dive site flag
place
Marine Life
When did you dive? Add dive site

Wreck Airbus A300 Plane

Dive site in
Aydin Province, Aegean Region
Improve

The Airbus A300 had its first flight in 1980 and for more than 30 years, it had served both for passenger use and later on for cargo use. In 2016, the plane would trade the clouds in exchange for the seas, as it was sunk to the bottom of the Aegean Sea off the resort of Kuşadası in the Aydin province.

The 55-meter-(177-foot-) long plane is now a popular attraction among scuba divers. It is located at a depth of 22 meters/72 feet on a sandy bottom. Over the years, it has also become home to an array of underwater flora and fauna. Penetration is possible.

Dive site info provided by Noah J on May 20, 2021
Improve Description
Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by Tagmac Saracoglu on May 27, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by Tagmac Saracoglu on May 27, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by Tagmac Saracoglu on May 27, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by Tagmac Saracoglu on May 27, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by Tagmac Saracoglu on May 27, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by Tagmac Saracoglu on May 27, 2018
Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by Tagmac Saracoglu on May 27, 2018
+11
Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by Tagmac Saracoglu on May 27, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by Tagmac Saracoglu on May 27, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by Tagmac Saracoglu on May 27, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by Tagmac Saracoglu on May 27, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by Tagmac Saracoglu on May 27, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by SAFİYE ARI on May 22, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by SAFİYE ARI on May 22, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by SAFİYE ARI on May 22, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by SAFİYE ARI on May 22, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by SAFİYE ARI on May 22, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by SAFİYE ARI on May 22, 2018 Picture taken at Wreck Airbus A300 Plane. Uploaded by SAFİYE ARI on May 22, 2018

Latest Dives

Comments, photos and species
SAFİYE ARI's Avatar

SAFİYE ARI

May 22, 2018
Marine Life image 7
Dive Details
Tagmac Saracoglu's Avatar

Tagmac Saracoglu

May 1, 2018
Marine Life image 8
Dive Details
The last flight of the Airbus A300 took little more than three hours and the landing was as planned: gentle and perfect! However from this landing, on the sea floor off the Turkish port of Kusadasi, the Airbus ... The last flight of the Airbus A300 took little more than three hours and the landing was as planned: gentle and perfect! However from this landing, on the sea floor off the Turkish port of Kusadasi, the Airbus A300, built in Toulouse in 1980, will never rise again. It was a calm, sunny day on the Aegean coast and the huge trunk of the Airbus A300 lay on the beach, supported by a huge mobile crane. If was about to begin its last journey, a trip to the sea floor to serve as an attraction for divers. The Airbus A300 has flown thousands of flights been since it first took off on March 14, 1980. After nearly 20 years in service to Greek Olympic Airways the plane was refitted for cargo use. Since June 2006, the A300 flew cargo in Turkey before being retired from active service when high inspection costs meant the plane was no longer profitable. The end of cargo flights was far from the end of the line though for this old timer as another exciting chapter was yet to come. The aircraft was purchased with the help of sponsors. It was dismantled and made its way by road from Istanbul to Kusadasi, where the A300 was again completely assembled and prepared for sinking just off the entrance to the port of Kuşadası. All dangerous parts, obstacles in the interior as well as glass and sharp edged parts were professionally removed before it was ready for the final flight to the seabed. "Landing" after a little more than three hours More than 3,000 onlookers and numerous sports boat captains gathered to view the sinking. The big crane supported the 54 meters long and eight meters wide fuselage as it was set on large cushioning bags which were attached to the hull and the 45-meter-wide wings. Cautiously the huge plane was then dragged from the coast and towed to the sinking location between the port of Kuşadası and the Kuştur coast. The new dive site Airbus A300 is just ten minutes from the Active Blue Diving Center and the port of Kuşadası in five-minute drive away. After a little more than three hours the bird had landed. At 22 meters depth the A300 is now on a level sandy bottom. The dive depth is around 17 meters depth and the dive site has an average of 10 to 15 meters visibility. The first impressions of diving on the wreck are how magnificent it is from above. Entering through the side of the fuselage brings the diver to the long tubular interior and slowly the shear dimensions of the giant aircraft are sensed. The cabin windows allow the sunlight near surface to shimmer into the interior of the aircraft and illuminate the almost spooky scene. The highlight of the dive is a flight through the interior of the A300 to visit the cockpit. The fittings, cables and switches have all been removed but it's a special feeling to sit in one of the three cockpit seats and to look beyond, into the impenetrable blue gray of the Mediterranean. The newly sunk A300 is now the new top diving spot off the Turkish coast and is likely to remain so for a long time. To withstand the sometimes fierce autumn and winter storms the huge hull has been attached to the seafloor with maximum security and to enable divers a safe descent to the new wreck a guide rope and permanent surface marker has been installed. Airbus A300 Kuşadası - ready to dive

Nearby Dive Centers

ORDERED BY DISTANCE, WITHIN A RANGE OF 25KM

Diver Bees Dive Center

Active Blue Dive Centre

Aqua Fantasy Dive Centre

Marine Life

Species Encountered By Divers

No marine life has been added to this dive site.

Add dive

Explore Similar Dive Sites

ORDERED BY DISTANCE, WITHIN A RANGE OF 25KM

Adabanko Reef
Aydin Province, Aegean Region
1 Dives dive 0 Species Marine Life
Wreck Airbus A300 Plane
Aydin Province, Aegean Region
2 Dives dive 0 Species Marine Life
Adakule Reef
Aydin Province, Aegean Region
1 Dives dive 0 Species Marine Life
Adakule Cavern
Aydin Province, Aegean Region
1 Dives dive 0 Species Marine Life
See All Dive sites in Aydin Province