Where the Dive Boat Leaves From
You do not have to find the harbour yourself. Every Side Diving trip includes a free two-way hotel transfer: a minibus collects you in the morning from your hotel, and the exact pickup time is confirmed the evening before. Each of our five trips departs from the harbour closest to its dive sites, so the Side and Kumkoy days leave from the local harbour on the Side coast, while the Kemer, Antalya and Alanya trips leave from their own town ports. At the end of the day the same transfer brings you back to your door.
That single detail removes most of the stress people feel about booking a first dive abroad. You do not need a hire car, you do not need to work out where to park, and you do not need to translate a harbour sign. You need to be ready in your hotel lobby, with your swimwear on under your clothes.
Five Coasts, Five Departure Points
We run five full-day boat dive trips along the Antalya coast, and each one is built around a different stretch of water. You can compare them all on /tours, but here is what the departure looks like for each.
- Side Underwater Museum — our flagship day, roughly seven hours, from the Side coast harbour. The boat runs out to the museum site where around 110 sculptures stand at about 12 metres. Details on /tours/side-underwater-museum-diving.
- Kumkoy — the shortest day at around six hours, same coastline, same harbour area, ideal if you want to be back for the afternoon. See /tours/kumkoy-scuba-diving.
- Kemer — a full eight-hour day on what is widely considered the clearest water on this coast, with PADI-certified instructors, reef fish and octopus often spotted. See /tours/kemer-scuba-diving.
- Antalya — eight hours over reefs, caves and shoals, departing from the Antalya side of the bay. See /tours/antalya-scuba-diving.
- Alanya — eight hours among caves and rocky reefs in the Cleopatra Beach waters. See /tours/alanya-scuba-diving.
If you are staying outside Side itself, the practical question is which trip suits your location best. The /diving-from hub lists the resorts and towns we collect from, so you can see how your hotel fits into each route.
How long is the transfer, honestly?
This is where we would rather be honest than impressive. The drive depends on three things: where your hotel sits on the coast, how many other guests are on the same route that morning, and traffic. A hotel in the middle of a resort centre can be a short hop from the harbour. A hotel at the far end of a long coastal strip, or one that requires a detour inland, will be a longer ride — and if the boat leaves from a neighbouring coast, longer still.
That is why we confirm your pickup the evening before rather than printing a fixed time on a voucher. The route is planned once we know who is travelling and from where. Guests at the far end of a route are collected earlier; guests near the harbour are collected later. Nobody is left behind, and the boat does not leave without its own passengers.
What Happens When You Arrive
Arrival at the harbour is calmer than most people expect. You are met by the crew, you give your name, and your booking is checked off. Everyone completes the standard diving medical questionnaire — a short form with plain yes or no questions about your health. If something is flagged, we will talk to you about it; anything that needs a doctor's sign-off needs a doctor, not a guess from us. Our guide to /blog/diving-with-medical-conditions explains that process in more detail.
Then you are fitted. Every trip includes all equipment: tank, regulator, BCD, wetsuit, mask, fins and weights. The crew sizes your wetsuit and fins on the quay or on deck, so nothing is guessed at. Bring only the small things — towel, sun cream, something warm for the ride home — as listed in /blog/what-to-bring-scuba-diving.
The briefing and the two dives
Once the boat is underway you get a full safety briefing: how the equipment works, how to breathe, how to equalise, the hand signals, and what happens if you want to stop. Beginners then dive at 5 to 8 metres on the morning dive and to about 13 metres maximum on the second, always with an instructor within arm's reach and never more than three or four divers to one instructor. Certified divers follow their own profile, typically around 30 metres on standard dives and deeper on the qualified deep sites. Between the two dives there is a fresh lunch on board and time in the sun.
Going Home
The boat returns to the same harbour it left from, the minibus is waiting, and you are driven back to your hotel. Certified divers can have their logbooks signed before leaving. Do remember the one rule that outlasts the day: no flying within 24 hours of diving, explained in /blog/why-no-flying-after-diving.
Ready to plan your day? Pick the coast you like the look of on /tours, reserve free online and pay on the day in cash or by card, with free cancellation up to 24 hours. If you are not sure which harbour suits your hotel, message us through /contact and we will tell you straight.
