Considering North Cyprus is surrounded by water, it comes as no surprise that there is a wealth of water activities and sports to participate in, and in this article we will give a brief summary of what is available and some of the companies that can offer a variety of facilities to ensure you have a great time, whatever you choose to do.
Boat Trips are a very relaxing way of viewing the Mediterranean and the wonderful coastline of North Cyprus. There are many companies offering boat trips, and they can be found in the old harbour of Kyrenia, where prices usually cost around £20 per person, with lunch provided on-board. Leaving each morning they will take you either east or west along the coastline, stopping off for lunch and a swim before returning in the early evening. Try Blue Dolphin which has a wonderfully crafted gullet boat.
Diving or Snorkelling is a great introduction for children and adults to water activities in North Cyprus, and there are several diving centres which either operate 
within a hotel resort or beach club, so they are very easy to find out about. You can participate in trial dives if you are on holiday and then go on to do a diving course if you have time, or if you feel diving is something that you want to do more of. Instructors should be fully qualified and be able to provide the necessary accreditation and insurance. Why not try Amphora Diving in Alsancak, Kyrenia, who offer a great range of dive courses and some excellent dive locations to explore www.amphoradiving.com, or Famagusta is also another popular diving area so try www.themarineacademy.com. Our more in-depth article on diving in North Cyprus gives you more information should you wish to know more.
Fishing is another relaxing way to spend your holidays or free time! Again many of the boats located in any of the harbours such as Kyrenia or Boğaz offer fishing trips, or you can even ask a local fisherman if you can join him! The 
waters in North Cyprus are home to around 80 species of fish, ranging from the small parrot fish, mackerel, cod, plaice, sea bass, bream and eel to the larger tuna, swordfish and mineri, so you should be able to catch something on a trip! Try the Amanda Suzanne Tel : +90 (0)533 842 9965 or +90 (0)533 877 9607.
Sailing/Yachting courses can be found in the local harbour towns and is actually a very calm and tranquil way of skirting the coastline with the summer weather meaning the seas are extremely calm. It’s become a very popular pastime since the first Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally in 1990 which visited North Cyprus as part of its route, which is now a major feature of the yachting calendar featuring around 100 vessels.
Water Sports are certainly one of the most popular ways of enjoying your holiday. You can try anything from inflatable donuts and bananas to jet-skis, dinghies, parasailing, waterskiing or wakeboarding. Again a lot of these facilities are available at beach clubs and hotel resorts so they are easy to find. No websites are available but why not try Camelot or Sunset Beach Clubs in Alsancak who provide all sorts of fun water sports for the family to try.
Water Parks are another favourite for the kids – and perhaps adults too! The Oscar (tel. +90 (0)392 815 4801) and Acapulco Resorts (tel.+90 (0)392 824 44) to the east of Kyrenia, both have great water slide parks to spend hours mucking around in, with slides, huge pools, flumes and even organised daily pool and poolside activities for children in the summer. Both are open to non-residents of the hotel, but you should expect to pay an 
entrance fee for the day. If you are on the west coast of Kyrenia then there is the slide park and wave pool at the Club Lapethos in Lapta, or in Famagusta there is the Club Exotic which has a slide park.
Swimming comes last but not least! There are without question plenty of places to have a dip in the Med, and you can either drive along the coast to find some wonderfully secluded and sheltered spots, or spend the day at one of the many beach clubs around the central areas. There are also indoor and outdoor pools at the major hotels that are also open to non-residents, normally being free for use if you have a bite to eat whilst you are there.
So, we hope this has given you a good idea of what is here in North Cyprus to tempt you in the way of water based activities, now all you have to do is find time to try them all! You can find out more about land based activities in other our related article as well as a more in-depth look at diving.
