While on vacation, we had several opportunities to visit Yalıkavak. Yalıkavak is a bit larger than the village of Gümüşlük, and not nearly as big and commercial as Bodrum.
Yalıkavak is super cute! The beaches are small, but great. Restaurants on the beach allow visitors to use their lounge chairs free of charge. Be careful if you eat at one of those places though, they often charge a fee for the view. If you ask before sitting, you can often get out of the paying the fee. But if not, pay it. The sunsets are amazing!
The main area is really quaint. White houses and shops with blue-trimmed windows. A pazar area full of small shops.
Yalıkavak is known for its artists. There are many small shops full of paintings, jewelry, and other artwork. Things you don’t see in most of Turkey. We even met someone I had read about. There is a tiny tiny village called Sandima with three residents. One was born there, and the other two are Bohemian artists who made Sandima their home. We met one of the artists and ended up with not one, but two paintings. One from her and one of her husband’s work.
There is one section of Yalıkavak where one can see water on both sides of the road. Lots of boating, hiking, and other tourist activities.
There is another beach that is open to the public that is much more quiet. Most foreigners don’t seek it out. The Turks bring picnic lunches and make use of the tables provided. It was here that my babe and I attempted snorkeling with the new GoPro camera. It was a lot of fun, but we definitely have to work on our underwater camera skills. (And I have to work on my snorkeling. I had the hubby holding on to me the whole time. ) If you look closely, you can even see a few fish.
Adventures in Ankara 
nice pics of a nice place – pity about the murky water ;-D
T,
You will have to adjust your “white balance” when shooting under water. The sun coming through the water is greatly magnified at the top. As you know schools of fish can move very quickly side to side so a good shutter speed must be maintained. Try not to use “Auto” when doing this because the camera most likely will not be able to focus quickly enough. Single slow movers…no problem just watch your “white balance. Most of all as with any pic taking, watch your “aperture setting” cause your “depth of field” will be just as important. Finally, set your “ISO” to 100 in clear water and pics will come out fantastic. If I said anything you already know I apologize. You well know that sometimes that one fabulous pic can slip away in a split second!
Enjoy!
Artie
I love seeing these pictures from so far away! It is so refreshing to see something brand new as the world goes round. 🙂
Interesting how we all see different things! Thanks for the info Artie. I really don’t know my basics when it comes to photography. The GoPro is really a different camera, it’s a sports camera, designed to take videos while snow boarding, skiing, biking, snorkeling, etc. It does not have many settings, but I will check to see if it has any of the things you mentioned. In fact, there is no viewfinder at all. You literally point and shoot and have no idea what it captures until you hook it up to the pc or tv. It also captures a wide-angle, which sometimes is fun because it can look rounded, almost like a globe.
The waters weren’t that murky. But the reflection from the sun, our shadows, and the dirt we kicked up do cause issues. The camera really isn’t marketed as an underwater camera, although it certainly does the job for fun. It’s more of a speed camera.
T,
Yes the “wide angle lens will give you a “fish-eye” looking pic and can be fun to work with. Since the camera is built for speed it can or should be able to handle the quick moving schools of fish. Made for “snow boarding? Well that would solve your “white balance” issue! Bright sun hitting snow…yeow. You need white “balance control” like crazy there! As with any new camera you will certainly learn it’s traits as you go.
Happy shooting!
Artie
Yalikavak is lovely. That house on the beach (seven photo down) with a walled garden looking over the sea is just stunning but stands empty. It’s owned by the municipality and we would have loved to rented it.
Oops – typing too quickly. I should have said – Yalikavak is lovely. That house on the beach (seventh photo down) with a walled garden overlooking the sea is just stunning but stands empty. It’s owned by the municipality and we would have loved to have rented it.
Buying art from the artist is one of my favorite things to do!
On our first visit to Turkey, Yalikavak tugged an my heart strings, and on that and subsequent trips, we make countless stops at Yalikavak. There’s an active art and craft movement in the town, with plenty of opportunities to buy handmade items and artwork, not available anywhere else. The Thursday market is my favourite on the peninsula, and I love wandering around it, munching on a cheese gozleme.
The view from the 3 windmills on the hill is great. You get a lovely view of Yalikavak, but you can also see the other side of the peninsula, and some of the Greek islands. If you time your trip right, you may even get to see them unfurling the sails of the renovated windmill.
You are bringing back such lovely memories. It’s been almost a year now since I have been there. While I love visiting all parts of Turkey, I really do want to go back to Yalikavak and Gumusluk. It was so relaxing and beautiful!