Can You Swim In The Black Sea Turkey? | All You Need To Know

Most tourists who travel to the countries around the Black Sea, such as Turkey, are looking for an answer to the question “Can you swim in the Black Sea?”

In general, swimming in the Black Sea is safe, but as you know, swimming in each beach has its own rules and conditions.

During my trip to Turkey, I visited different beaches of the Black Sea, and in this article, I intend to introduce you to the dangers that threaten you while swimming. If you want to avoid risking your life while swimming in the Black Sea, read this article to the end.

Read the article “Turkey Black Sea Beaches” for more information about the beaches I consider safe for swimming.

The Black Sea in Türkiye

During the war between Ukraine and Russia, the Kakhovka dam was destroyed, and that is why some people are worried about swimming in the Black Sea. About this issue, I must mention that the government of Ukraine has banned fishing in the Black Sea for some time. Also, some contaminations have been reported on the Black Sea coasts in Georgia, but these contaminations do not enter the Black Sea coasts in Turkey. And people can swim on Turkish beaches without worry.

Turkey is one of the countries that has a maritime boundary with the Black Sea, and tourists who travel to Turkey can also visit the Black Sea. 

The cities of Onyeh, Ordu, Sinop, Shile, etc. are among the cities whose coasts are connected to the Black Sea. But if you are looking for luxury and modern Black Sea beaches, you should go to Istanbul.

Safety tips in the Black Sea

You should know that dangers lurk even in the calmest waters, and if you don’t follow the safety tips, you may drown in the seawater. You should pay attention to the fact that you should not swim in the sea when you are under the influence of substances or drugs that reduce alertness and accuracy. 

You should know that there are sharks in the Black Sea, but there have been no reports about sharks on the beaches. Jellyfish is another creature that exists in the Black Sea, and based on the information I read in the Lonely Planet Turkey book, I found out that it also has a painful sting.

To avoid jellyfish stings, wear protective clothing and apply sunscreen before entering the water to protect your skin from stinging jellyfish stings.

Every year, many people drown in the seas, and the main reason for these events can be attributed to a phenomenon called Rip Currents. It is interesting to know that about 150 people die yearly in the American seas due to this phenomenon. According to the research, only some people are aware of this phenomenon, while something like 80% of the rescue operations at sea are related to this phenomenon.🌊

Sea waves moving towards the coast always transfer a large amount of water to the land, but randomly in some parts of the sea, cracks are created, and the seawater in these waterways returns to the sea at high speed. It is called Rip Current.

If a person is caught in a rip current, he will be quickly pulled into the sea by the strong current of water. If you get caught in a rip current, you won’t be able to swim to the shore, and if you waste too much energy swimming to the shore, you may drown in the sea.

Rip Currents are about 10 meters wide, and their length can reach 500 meters. In Rip Currents, the seawater moves quickly toward the sea, and even if you are an Olympic swimming champion, you have little chance to swim to the shore.🏊‍♂️

If you are swimming in the Black Sea or any other sea and get stuck in a Rip Current, you should not swim towards the shore, but you should swim across the sea to get out of the Rip Current. As we said above, the Rip Current is about 10 meters wide, so you can get out of it and save yourself by swimming around it and along the shore.

But if you can’t get out of the Rip Current and the water current puts you back into the Rip Current, try to stay afloat. After a while, the strength of the Rip Current will decrease, and you can swim along the shore.

Can You Swim In The Black Sea?

You can swim in the Black Sea. But The Black Sea has a unique feature, which is why people think it is impossible to swim in this sea.

The Black Sea is anoxic, meaning there is no oxygen in some parts of the seawater. The Black Sea, with a depth of 2212 meters, is one of the deep seas, but the amount of salt in it is less than in other seas.

This sea is known for having two layers. The upper layer of the Black Sea, which is 200 meters deep, has oxygen and signs of life in it. The bottom layer, which is called the dead layer, is composed in such a way that so far, no creature has been able to survive in it.

The reason for the formation of the bottom layer in the Black Sea is that salty water flowed from the Mediterranean Sea into the Black Sea, which was mixed with the freshwater of the Black Sea in the past and went to its depths due to its greater density.

At the same time, the upper layer of this sea was formed as a combination of fresh and salt water. The deeper part contains 78% of the water volume of this sea; it contains water free of hydrogen sulfide.

Upon consideration

As you have seen, you can swim in the Black Sea coast of Turkey by observing safety precautions. In addition to the beaches of the Black Sea, Turkey also has the beaches of Marmara, which has very enjoyable water activities.