Turkey’s Summer Kickoff: SUP Mania and a Dangerous Cliff Jumping Trend

A Russian expat living in Turkey has sounded the alarm about a risky pastime she’s witnessed among tourists this season: cliff jumping gone wrong. In her personal blog, “Mom by the Sea, Turkey and Travel,” she describes the scene as “tragic cliff jumping,” after a near-fatal incident at a popular coastal spot.

According to the blogger, Turkey’s “perfect summer” kicked off on May 28 with temperatures hovering between 26 and 30 degrees Celsius. Beaches are busy but not yet overcrowded. The first thing she noticed? A sea of stand-up paddleboards. “We arrived at Beach Park around 10 a.m. on the weekend and were shocked. The entire water was dotted with SUPs,” she wrote. Many paddlers had already finished their sessions, with locals telling her they hit the water as early as 6:30 a.m. to enjoy calm seas and cooler air.

But the paddleboard craze took a dark turn when the blogger’s husband decided to jump off a cliff. A young man who had been working up the courage for nearly twenty minutes went first—leaping from a height of about 20 meters. Seconds later, screams for help rang out. “He was in bad shape: barely moving, losing consciousness, clearly suffering serious injuries from the impact,” the blogger recounted. An ambulance rushed him away.

She warns that such accidents are becoming common, with local authorities struggling to respond. As Turkey’s summer heats up, her message is clear: a thrilling jump can quickly turn into a life-threatening mistake.