What a dive
Students reach new depths learning what lies beneath on a groundbreaking course.
Life’s a beach for students at one of the world’s only academic departments dedicated to the twin disciplines of underwater archaeology and photography.
Some of the world’s leading underwater film-makers have benefited from the EMU department’s expertise. Hundreds of students each year introduced to the diverse underwater world surrounding North Cyprus .
Lecturer Hakan Oniz helps lead EMU’s underwater Research and Imaging Centre, which has helped train big names in the specialist field.
Mr oniz,43,says the waters around the island-and those off the southern coast of Anatolia-offer some of the best diving environments in the world.
“A lot of people believe the Red Sea is best but I an interested in archaeology rather than biology.
“The coast of Cyprus and Turkey is still virgin territory- sometimes I think I am in a Hollywood film. Many of these places are still untouched.”
Mr Oniz says his department does does not have too many problems attracting students
-some lectures are even held on the beach-but he stresses that the courses are not easy.
“I give two lectures each week: underwater photography and advanced underwater media techniques.
“Every semester we have more than 200 students. From the beginning some of the them cannot swim . we teach them to swim then teach them to dive with flippers and snorkel and some of them go on to learn scuba diving. Conditions are perfect in Cyprus in the summer.
“Later they take photograps underwater and the advanced course sees them do media techniques underwater too such as videography.
“It opens up another world to the students. The sea is not simply there to provide a nice view. There is life under thisview-a very beautiful from a life.”
Mr Öniz says that, after the course, about 10 per cent of hıs students are as knowledgeable as many underwater cameramen and women workıng throughout the world.
He said:” Some of the ımages taken by our students have featured promınently ın underwater imaging festivals*ıncludıng those ın Belgradeö Moscow and France.”
The underwater Research and imaging Centre also runs diving,diving first aid, underwater photography, short-range radio and boat captaincy cources offering qualifications recognised in Europe.
And each year EMU hosts an international coast and says underwater photography and film festival which has built up a loyal following.
Mr Öniz has dıved off much of the North Cyprus coast and says his favourite underwater haunts include the shallows surrounding the Klidhes islands* a cluster of three rocky outcrops off the tip of the Karpaz.
“These three islands are important for underwater archaeology because lots of ships have sunk there.
“Boats now have engines but every year there is a boat that sinks there. So think about the past when they just had sails and oars. Coming close to Dipkarpaz was very difficult to do – especially during a storm.
“Sailors from the eastern mediterranean have sailing boats over the last 5,000 years- and as long ago as 50,000 years ago people used primitive crafts to come here and they often sank. Some of the ships remain out thereç sometimes you can identify shipwrecks by the amphoras(ancıent storage jars).”
Although Pennsylvania University,s Michael Katzev completed the first underwater archaeological survey of Cyprus in 1967, leading to the discovery of the Kyrenia shipwreck, now on show at Girne Castle,s Ancient Shipwreck Museum, comparatively little further work on the underwater treasures of North Cyprus has been completed.
One problem is that people are forbidden from diving on recognised archaeological sites in TRNC waters because of the island,s political situation.
“ Archaeology here is interwined with politics,” sighs Mr Öniz. “It has been mixed up for thousands of years because archaeology is identified with nationalism. So we have to keep our distance.
“Because of the politics of the island at the moment all our underwater projects are in Turkey.”
That beıng the case, the underwater Research and İmaging Centre is currently working on six projects in Turkish waters.
In August 2008, EMU academics launched a project in collaboration with Turkey,s Kocaeli University, İstanbul University and the University of Bristol.
The İstanbul Prehistoric Survey scheme will assess the archaeological merits of İstanbul,s Küçükçekmece Lake- located between the ancient city and sea of Marmara. I has so far discovered the remains of a large number of ancient villas and a Byzantine lighthouse lying under the surface.
The project recently captured the imagination of the Turkish press-with the turkish edition of National Geographic magazine featuring the scheme on its cover.
Mr Öniz, who is director of the project,s underwater operations, said: “ There are more than 20 universities in İstanbul but a Cyprus university has realised important research and excavation at thi site.
“There is still a connection between the lake and the sea for boats, which was much wider in the past. It formed a secure natural harbour for ships travelling between the Agean and the Black seas.
“The team has found architectural remains including artefacts from the Neolithic, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods. We have also found a fortification wall and harbours.”
A team of EMU archaeologists is also working on a site off the coast of the turkish town of Kemer , near Antalya, which has yielded three shipwrecks from ancient times. Amphorae, anchors, ceramic tiles and pottery from prehistoric, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods have been discovered at the site.
And the remains of an ancient quay at Mersin,s Aydıncık Kelenderis Harbour have also been revealed by EMU experts.
But the faculity,s work is not solely if we find more fish for you there is no reason to kill the concentrated on the past.
Mr Öniz and his colleagues are working on a 300,000 euro european Union-funded project to built a kilometre-long artificial reef to boost marine life off the coast of Boğaz.
“Our research centre has prepared a project with the fisherman of Boğaz to create man-made reefs,” he explained.”We have selected a sandy beach which is not good for marine life,” said Mr Öniz.
“Fishing is a big problem on the island as fish want to live among rocks-sea grass can also not live on a sandy beach.”
Concreete blocks will be sunk at the site as well as specially-constructed concrete”fish houses”.
“Plankton will be attracted in one or two years and then the fish will follow . It will have a positive effect on marine life.
“We have made a deal with the fishermen and said’ if we find more fish for you there is no reason to kill the turtles.’
“Also, we had a problem with the middlemen between the fishermen and the restaurants who were buying cheap and selling high. So we have dedided to select a place at Boğaz harbour where the fishermen can sell their fish.
“We will also have a place for the cold storage of fish. We are looking to complete the project within a year. It is a very important scheme because fishermen-whoface a very hard living-will get more money. We will also increase the marine life there too.”
Since it was established seven years ago, the faculty has quickly established a strong reputation among other universities conducting research on underwater archaeology worldwide.
Film makers from the BBC,s award-winning Blue Planet series, as well as National Geographic magazine and the Discovery Channel, have all attended EMU to share their expertise and learn more about the eastern Mediterranean.
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