The 12th Air Games was officially opened on Wednesday afternoon by the Governor of Muğla, and this year alongside the usual paragliders and microlites the Turkish Air Force have lent their hot air balloon to the occasion.

At the opening ceremony it was used by press photographers to get overhead shots of everyone waving.

Afterwards we were told anyone could ascend in the tethered balloon (to a height of around 50 feet).

The opening ceremony featured a minute's silence for the earthquake victims, followed by speeches from the Mayor of Ölüdeniz and the Governor.

These were followed by several spectacular sky dives by pilots who initially launched in tandem from the top of Babadağ, then broke away from their paragliding host to plummet towards the beach.

It all happened far too quickly for your correspondent's camera, indeed they seemed to open their own parachutes literally a few seconds before landing on the beach.

We did get this shot of a Californian sky diver who scooped up his parachute to rush over and be interviewed by local press.

A couple of acrobatic paragliders left coloured smoke trails showing the pattern of their spirals.

So if you are in the area over the next four days, do go down to Ölüdeniz and watch the fun. The weather is set to fine, just right to sit back, soak up the late autumn rays and enjoy the show.

Just head for the beach and you can't miss it.