The jetty from which İnönü dove collapsed
The İnönü family often spent their summers in Heybeliada. When İsmet İnönü would do his famous feet-first dive from the wooden jetty of the beach in Heybeliada, the summer season would be considered officially open and the newspapers would particularly announce this first dive. İnönü would often be surrounded by youngster at the beach, walk to the jetty from which he would dive ceremoniously, and jump into the water along with all the kids and youngsters surrounding him. As long as he was on the island, his daily beach routine would be known and followed by the locals.
Noting that he enjoyed diving feet-first as his father did, Erdal İnönü relates an anecdote about İsmet Pasha as follows:
During my father’s Presidency, we stayed at the Florya Mansion as well. He had a long swimsuit and he would immediately be surrounded by children whenever he was at the beach. Once, as my father was getting ready to dive from the jetty, a group of children gathered around him again. Unable to support all that weight, the wooden jetty collapsed and they all fell into the water together.
