The Aquarium That Is Dirsek

Liz:

With a wind that was merely sighing we motored our way to Dirsek, the next interesting looking anchorage in our pilot guide. Once again we didn't even bother to take the awning down as this heat wave continues. We searched in vain for more sea creatures, but they had the right idea and were keeping deep under the water, in the cool of the sea.

Esper at anchor in Dirsek. Just look at that water!

Dirsek is a one-horse town, with nothing but a solitary restaurant at the head of it, just what we were looking for. As we entered we had a careful look around, trying to assess the best place to anchor. The Heikell pilot guide we use showed many suitable places, but unfortunately most seemed taken. We spied across the bay a lonely old Turk, in his dinghy waving at us. He was right next to what looked like a very pretty sandy bay. No-one else was there.. “Beware of Turks bearing gifts” thought we, but nevertheless decided to give it a go. We anchored and went stern to. “Ali Kaptan” took our line and tied it onto a shoreline buoy that he had rigged up. Couldn't have been easier. The water was azure, clear and shallow, with a sandy bottom. It looked gorgeous. Right on cue Ali Kaptan introduced himself and asked us if we'd like to buy something from his well-stocked boat. We plumped for some dried apricots and a bottle of dodgy local white wine. Well... you've gotta help the local economy, eh?

Dirsek is a little bit of paradise. We got into the water almost immediately for the temperature was now soaring. I am known for never swimming in the sea unless it is at the least 108º in the shade. Well, you couldn't keep me out of this water. It was like a bath, like the Caribbean. This was my kind of swimming. We snorkelled for two days in this lovely place. There were lots of fish to watch and play with, including some amazing pipe fish. They are slightly scary looking, at about 2 feet long, but great to regard from above. We also detected the beginning of coral growth in this “aquarium”.

All sounds pretty idyllic, huh? Well, it would've been had it not been “flotilla night” in the restaurant. We stayed up till about 2am, listening to the sounds of Ricky Martin, Bill Haley, Macarena etc (you get my drift) all being loudly sung-along-to by the increasingly intoxicated sailing holiday-makers. Accompanying this lovely soundtrack was a large, private gulet moored 20 feet from us, with its its generator on from 7pm until 11pm. Oh joy.

The next day we took a stroll in our walking boots around the bay and dropped in at the restaurant. We were glad to get the opportunity to tell one of the owners that while the bay is lovely we did not like the music he played, nor the volume at which it was played. Interestingly he said, with a somewhat ironical smile, that this was what the customers wanted. We pointed out to him that most of the rest of the “customers” in the bay remained firmly aboard their boats.

The second night in the bay was lovely. Gentle Turkish music from the restaurant and no loud gulets near us.

We left the next day, somewhat reluctantly, this most idyllic place.