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The Gallipoli Historical Underwater Park in northwestern Türkiye has emerged as a major destination for divers who want to explore World War I history beneath the surface.
Located off the Gallipoli Peninsula Historical Site in Canakkale, the park offers access to 23 shipwrecks from the 1915 battles and gives visitors a rare view of the war’s remains resting on the seabed.
Officials say the site has become the world’s only underwater park dedicated entirely to World War I.
Its combination of military history, maritime heritage, and marine life has attracted steady attention since its opening in 2021. Since then, around 15,000 divers from Türkiye and abroad have explored the wrecks.
The Canakkale Savaslari Gelibolu Tarihi Alan President Ismail Kasdemir said interest grew rapidly once the site opened to diving.
He told Anadolu Agency that the team recognized the potential from the start and carried out detailed work to build a thematic underwater park that reflects the region’s wartime past. “We created a World War I themed underwater park that is unique in the world,” he said.
He added that international divers, TV channels, and media outlets now follow developments closely because “there is a history lying under the water and each wreck has a different story.”
Kasdemir said the wrecks include HMS Majestic, HMS Louis, HMS Triumph, the Ertugrul Cove Massena and Saghalien remains, the Helles Barges, Tekke Cove wrecks, Ariburnu Barc, Lundy, S.S. Milo, Tuzla, the submarine mania net, and other sites spread across 12 diving points.
He reported that 5,000 dives took place in 2024 and the number increased to 10,000 in 2025. Visitors “travel through a time tunnel,” he said, as the dives offer a direct view of the 1915 battles from below the surface.
The project receives support from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Türkiye Tourism Promotion and Development Agency.
Kasdemir said Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has backed the effort to expand the park’s visibility.
Officials now aim to promote the site at international events, including a diving fair in Dusseldorf in January, and hope to bring more divers to Gelibolu as they broaden Türkiye’s diving tourism to other coasts and lakes.
The Gallipoli Historical Underwater Park continues to draw international curiosity as it offers both accessible diving routes and a direct connection to one of the most significant battlegrounds of the twentieth century.
Local authorities expect interest to increase further as divers look for historical experiences beyond traditional underwater sites.
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