Foça 25-26-27 Eylül

Centuries before its sailors founded Marseille and Corsican trading posts, the sea haven of Foça took its name from the Mediterranean monk seals that still inhabit its outer archipelago. Foça 25-26-27 Eylül is an open water swimming race held in the Aegean Sea at Foça, along the historic western coast of İzmir in Turkey. Organized by AquaRally, the event gathers swimmers in late September for an open course that reaches across pristine saltwater bays. The 5,000-metre swim is contested in the open water of Mersinaki Bay, an indented sea basin set directly in front of the town that has previously hosted the Turkish Open Water Swimming Championship. Swimmers entering the bay meet bracing sea conditions, as Mersinaki Cove is noted for having cooler waters than neighbouring stretches of the shoreline.

Rather than an obstacle, this sharp chill feels invigorating against the lingering warmth of the Aegean late summer. Swimmers trace the long route under bright skies and an exceptionally mild late-September climate, surrounded by a coastline recognized for sea sports and bordered by eight Blue Flag beaches.

The Foça Islands and the Siren Rocks monk seal haven

To preserve these solitary marine mammals, the waters are enclosed within the Foça Special Environmental Protection Area, one of only three marine protected zones in Turkey specifically dedicated to monk seal conservation. Just offshore rise the Foça Islands, a cluster of six uninhabited isles whose sheer cliffs reach heights of up to 80 metres on Hayırsız and Kartdere. Hayırsız Island takes its local name from its barren profile, where no vegetation grows upon the rock face. At the outer edge of this marine wilderness lie the jagged Siren Rocks, immortalized by Homer in the Odyssey, where myth blends with wildlife on the sun-warmed stone ledges frequented by the seals.

Orak Island and the naval clash in Foça harbour

Long before modern swimmers took to these waters, ancient Phokaia was established by Aeolians in the eleventh century BC and flourished as an Ionian powerhouse whose seafaring navigators charted the Mediterranean. The most prominent landmark off the coast is Orak Island, the largest in the Foça group, which sits just 400 metres from the mainland shore. Named after a curving spit of land at its southern tip, Orak features a quiet pebble beach and traces of settlement extending from classical antiquity through the Late Roman Empire. On its rocky surface, three ancient stone pits remain carved into the bedrock, including one believed to have served as an open-air sanctuary dedicated to the goddess Cybele.

Waters about 3 km from the race area also witnessed dramatic naval warfare. In May 1649, the Battle of Focchies erupted directly inside the harbour when Venetian and Ottoman fleets engaged in close combat. During the struggle, the Venetian warship Francese ran aground and was destroyed by shore troops, while burning Ottoman galleys turned toward the Venetian lines at midnight when the wind suddenly shifted direction. Ten days after the battle, another battered Venetian warship, the James, succumbed to its combat damage and foundered in heavy weather.

The Gediz Delta and the ancient Gulf of Çandarlı

The headland of Foça marks the southern threshold of the Gulf of Çandarlı, known across the ancient world as the Elaitic Gulf and bounded to the north by Çandarlı. Historically, this expansive embayment served as the geographic core of the Aeolian confederacy, linking seafaring settlements across coastal Asia Minor. To the south, the marine environment is profoundly shaped by the Gediz River, the classical Hermus, which winds for 401 kilometres from Mount Murat to discharge into the Aegean. Over millennia, its silt created a vast 40,000-hectare coastal delta that gradually incorporated former sea islands into the mainland. Designated as an internationally protected Ramsar wetland in 1998, the delta complex forms a vast natural buffer south of Foça's sheltered bays.

Old Foça harbour, Beşkapılar Castle, and Karakum Beach

After swimming the 5,000 metres in Mersinaki Bay, the rhythm of Foça centres on its historic working harbour. The quayside is lined with traditional blue-and-white wooden fishing boats, framed by open-air cafes, seaside tavernas, and the imposing stone ramparts of Beşkapılar Castle, whose five arched gateways once guarded the medieval shipyard. For an easy swim or an afternoon by the water, Karakum Beach stretches for 500 metres along a Blue Flag shore where a soft sandy entry gives way to a rocky seabed. Evenings along the waterfront revolve around classic Aegean dining, where local tavernas serve meze appetizers and signature dishes like freshly caught fish paired with strained yogurt. Visits almost always end with a scoop of Foça's renowned mastic-flavoured ice cream. On the hillside above town, historic windmills offer a sweeping view across the bay, the Siren Rocks, and the open sea.