Flying low! Algae-covered WWII warplane sunk off the coast of Turkey has become an underwater playground for divers

This Douglas Dakota DC-3 once flew at altitudes of 8,000ft, but now it lies 70 feet beneath the surface of the Mediterranean.

The 65-foot-long plane, which was used as a transporter for a Turkish paratroop regiment, was deliberately sunk in waters off Kas, Turkey, in July 2009, and has become an underwater playground for divers.

Dive by: A diver swims next to the wreck of a Dakota DC-3 which was deliberately sunk off Turkey to create an underwater playground for divers

Looming out of the darkness: Wrecks act as artificial reefs which makes them interesting to scuba divers, says Rico Besserdich

As the underwater visibility is often poor at the site you have to dive quite deep before you see the plane - as you get closer it looms out of the darkness.'

The sunken plane, with its 30-metre wingspan, now acts as an artificial reef and provides shelter for a wide variety of marine wildlife.

Down below: A diver explores the 20 metre-long plane, with its 30-metre wingspan

Barracudas occasionally drift past the coral-encrusted twin propeller engines. So do divers!

Shrimp gobies live in the cool sand in the shadow of the plane and occasionally barracudas drift past the coral-encrusted twin propeller engines in search of food.

'Wrecks act as artificial reefs which makes them interesting to scuba divers,' said Besserdich.

'You usually expect underwater wrecks of all kinds to be broken into pieces. This airplane is more or less fully intact which makes it seem even stranger.

Left: Inside the cockpit of the wreck of a Dakota DC-3. Right: Under the nose of the algae-covered DC-3

The very first Douglas DC-3, built in the UK, took off in 1935. It was one of the most successful airplane models of its time and around 13,000 were built.

The military variant used by Allied forces was designated the C-47 Skytrain, of which more than 10,000 were produced.

The last DC-3 was built in 1945, but some models are still flying as cargo aircraft in developing countries such as Bolivia and Tonga.

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