Spit between black and Azov. Tuzla scythe next to taman
Spit Tuzla is located near the village of Taman in the Temryuk district Krasnodar Territory. This is a well-known and popular holiday destination among both tourists and locals.
Tuzla Spit on the map of the Krasnodar Territory
Having seen enough photos of the Tuzla Spit on the Internet, we decided to go to rest between the two seas. To get to the Tuzla Spit by car, you need to drive through Temryuk to Taman. In Temryuk, by the way, you can buy a good one at the factory. When you reach Taman, look carefully at the signs. There will be pointers to the scythe. The road to the Tuzla Spit, although unpaved, is quite flat and can be driven by any car without difficulty.
On one side of the Tuzla Spit, the sea was muddy and gray, and on the other, dark blue. 
The Tuzla Spit itself is made artificially. It acts as a narrow long strip directly into the sea. Its length is about 4 kilometers. They say that the fish on the Tuzla Spit are visible and invisible. I didn’t fish myself, but there are a lot of fishermen on the spit, both from one side and the other.
Fans of spearfishing and diving are also enough on the spit. Dolphins often come here, stingrays are found, or as they are also called sea cats, you can find shells - rapana, gobies, mullet, pelengas and flounder. I am telling from the words of a local fisherman with whom we talked.
Opposite the Tuzla Spit, Ukraine is the Kerch Strait, after all. Mobile phones immediately start working in roaming mode and receive SMS, where you are congratulated on the fact that you have come to Ukraine. 
Entry into the sea on most of the spit is not very good. Most of the stones near the shore are large and quite sharp. Putting up a tent is also problematic. Near the coast there is a very narrow strip of land. And stopping right on the road is both inconvenient and unsafe.
But if you drive almost to the very end of the tuzla spit, there will be an already equipped beach. Here the entry into the sea is normal and there is a place for tents. But if a strong wind blows, staying on the spit is not very pleasant. We did not risk it and left for the Taman Peninsula. We stopped in a wonderful place, a small lagoon, where there was almost no wind, and the sea and nature were amazing.
This is a photo of the Tuzla Spit from the sea. A long yellow stripe stretched far, far away.
An interesting place on the Taman Peninsula.
The spit that once adjoined the Taman Peninsula near Cape Tuzla turned into an island in 1925, when the Kuban Cossacks, for the convenience of fishing, in order not to go around the many-kilometer spit, decided to dig a channel in it for the passage of boats. According to the creators of the canal, it should not have brought damage to nature, but already in the same year, during a strong storm, a “washout” formed on the spit, which only increased over the years. Over time, the tip of the spit became an island separate from the mainland - Tuzla.Only in 2003 the spit was restored by the Russian side.
1. Entrance to the Tuzla Spit. 
2. The road leading to the spit. 
3. Cape Tuzla and lighthouse. 
4. Cargo ships in the road at the entrance to the Kerch Strait. 
5. Vessels of the fishing artel near the Tuzla Spit. 
6. The Ukrainian coast and the waters of the Kerch Strait. Sea of Azov. 
7. Animals ... 
8. Fresh lake at the base of the braid. 
9. The road on the spit: on the right - the Sea of \u200b\u200bAzov, on the left - the Black Sea, straight ahead - the Kerch Strait and Ukraine. 
10. Beaches on the banks of the spit. Only here you can swim in two seas at once, just by crossing the road. 
11. There are also many "hunters" for the Azov bull. 
About Kuban earlier.
Spit Tuzla (Tuzlinskaya spit) - a spit in the Kerch Strait on the Taman Peninsula, near the village of Taman. Near the spit there are many interesting geographical objects. There are toponyms such as Tuzla Island, Tuzla Lake, Tuzla Cape.
The Tuzla Spit was formed as a result of the union of small islands and shoals, under the constant influence of the ebbs and flows of the Black and Azov Seas. Due to which there was a gradual deposition of sand and its accumulation on a long section of the formed spit. As a result economic activity man, the island of Tuzla was formed, which was part of the spit back in the 20s of the last century. The island was part of Ukraine until 2014. In 2003, during the border conflict between the Russian Federation and the Ukrainian Republic, the spit was strengthened and lengthened. It was planned to restore the blurred area between the skeleton and the spit. But as a result of the conflict, further construction and strengthening of the coast ended. Its length is about 4 km.
The Tuzla Spit is a unique place on the one hand washed by the Black Sea and on the other by the waters of the Taman Bay belonging to the Sea of Azov, from it you can also see the island of Tuzla and Cape Tuzla itself, the Kerch Strait, the Crimean peninsula, the Taman hills, parking of large-capacity sea vessels, a panorama of the Chushka Spit and the port of the Caucasus. This is a place of active fishing and recreation. In summer, camping and a beach operated on the spit. I advise you to take warm clothes with you, as the place is open and the wind can be very, very cold.
IN this moment construction work is underway on the spit. A bridge is already being erected between the spit and Tuzla Island. Soon, very soon, the main bridge will be built.
Tuzla Spit long before the construction of the bridge
This article was written in 2009. At that time, no one could have imagined that a super-bridge would be built on this site. Therefore, the text of the article is left practically unchanged, but it should be read adjusted for the time of publication.
Currently (beginning of 2009), the name "Tuzla" is officially borne by two geographical formations - this is Cape Tuzla and Tuzla Island, the full name of which sounds like "Tuzla Spit Island". The word "spit" in the name of the island is apparently present because at the beginning of the last century this very island was indeed a spit and, just like now the Chushka spit, was an inseparable part Taman Peninsula. It was on the Tuzla Spit in 1792 that the Cossacks of the Black Sea Cossack Army landed, and at the beginning of the 20th century. on the spit there were about a dozen Cossack farms. But in the 20s...
View of the dumped Tuzla spit
A little background
And in the 1920s, more precisely in 1925, at the base of the spit, for the passage of fishing boats, a canal was dug, which, as they thought, would benefit fishing and not harm nature (although they most likely did not think about nature, as is usually the case). Mother Nature looked at these human interventions and ... In general, was she offended, did she decide to help, but in the same 1925 there was a strong southern storm, as a result of which the channel turned into a strait, and after a while the width of the strait reached several kilometers. So the spit turned into a separate island.
At the end of the forties, an attempt was made to restore the scythe. Piles were then driven along the entire length, and a mesh of metal rings was stretched between them. It was assumed that this design would be enough for the formation of land by the forces of nature. However, either the piles were rarely installed, or it was still necessary to first consult with scientists, but the idea not only did not justify itself, but in the very first winter the entire structure was destroyed by the same forces of nature.
If the island is located separately from the mainland, this does not mean at all that a separate, independent life can be led on it. No, well, of course, the specificity of remoteness is inevitable in itself, but the administrative territory of the island should be subordinated to someone. And everything seemed to be as it should be, but in the end ... Well, see for yourself.
After the formation of the island of the Middle Spit (as the island was called in the forties), he, the island, was subordinate to the Temryuk region, Krasnodar Territory. Then the islanders did not like the way the local authorities fulfill their duties, namely, they did not like that they were forgotten during the elections to the local council (as if they had no other problems) and they petitioned for the reassignment of the spit to the Kerch City Council. In January 1941, the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR was issued on the transfer of the island of the Middle Spit to the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.
The bureaucracy also had the opportunity to exist in Soviet times, and therefore they did not actually have time to resubordinate the island - the Great Patriotic War began. In the post-war years, there were also enough problems. Almost two decades have passed since the issuance of that decree, and now, in 1958, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR (by that time Crimea had already been transferred to Ukraine) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the RSFSR established administrative borders between the fraternal republics precisely according to the decree of the 41st year.
Administrative boundaries were revised again in the early seventies. Yes, and what is it? Ordinary state nomenklatura activity. In general, this is how it is, but that state no longer exists. It broke up into the very socialist republics. And the fraternal Ukrainian SSR suddenly became a foreign territory, and the island of the Middle Spit, and now the Tuzla Spit, is now a foreign territory.
Stop. Now is the time to make a statement. The author of this text does not in any way intend to conduct any political agitation and other political activities. Politics, as they say, to politicians. Why am I? Moreover, in 2003 the Russian side took concrete steps to restore the Tuzla Spit. This is the purpose for which this was done, and I will not discuss it, so as not to get into politics and not get away from the story about what this description was actually started for.
About the newly sprinkled braid
So, the work was in full swing day and night. Trucks with soil, stones and surroundings for a long time disturbed the sleep of those residents of the village of Taman, along whose streets the route of trucks passed. Well, such is the price of large construction projects. A year later, the bulk spit had a width of tens of meters and a length of 4 kilometers ...
Well, it’s not for nothing that the word “politics” was mentioned a little higher in the text. Well, it is impossible in the story about the new Tuzla spit to keep silent about the fact that the construction of the spit, from the very beginning of construction, acquired political overtones, and even at the interstate level. And how did you want with this geographical location. Yes, it could not be otherwise, but they did not begin to pour the scythe further into the sea.
In general, our spit has grown not only through the hard work of the road builders, but also through the temporary hardships of the inhabitants of Taman, and also, and this is no secret to anyone, by political tension between the two states. By the way, if you look at the braid using the service satellite imagery from GOOGLE, then through the clear water the underwater relief of the spit is very clearly visible.
All. Here she is. Eat. So what's next? And then the fishermen were the first to go to the dusty, not yet rolled embankment, and they liked this new spit so much that the number of people who wanted to go fishing only grew. And what - if you want to throw a fishing rod into the Black Sea, but if you want into the Taman Bay ... Beauty!
After a year or two, and in that warm summer, people, both old and young, went to the spit, so as not only to fish, but also to search, but for the sake of the body of pleasure and in the southern sun, yes to soak up. And there was a place to soak up the sun, because every year more and more sand, pebbles and shells were brought from the sea, and the spit became wider. So a natural beach began to appear at the artificial embankment.
The Tuzla spit and part of the coast at its base were becoming increasingly popular among visitors and local vacationers, and this circumstance could not go unnoticed - Tuzla became one of the attractions of the Taman Peninsula, and entry to the spit was no longer free.
During a strong storm in November 2007, in the roadstead opposite Cape Tuzla, one dry-cargo vessel sank and broke apart, but one tanker loaded with fuel oil did not sink. Oil emissions were in many places, including Azov coast, but most of them were on the Tuzla coast. Despite the fact that large-scale, and most importantly, effective work was carried out to collect fuel oil, many predicted the disruption of the 2008 holiday season throughout the Taman Peninsula. However, already in May, it was rare to find traces of a disaster on the spit itself, and in the middle of summer the beaches of the spit were already full of vacationers, so the 2008 season, although belatedly, took place.
Spit as a source of beauty
Any artificial mound of soil eventually becomes part of nature. So is the Tuzla spit, which was filled not only from stones and limestone, but also from fertile soil, gradually, although not everywhere, but still covered with grassy vegetation. The sea and the bay have turned the rough edges of the dam into a full-fledged seashore. From the sea, these are beautiful sandy beaches; from the bay, there are small islands and small spits that have become favorite places wild birds. Limestone stones immersed in water, in addition to their main light yellow-brown colors, also acquired a dark blue-green color. Such a play of colors leaves few people indifferent, and everyone who had a camera with them at least once captured the reflection of the sun on wet stones.
Photos of wet stones in the water or large crushed stones near the water have almost become the hallmark of the Tuzla Spit among Russian Internet users. Most people prefer to pose against the background of stones and the sea, although there are other equally attractive and beautiful views on Tuzla.
Continuing the theme of species, I would like to pay attention to the sand formations washed in at the very end of the embankment. The strait formed here, between the spit and the island, has a strong current. Due to this, the islands change their positions and shapes even during one summer. In the evening, when the sun is about to set and the sea is only slightly rough, photographs from these small islands are especially successful.
If your camera allows you to take high-quality pictures from a long distance and you are always glad to see new shots with our smaller brothers, different types of birds are found in the vicinity of the spit and its base, and closer to the end of the dam, it is possible to watch for a dolphin, and sometimes a whole flock.
On sea beach there are always those who want to collect beautiful shells, bewitching with their patterns, shapes and colors. Unlike Azov beaches ejected shells at Tuzla are noticeably larger and more diverse.
Kosa as a place for swimming
An artificial dam and a coastline in front of it added about 5 kilometers to the total length of the sandy-shell Taman beaches. Thus, the Tuzla Spit is the largest paid beach on the peninsula.
Speaking of paid. Checkpoint to collect money in the summer of 2008, it was installed relatively far (more than a kilometer) from the beginning of the dam itself, blocking the only access road to the coast from Cape Tuzla to the base of the bulk spit. For what, besides garbage collection, a fee is charged on such a large territory - it's hard to say, since the equipped beach with everything you need is far from the entrance and occupies a part of the coast no more than 500 meters long. However, the territory is really large and keeping it clean is a laborious task with corresponding costs, and there is enough garbage during the period of a large flow of tourists.
So, the equipped beach is located almost at the end of the bulk Tuzla spit. It is in the area of \u200b\u200bthis coastal area that there are most vacationers. Here the sea is deeper, and the beach strip is wider, and the service is at hand. And here you can feel the edge of the earth, and not just the earth, but the Russian land.
On the beach itself, which is called "Kerch Beach", there is everything you need: a dressing room, a toilet, a sunshade, a tower for lifeguards, a first-aid post, a mini cafe. The coastal territory is marked with stretched ropes with flags, and limiting buoys are installed in the sea. On the side of the road there are stands with information reminding about precautions when swimming.
Attention! Buoys are installed not for the sake of compliance with the rules and requirements, but for your safety. As mentioned above, there is a strong current between the spit and the island, which also affects the near-beach zone, so it is highly NOT recommended to swim far beyond the buoys, even on an air mattress! Believe me, unpleasant cases have already been noted. In the ravine itself (from the end of the spit) it is generally forbidden to swim, which, by the way, is indicated by the signs there.
Well, precautions have been taken, now you can enjoy the delights of swimming. In principle, those who are already accustomed to spending the summer on Black Sea coast, you will not be surprised by the waters of the Black Sea, but still the Black Sea here is a little different than, say ... well, for example, in Anapa. On the one hand, there are water Sea of Azov(albeit slightly, through the Kerch Strait), on the other hand, the waters of the Dinskoy and Tamansky bays. It can also be said with certainty that, unlike the same Anapa or, say, the village of Blagoveshchenskaya, Tuzla does not have light green algae found off the Anapa coast. By the way, despite the fact that many do not like them, those who want to pose in front of the camera, wearing a wig made of those same light green algae ... However, we digress a little.
Judging by satellite imagery from GOOGLE, the distance from the sea to the road in the Kerch beach area is more than two widths of the road itself. Thus, the strip of the coast near the water, on which sunbathers are usually located, is located at a considerable distance from the edge of the roadway. This circumstance allows you not to worry that road dust will prevent you from enjoying your vacation, since in most cases it, dust, settles much earlier. True, during a strong wind blowing from the side of the bay, dust, of course, can reach the edge of the water, but at such moments not only dust, but also sand flies. However, such strong winds in summer they are extremely rare, and the sea in such weather usually storms.
So, the distance from the source of road dust is another positive factor that attracts people to the area where the embankment ends. Of course, if lovers of fast driving would restrain their ardor and would not raise dust, then it would also be okay to rest in narrow places - it’s normal, but it happens very dusty there. And most importantly, along the axial line along the entire road, there are signs with requests, saying “not dust Friend!” But no, it’s all the same to put pressure on the gazulka and fly like on asphalt, well, yes, the dust of others, just as fast, is their judge.
People usually go to Kerch Beach for several hours, or for a day, but on the rest of the spit and in front of it, people who prefer a longer stay with an overnight stay in a tent are more often located. As a rule, they choose places that are least exposed to dust from the road, as well as allowing you to leave your car as close as possible.
In the area of the base of the spit, the sea is shallow, and in some places even very. Swimming in such a “shallow place” is more suitable for children. For some reason, the water in these places warms up well and you can get special pleasure just lying on the bottom. However, do not forget that the sun acts more strongly in the water (lens effect), so you can get burned much faster than just on the beach.
In shallow water, one more trouble may await you - these are the remains of fishing gear. The fact is that at the foot of Cape Tuzla there is a fishing brigade, and the water area from the cape to the spit is part of the fishing zone of fishermen. The spread nets are clearly visible from the shore, but the metal rods that may remain after them, alas, are not. Therefore, be careful, do not run into the water and do not dive, but first explore the area where you are going to swim. Shallow depths and clear water will help you in your explorations.
And finally
Summing up what has been written here, it can be said with confidence that the artificially dumped Tuzla spit is indeed one of interesting places Taman Peninsula from the point of view of nature, and from the point of view of history, and, of course, from the point of view of recreation. From the point of view of politics, it is also interesting, but let them write about it on other sites, but romance is closer to us.
By the way, it is the political side of the spit that is most covered on the Internet, but the other, more pleasant and interesting for vacationers, is somehow not very. There are so many reviews about how “they” had a great trip to Tuzla and how they liked it there, but to tell in more detail is a big rarity. It is even more offensive when some who have been there still write about the spit, but write unacceptable things. So, for example, quite often there is a story that the Tuzla Spit separates the Azov and Black Sea... It's not true! Look at the map! The Tuzla Spit separates the Black Sea and the Taman Bay, and the Chushka Spit separates the Black Sea and the Azov, and then, if the Taman and Dinskoy Bays are taken as part of the Black Sea!
What will happen to the Tuzla spit, precisely with the spit that runs under water for 11 km and includes both the island and the backfilled part, time will certainly tell. In the meantime, the word "Tuzla" among the guests of the Taman Land is most often associated with an artificial embankment, its sandy beaches and transparent sea water at its shores.
This article was written in 2009. At that time, no one
and could not imagine that a super-bridge would be built on this site.
Therefore, the text of the article is left practically unchanged, but read
it needs to be adjusted for the time of publication. (edit dated 18-02-2017)
The Temryuk region is a region of carefully watered vine and melon plantations, dozens of bays and estuaries, mud volcanoes and bright green river floodplains. This area has always been proud of our Krasnodar region. Spit Chushka is one of the reasons for this. We are talking about a sandbar in the Kerch Strait 18 km long. It is possible to have excellent spa vacation. Leisure is designed for the whole family - children are waiting for quite safe entries into the water, as well as gentle sand. Proximity to the road will also please.
Where is the Chushka Spit located?
The map gives the traveler an idea of the location of the picturesque spit. It begins as a continuation of Cape Achilleion and goes southwest at a right angle. It stretches towards Tuzla - these shoals are separated by only 6 km of water.
On the map of the Krasnodar Territory, the Chushka Spit is located as follows:
Historical information
Hundreds of years ago, strong storms inflicted so much sand into the Kerch Strait that several huge shallows formed here: like Chushka, it once completely blocked the strait and served as the shortest road from Crimea to North Caucasus. The name of the attraction was born from the local inhabitants in the 19th century. The fact is that dolphins were often thrown at it, and the Little Russians called them porpoises: a pig in their dialect sounds like “chushka”.
During the years of the Nazi occupation of the Crimea, the Reich Minister proposed to build a crossing to the Caucasus here, but the Germans did not have time to do this before the onset of the Red Army.
In 1944, the spit was nevertheless connected to the Crimea by a railway bridge - by the forces of already Soviet workers. However, a large ice drift demolished this structure in the same year, and the new design solutions did not find a response from the then leadership of the country. Today, the recreation, elongated and overgrown with reeds, is a gathering place for fishermen and bathers living in the village of Ilyich, as well as car tourists. One of its sections is the territory of the ferry crossing Port Kavkaz.
Rest in the west of the Krasnodar Territory
A beautiful landscape is the Temryuk district in the Krasnodar Territory. Spit Chushka is one of the three main local "visiting cards", because it is located simultaneously in the Black and Azov Seas. Many travelers aspire to the sandbar, attractive in outline and vegetation. Some of them are fishermen, the other half are lovers of picnics with intensive swimming.
Characteristically, Chushka has a more impressive width than Tuzla - from 500 to 1000 m. As a result, this geographical feature can also be called a peninsula. Its northwestern side is relatively straight, and the southeastern side resembles a horse's mane from above - a huge number of processes extend from the main massif of the coast. The backwaters formed by them in spring and in the first half of June turn into spawning pits for herring, flounder, crucian carp, pike, goby and ram.
The building material of the "resort" tract is large quartzite and shell rock. car track and the railway road under construction run along an artificial embankment - they are protected from flooding. The beaches are located where there is still more sand than vegetation. They are located in the area closest to Ilyich. The entry into the sea here is shallow, but there are equally many shells (with sharp edges) along the entire length.
Additional opportunities in Temryuk district
At the Chushka Spit there are two isolated pieces of land - the islands of Krupinin and Dzendzik. They can be reached by any watercraft, which has been used by local couples in love more than once. But the islands of Lisy and Golenky are so small that few people know about them. Here you can safely hide any treasures - the main thing is to at least find them yourself later.
Some come to the farthest end of the sandy outgrowth, thinking that just here there will be no one. However, too many people think so - the southwestern patch is crammed with cars with Krasnodar and other numbers.
Reviews left online by hundreds of tourists call this place "solid sandy beach”, “sand hidden in the reeds”, “fish place”, “warehouse of beautiful shells” and other epithets. Often this location is used by small groups of nudists, but none of their clubs have organized a permanent beach here. Buy food for a picnic in Ilyich.
How to get (get there)?
It is easy to get to the Chushka Spit along the R-251 highway. It starts from the Krasnodar Western Bypass, passes through the villages of Elizavetinskaya, Maryanskaya, Novomyshastovskaya and Ivanovskaya. Further, the highway goes to Slavyansk-on-Kuban, Anastavievskaya, Kurchanskaya, Temryuk, Peresyp and the village of Ilyich. To better orient you, we offer a route and a map:
Note to the tourist
- Address: Ilyich village, Temryuksky district, Krasnodar Territory, Russia.
- Coordinates: 45.352476, 36.696242.
In dozens of amateur and professional photos, the Chushka Spit looks either like a meadow overgrown with tall greenery, or like a coarse sandy water edge with small shells sticking out here and there. Under the grass you can’t see water at all, so those who came here for the first time should be careful. In conclusion, as usual, we offer a short overview of the described place, enjoy viewing!