Cleopatra Island Reef

Cleopatra Island — Sedir Adası — is famous for its extraordinary quartz sand beach but the reef that wraps its northern and eastern shores is equally remarkable, a steeply sloping wall covered in gorgonian sea fans and populated by barracuda, damselfish, and schools of bream that patrol the current-swept promontories. Posidonia beds in the island's lee shelter juvenile fish and invertebrates in dense nursery habitat while the drop-off holds large predators including dentex and amberjack. The combination of dramatic topography, crystal visibility, and rich fish life makes this the signature dive of the Marmaris region.