wreck Xenobia. Drew easily got us over the border, and we arrived in time to try a wonderful Greek bakery before boarding the boat. We covered the wreck in two dives and found it well worth the extra expense. North Cyprus is not a diver's paradise, but we currently live in Turkey and found it well worth our effort when compared to the sites we've visited around the northeastern Mediterranean. We are thinking of going back soon. The country is host to numerous British citizens, so language is not much of a barrier.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Palau, Truk, Guam, Turkey, Hawaii, Cozumel, Roatan, Cayman, Turks & Caicos, Florida, Bahamas
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	dry	Seas	calm
Water Temp	84-0°F / 29--18°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	50-75 Ft/ 15-23 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities
UW Photo Comments	Diving was a 5 or 10 minute boat ride away, so we came back to the shop and hotel to maintain the camera gear. Rinse water was available on shore, and the hotel helped us find the right power adapter to plug in our chargers--I did't expect the outlets in North Cyprus to be any different than the ones it Turkey, but I was wrong.

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Dive Review of Turtle Bay Dive Centre/Hotel Sempati in Mediterranean/North Cyprus

Turtle Bay Dive Centre/Hotel Sempati, Aug, 2007,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Turtle Bay Dive Centre/Hotel Sempati in
Mediterranean/North Cyprus