Camlik Bay

Camlik Bay lies at the far end of the shoreline running out to Demre harbour, in the Demre district of Antalya. Its name comes from the pines on the slopes around it - camlik means pine grove - and it is usually the last stop on the Kekova day-boat circuit, the final swim before the run home.

The Shape of the Bay

Camlik is narrow and long, closed in on almost every side, which keeps the water inside flat even when there is a chop outside. It is sheltered from westerly winds. There is no road down to it, no village behind it and no facilities of any kind: no water, no shade beyond the trees, nowhere to buy lunch.

Swimming

The seabed is white sand, and that is what gives the bay its colour, turquoise in the shallows and deeper blue further out. Several cold freshwater springs rise inside the bay, so the temperature is uneven; you can be swimming in warm water and hit a cold patch within a stroke or two. Sea temperatures on this coast reach roughly 28 °C in August, and the springs are the reason people who have done the circuit before save their longest swim for here.

The water deepens quickly away from the rocks and there is no gently shelving beach, so children and weaker swimmers need flotation aids.

Anchoring

Boats anchor in the sand towards the entrance and take a line ashore, the standard method in a bay this shape. Room to turn is limited and larger vessels should be careful: the narrowness that keeps the water calm also makes manoeuvring awkward. With no landing and no road access, Camlik is best reached during a Kas gulet cruise or on one of the day boats that closes its Kekova loop here.

Wildlife

Loggerhead turtles are seen in the waters off this part of the coast. The pine slopes are loud with birds, which is one of the things people notice most, since there is no engine noise or beach bar to drown them out. This stretch between Kas and Demre falls under the Kas-Kekova Specially Protected Area, declared in 1990, which restricts building along the shore and is a large part of why the bay still looks the way it does.

What to Bring

• Drinking water and food. There is nothing at the bay.
• Sun protection. Shade is limited to the pines at the head of the bay.
• Flotation aids for children.
• A mask. The clarity is the whole reason boats stop here.