What fish can you spearfish in Bodrum?

Sea bass, mullet, sea bream, dentex and leerfish appear locally. Check national size limits.

Do you need a permit to spearfish in Turkey?

Yes. Since 1 Jan 2026, the Amatör Balıkçı Belgesi with dalma yöntemi is required through e-Devlet for 5 years. The orfoz, or dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus), is a full no-take species, whatever its size.

Do tourists need the amateur fishing document in Turkey?

Yes, plus a licensed av-turizmi guide or boat, or a pusula permit.

Is scuba spearfishing allowed in Turkey?

No. Breath-hold and snorkel only; scuba, hookah and spare air are banned.

How far from swimmers and ports can you spearfish in Turkey?

From 1 Apr to 15 Nov, bathing areas within 200 m are closed. Ports and marinas are closed.

Bodrum spearfishing forecast — Turkey

Q: Where can you spearfish in Bodrum?

Bardakçı, Akvaryum, Kızılburun, Gölköy Cennet Koyu and Torba are the marks; castle, harbour, marinas and military uncertainty stay out.

Bodrum · Turkey

8.5

wave 0.1 m head-on

visibility7m

Dive today — wave, wind and visibility.

Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2 — high confidence · data 06:02

Sources & confidence

Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2
Method: spearo sea-state engine: consensus of up to 6 models + satellite clarity (ZSD) + buoy-bias checks
Freshness: Re-read every hour, per coast

Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine · How it works →

The verdict comes from seven water factors and hard safety gates — not ten tabs. Go or stay.

How we score the water

Our own model

Our own forecast engine — not a third-party widget. It weighs these water factors into one go-or-stay verdict for this coast; the 0–10 dial is that verdict, read out as a number.

Swell & wave memory: Height, period and direction of the swell, plus the wake of recent storms — an old storm still stirs the water, and the engine remembers.
Wind & gusts: Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
Tide phase: Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
Water temperature: Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
Currents & outflow: Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
Rain runoff & air clarity: Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
Coast shape & exposure: How the coast faces the swell — a sheltered cove keeps the water clean; an exposed, head-on point takes a penalty.

Safety gates

Thunderstorm forecast — an instant red, no exceptions.
An official warning (MeteoAlarm / IPMA) — yellow, or red for the higher ranks.
Missing input data — a would-be green is capped to yellow rather than overstated.
Strong disagreement between forecast models — a green day is pulled back to yellow.
Night hours — where night spearfishing is banned by law the window is forced red; where it is legal (Australia outside NSW, New Zealand, South Africa) it is capped at yellow, never green.

It all folds into a single 0–10 score and one verdict: go or stay.

A forecast, not a guarantee — the sea has the last word.

Where to get in, where to hunt

Entry points with coordinates

Seabed relief — promising ground

This verdict — in your pocket. Open the app for the week's window.

Google Play — QR code — point your camera

0 m

Surface

Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.

spearo.app

updated 06:02

Bodrum town & coves — solo, off the rocks

BEST WINDOW

best weather window · solo, stay careful, run the checklist · calm conditions: swell, wind and visibility all normal

wave 0.1 m head-onwind 3 km/hvisibility ~7 mwindow 06:00–21:00

today, best window 06:00–09:00

fish · Visibility 7 m · Water 23.8°C

confidence medium · verdict for the selected day

Before entering, check the camera and the surge

Whole week — tap a day. is driving swell right now.

Solo risk: carry a float · tell someone your plan and exit time · doubt = don't go. A model-based planner; the call is made on site.

Selected day

Windows, hours
and the day's trends.

The day is picked above, in the hero. Here are that day's windows, the hour-by-hour map and the trends. Tap a window to break down the conditions.

Sunday · today2026-10-25

07:27–18:20 · full moon

▼ 05:00▲ 11:00▼ 17:00▲ 23:00 · 0.2 m

Hours (06→20)

Day's trends

Tide-0.25 m

Wave0.04 m

Wind7 km/h

Water24 °C

fish activity: moonset 06:29 · moderate · moon underfoot 12:00 · high · moonrise 17:38 · moderate · moon overhead 00:00 · high

Conditions window06:00–09:00

best weather window · solo, stay careful, run the checklist fish

Hs 0.10 m · calmperiod 2.8 s head-onwind 3→4surge 0viz 7 m

0.10 mcalm · up to ~0.20 · 296° head-on

2.8 sswell moderate

3→4gusts 4 km/h

0weak surge

0.06m/s

7 mrecent swell

23.8°C5 mm + hood

▲11:00tide rising

Atmosphere11 kmovercast

moderatemoonset

calm conditions: swell, wind and visibility all normal
dawn/dusk

confidence mediumtwilight

Open the seafloor map with entry points

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South Aegean

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What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.

Look at the water
right now.

Check the cam BEFORE you leave. Foam, brown/green murk, or waves washing the entry rocks = No-go. At night/in fog the cam is useless — treat it as «unknown», NOT «green».

connecting to the stream…

● LIVE↗

Bodrum Castle & MarinaYouTube live — Bodrum Castle & Marina. Embeddable under YouTube's terms (embedding on, oEmbed 200). Offline between broadcasts — requires a runtime isLiveNow check. Read the water before you go.camera: youtube ↗

Bodrum Liman — stillwebcamgalore still — Bodrum Liman. Refreshing frame (not live video). Read the water before you go.camera: webcamgalore ↗

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now

European seabass
Dicentrarchus labrax · 0–15 m · tebliğ 6/2
gilthead seabream
Sparus aurata · 2–20 m · tebliğ 6/2
common dentex
Dentex dentex · 12–40 m · tebliğ 6/2
white seabream
Diplodus sargus · 0–12 m · tebliğ 6/2
two-banded seabream
Diplodus vulgaris · 1–15 m · tebliğ 6/2
common pandora
Pagellus erythrinus · 10–40 m · tebliğ 6/2
meagre
Argyrosomus regius · 5–30 m · tebliğ 6/2
leerfish
Lichia amia · 2–20 m · tebliğ 6/2
bluefish
Pomatomus saltatrix · 0–20 m · tebliğ 6/2
Min 18 cm (lüfer <14 cm = «çinekop» — separate rule).
red mullet
Mullus barbatus · 3–30 m · tebliğ 6/2
tub gurnard
Chelidonichthys lucerna · 5–30 m · tebliğ 6/2
white grouper
Epinephelus aeneus · 15–45 m · ⚠️ 1/day
⚠️ Lagos: min 50 cm, with a speargun max 1/day, closed season 1 Jun–31 Aug (Çizelge 7). A vulnerable, slow-growing species — do NOT take it. Its cousin orfoz is FULLY BANNED.
dusky grouper
Epinephelus marginatus · 8–35 m · 🚫 BANNED (Çizelge 1)
🚫 Orfoz is FULLY BANNED (Çizelge 1, RG 11.08.2024 №32629) — not a legal target. Size is irrelevant: do not take it, release it.
pufferfish
Lagocephalus spp. · 2–40 m · invasive
☠️ DO NOT EAT: deadly TTX toxin (not destroyed by cooking, no antidote). Amateur rule: kill it and throw it back to open sea — bringing it ashore/into a harbour is BANNED (3,770 TL fine). No bounty for amateurs (commercial SUBİS boats only).
lionfish
Pterois miles · 5–40 m · invasive
Invasive (venomous spines!). There is NO official amateur permit/reward for culling — never grab bare-handed, treat a sting with hot water (>45 °C). Flesh is edible.
rabbitfish
Siganus spp. · 2–20 m · invasive
Invasive (Eastern Med). Apparently no dedicated size/count/season limit (not confirmed against the current tebliğ — verify). Venomous spines — remove carefully.

Law

✓Since 1 Jan 2026 amateur spearfishing requires an Amatör Balıkçı Belgesi marked for the diving method (Tebliğ 2024/21, md. 16(4)(ç); the document itself is issued under md. 4(1), via e-Devlet, valid 5 years) — the old citizen exemption no longer applies to spearguns. A FOREIGN TOURIST is still NOT automatically entitled to spearfish solo (md. 5): the documented route is a licensed av-turizmi boat/guide OR a permit (pusula) from the district agriculture directorate. Get the belge, then the permit or a guide.
✓Breath-hold + snorkel only — scuba/hookah/spare-air are banned (Tebliğ 2024/21, md. 16(4)(b)). Night prohibited — sunset to sunrise (md. 16(4)(a)). A buoy showing your position is MANDATORY (md. 16(4)(c)). Spearfishing is banned inside buoyed swimming areas (1 Apr–15 Nov, ≤200 m from shore — md. 16(5)) and in ports, fishing shelters and slipways (md. 17(4)).
✓Invasives: the lionfish (aslan balığı) — invasive, ⚠️ venomous spines; there is NO official amateur permit/reward for taking it. The pufferfish (balon balığı) ☠️ NEVER EAT — tetrodotoxin, no antidote; kill it and return it to the open sea, BRINGING IT ASHORE/TO PORT IS BANNED. Exact sizes and zones — in the species card and the guide.
✓The speargun is lawful amateur gear AT SEA (Tebliğ 2024/21, md. 16(2)(a)). In INLAND waters — lakes, reservoirs, rivers — the speargun and the hand harpoon are banned outright (md. 13(2)).
✓Selling an amateur catch, moving it alive or releasing it into other waters is prohibited (Tebliğ 2024/21, md. 8(1)). The weight limit is 5 kg per person per outing, one species or mixed; a single fish over 5 kg is legal in itself, but the rest without it must fit in 4 kg (md. 15(4)). For species limited by count, no more than 3 fish in total per person per outing, however many days it lasts (md. 15(5)).
✓Minimum sizes and per-species counts come from the tebliğ's Çizelge 7: keeping fish below the stated length or above the stated number is prohibited (Tebliğ 2024/21, md. 15(1)); on lengths there is a 5 % downward tolerance (note 2 to the same table).
✓Totally protected species — Çizelge 1 (Tebliğ 2024/21, md. 6(1)): the DUSKY GROUPER (Epinephelus marginatus), most sharks and rays, the monk seal, sea turtles, Pinna nobilis, red coral, Posidonia oceanica, the European eel, the seahorse, Maja squinado, Tonna galea and cetaceans. They may be taken neither at sea nor in inland waters.
✓Light as a fishing method is banned in amateur fishing; lighting up to 50 W for safety on board or ashore does not count (Tebliğ 2024/21, md. 8(8)). Fishing closer than 100 m to the boundaries of sea cages, or 200 m to shore-based facilities, is prohibited (md. 8(5)).

Safety protocol

Sets: watch the wave trains ≥15 min before entering; Hmax ≈ 2×Hs, the wash can run 50 m past the foam line. A lull >10 min with period >12 s = a big set «overdue», do NOT enter; enter right after a full set passes and re-check at minute 30.
Exit FIRST: find your exit AND a backup before entering. On a rocky/boulder shore a 0.5 m rise in swell can make the exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer.
Headland rip: prominent points often have a permanent topographic rip regardless of the model — locate it, enter/exit on the windward side, never swim against it.
Cold: wetsuit per the SST chip; the first shiver = a metabolic surge and a drop in breath-hold → get out at the first steady shiver. Cap the session at 45–60 min below 15 °C.
Solo discipline: buoy up; tell someone the spot and exit time; conservative breath-hold (never push it in cold/murky/surfy water); visibility <3 m — don't enter.
Afternoon wind: on many coasts the wind builds from midday — plan to be out of the water by midday; the chop builds — get out.
UV 11:00–15:00 (UVI ≥6): sunscreen and cover up on the surface interval.
Solo is a fundamental risk (hypoxic blackout with no buddy). Any doubt = No-go.

Spearfishing in Bodrum: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Spearfishing in Bodrum starts with exclusions. The castle and harbour are cultural-heritage waters where diving is forbidden, and the military range on the peninsula is not published, so charts and local checks matter. The usable marks are Bardakçı, Akvaryum, Kızılburun, Gölköy and Torba. Local spot descriptions give practical notes, not safety scores. The 2026 Amatör Balıkçı Belgesi rule applies before the local plan.

TL;DR

Bodrum is traffic-first: Bardakçı, Akvaryum, Kızılburun, Gölköy Cennet Koyu and Torba are the working marks, but castle and harbour waters are closed.

Heavy gulet, yacht and ferry traffic, current on points and an unpublished military range all need local checks.

Since 1 Jan 2026, spearfishing needs an Amatör Balıkçı Belgesi marked for dalma yöntemi, through e-Devlet, valid for 5 years.

Breath-hold only: no night, scuba, hookah, spare air, ports, marinas or bathing areas within 200 m from 1 Apr to 15 Nov.

Where can you spearfish in Bodrum?

Town coves and points need different traffic checks. Depth is qualitative because no rated depth field is provided.

Spot	Type	Depth	Level	Access	Notes
Bardakçı	Town cove with rock and sand	Shallow shore band	Early shore session	Shore	Early morning is best.
Akvaryum	Clear rocky cove	Rocky cove structure	Busy dive area	Shore or boat	Expect popular diving and boat traffic.
Kızılburun	Northern point	Rock edge that drops away	Current-aware point	Shore or boat	Expect current on the point.
Torba koyu	Sheltered cove	Shallow cove water	Easy-entry shore option	Shore	Sea bass and mullet here, with easy entry.

Surface

Windows, hours
and the day's trends.

Spots in Turkey

🇹🇷Turkey

South Aegean

İzmir

West Mediterranean (Turkey)

Help us make it better

The water column

A marine instrument,
go / no-go for solo hunting.

The seabed

The forecast is the plan.
The call is on the rock.

Where to get in
off the rocks.

Surfacing

Look at the water
right now.

What's in season,
what the law says.

Spearfishing in Bodrum: spots, seasons and rules

TL;DR

Where can you spearfish in Bodrum?

What fish can you spearfish in Bodrum?

North Aegean

Central Mediterranean (Turkey)

Marmara

When is the best time to spearfish in Bodrum?

spearfishing conditions Bodrum today

Do you need a permit to spearfish in Turkey?

FAQ

Sources

Nearby towns

Bodrum spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility & live cameras

Windows, hours and the day's trends.

Get the go / no-go verdict for Bodrum by email

Spots in Turkey

🇹🇷Turkey

South Aegean

İzmir

West Mediterranean (Turkey)

Help us make it better

A marine instrument, go / no-go for solo hunting.

The forecast is the plan.The call is on the rock.

Where to get in off the rocks.

Look at the water right now.

What's in season, what the law says.

TL;DR

Where can you spearfish in Bodrum?

What fish can you spearfish in Bodrum?

North Aegean

Central Mediterranean (Turkey)

Marmara

When is the best time to spearfish in Bodrum?

spearfishing conditions Bodrum today

Do you need a permit to spearfish in Turkey?

FAQ

Sources

Nearby towns

Windows, hours
and the day's trends.

A marine instrument,
go / no-go for solo hunting.

The forecast is the plan.
The call is on the rock.

Where to get in
off the rocks.

Look at the water
right now.

What's in season,
what the law says.