To give a short summary, June Haimoff (called "Kaptan June" by Dalyan locals), first came to Iztuzu beach in 1975 while she was sailing the Mediteraneans coasts with her boat.  She fell in love with Iztuzu and in 1986 decided to move there. At the time Dalyan locals had wooden huts on the beach which had no electricty or water and that they used simply as summer residences. She had one such hut built for herself and started to spend her summer month on Iztuzu beach. 

One night she saw the Caretta Caretta turtles come lay their eggs on the beach, and from that moment on her future aswell as that of the turtles and dalyan was to be completely changed. Thanks to her international campaign efforts, the construction of a large hotel complex whose foundations had already been laid  on the beach was canceled.  Thus, the endangered Caretta Caretta were saved and Iztuzu Beach’s natural environment was preserved to this day. 

A sample of the hut inhabited by Captain June filled with loads of her past memories (photographs, articles...) is a the entrance of Iztuzu Beach. We strongly recommend you visit her hut.

Captain June continues to this day to be active in the conservation of Dalyan. She has a written a book detailing her Dalyan adventures. 

* Captain June does not have any connection with our hotel, however we wished to dedicate this section of our site to her due to her important role in protecting the Caretta Carettas in Dalyan. 

For more detailed information you can visit the links below:

June Haimoff, Wikipedia

Kaptan June Sea Turtle Conservation Foundation

Kaptan June's Hut & Public Relations Centre