Spearfishing in Türkiye
Türkiye is a treasure for the spearo: clear Aegean and Mediterranean water, warmth, rocky coves, grouper and dentex. But the most important rule is the one most foreigners miss — a TOURIST cannot freely dive and spearfish on their own. The lawful path: with a licensed av-turizmi boat/guide, or with a permit obtained from the local agriculture (il/ilçe) müdürlüğü. The grey area is wide in practice, but this is the official rule — knowing it is the safe, correct thing. This guide sets the current rules straight.
The common thread everywhere is the same: read the sea, and above all the wind. Tides are negligible in Türkiye; the wind decides. This guide explains the rules, shows where to dive in each region, and links to a daily go / borderline / no-go forecast for every city.
Open the flagship — Kaş →The rules in brief — especially for tourists
The current text: the 6/2 recreational-fishing tebliğ (Official Gazette 32629, in force 1 Sep 2024 – 31 Aug 2028). The critical points:
- TOURISTS cannot hunt freely on their own. A foreign tourist does NOT automatically have the right to spearfish alone from shore. The lawful path: (a) with a licensed boat/guide holding an av-turizmi (6/1) permit, OR (b) with a permit from the local il/ilçe agriculture müdürlüğü. "I just dived and hunted" is not safe — go with a licensed guide/permit. NEW, and it applies to locals and visitors alike: from 1 January 2026 anyone hunting with a speargun must hold an «Amatör Balıkçı Belgesi» from the il/ilçe müdürlüğü (art. 16/4-ç, added by tebliğ 2025/12, RG 32872).
- Breath-hold (apnea) + snorkel only. Scuba, narghilé, dive regulator, spare air = BANNED (art. 16/4-b). Night ban: no speargun hunting between sunset and sunrise (art. 16/4-a); hunting lights are banned too. Buoy MANDATORY: a marker buoy showing the diver's position is required (art. 16/4-c).
- Daily limit: for weight-limited species, ≤ 5 kg per person total (a single fish over 5 kg is still legal); for count-limited species, a mixed total of ≤ 3 fish. Diving-to-hunt is banned inside ports, marinas and fishing shelters (art. 17/4). Swim zones: 1 Apr–15 Nov, hunting is banned inside buoyed swim areas within ≤200 m of shore.
Orfoz is FULLY BANNED; lagos is tightly limited
Orfoz (dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus) is FULLY BANNED — it sits in Çizelge 1 of the 6/2 tebliğ (RG 32629): zero take, any method, any size. Lagos (white grouper) is legal but tightly limited: min 50 cm, max 1 per day by speargun, closed season 1 Jun–31 Aug (Çizelge 7). And our honest advice on lagos is: leave it too — groupers are slow-breeding and long-lived; shooting a big one means losing a generation from a reef.
| Species | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Sea bass (levrek) | 25 cm |
| Gilthead bream (çipura) | 20 cm |
| Dentex (sinarit) | 35 cm |
| Bluefish (lüfer) | 18 cm |
| Two-banded bream (karagöz) | 18 cm |
| Orfoz / Lagos (grouper) | 1/day by speargun — but leave it (advised) |
Invasive and venomous species
Two species to know in the eastern Mediterranean:
- Pufferfish (balon balığı) ☠️: carries tetrodotoxin — colourless, odourless, not destroyed by cooking, no antidote. NEVER EAT IT. The amateur rule is counter-intuitive: you must kill the pufferfish and return it to the open sea — BRINGING IT ASHORE/TO A HARBOUR IS BANNED, with a fine. The "you get a reward for shooting it" line is NOT true for amateurs (the payment is only for commercially licensed boats). Mind its strong beak.
- Lionfish (aslan balığı): an invasive species, common around Antalya/Mersin/Muğla/Kaş-Kekova. CAUTION: it has venomous spines — a sting is very painful (first aid: hot water 43–46 °C). There is NO official free-culling permit or bounty for amateurs — don't say "shoot it freely for money". This is a safety and ecological-awareness note only: if you meet it, mind the spines.
No-take zones
- The 6 Gökova Gulf no-take areas (Akbük, Akyaka, Çamlık, Boncuk-Karaca, İngiliz Limanı, Bördübet): ALL fishing/hunting fully banned (RG art. 17/1, by coordinates).
- Kaş-Kekova and Kızılliman protected areas: coordinate-defined coastal no-hunt points (art. 17/1); check the boundaries. Monk-seal caves: waiting at the entrance, diving and hunting are banned (art. 17/2).
- Gallipoli (Çanakkale 1915) war-grave wrecks: historical/cultural heritage — diving-to-hunt is BANNED (art. 17/3). Foça protected area (monk-seal) and naval military exclusion zones (art. 17/5): hunting banned.
Regions, season and water
The Aegean and Mediterranean coasts have the clearest water and longest season: late spring to autumn, summer most reliable; the water climbs to 25–27 °C in summer (3 mm is enough). Kaş, Kekova and around Gökova are rocky and deep; İzmir–Muğla is varied. The Black Sea is another world: cold, often murky (river mouths), a short summer window — 5–7 mm is needed and visibility drops often. Tides are negligible in Türkiye; everywhere, find the lee of the wind (meltem, poyraz, lodos).
Where to dive, by region
Marmara
The Sea of Marmara (Çanakkale, Erdek, the islands): sheltered from ocean swell but two-layer water — a salty cold Med layer sits deep with a thermocline. Calmer than the Aegean.
- Çanakkale — One of the busiest straits on Earth: the Dardanelles mean constant ship traffic and strong current — a hard arena for spearfishing.
- Gelibolu — Gelibolu peninsula: Sea of Marmara on one side, Gulf of Saros on the other.
- Erdek — Erdek on the Kapıdağ Peninsula is the best mainland zone in the Marmara: headlands, rocky reefs, gilthead/sea bream/two-banded bream.
- Bandırma — A north-facing bay on the Marmara's south shore with a big port inside it: Bandırma is where Balıkesir and the İstanbul ferry reach the sea.
- Marmara Island — Marmara Island has some of the clearest water in the Sea of Marmara — viz up to 15–20 m is possible at depth, far above the mainland.
- Avşa Island — Avşa is Istanbul's summer island getaway — cleaner than the mainland, viz usually 5–12 m.
- Mudanya (Bursa) — Bursa's sea: Mudanya sits at the mouth of the Gemlik gulf, forty minutes from the city.
- Yalova — The south shore of the Marmara, an hour by ferry from İstanbul: Yalova sits on a flat sandy shelf and the real rock starts to the west, at Çınarcık and Armutlu.
- Karamürsel (Kocaeli) — The south shore of the İzmit gulf: the closest sea for Kocaeli and İzmit — but this is an industrial gulf of shipyards, quays, constant ship traffic and a brackish, loaded top layer.
- Şarköy — Şarköy (Mürefte) is Tekirdağ's west coast — much cleaner than central Tekirdağ, being far from the industry and müsilaj epicentre.
- Tekirdağ — The north shore of the Marmara faces south: the poyraz blows offshore and flattens the sea, the lodos hits the coast head-on — that is what decides the window in Tekirdağ.
- Silivri — The western edge of İstanbul: Silivri lies on a shallow, south-facing shelf of the Marmara's north shore.
- İstanbul (Beylikdüzü) — The western side of İstanbul on the Marmara's north shore: the Beylikdüzü/Gürpınar front sits on a shallow, south-facing shelf of muddy sand with the Ambarlı–Marport container terminals immediately east.
- İstanbul (Maltepe) — İstanbul's Asian side, the front that faces the Marmara: from Küçükyalı through the Maltepe coastal park to Kartal the whole shore is reclaimed fill — the bottom is mud, rubble and sunken concrete, with no natural rock.
North Aegean
The North Aegean (Ayvalık, Dikili): clear water, islands and reefs. The meltemi — the strong summer northerly — rules the day; grab the morning windows.
İzmir
The İzmir gulf and peninsulas (Çeşme, Urla, Karaburun, Foça): rock, reef, clear water. The meltemi kicks up the exposed capes, but the gulfs and lee coves stay workable.
- Foça — Foça: viz 5–9 m, rocky points and small coves.
- İzmir — The head of İzmir Körfezi: the Alsancak–Konak Kordon sits on the most enclosed water in the Turkish Aegean.
- Çeşme — Çeşme: the best visibility in the Aegean (6–12 m), open clear water and wind drift.
- Urla — Urla is the inner shore of the Gulf of İzmir: posidonia + rock, viz 4–8 m.
- Karaburun — Karaburun + Mordoğan: İzmir's best dive area — 8+ named points, two sunken ferry reefs (Alaybey, 9 Eylül) and superb visibility.
- Sığacık — Sığacık / Seferihisar: 20+ dive points, but most are boat trips from the marina.
- Kuşadası — Kuşadası: viz 4–8 m around town, the Güvercinada breakwater and Yılancı burnu rocks.
South Aegean
The South Aegean (Bodrum, Datça, Marmaris): warm, clear water and a jagged coast full of lee coves. The meltemi is weaker than up north — one of Turkey's best all-round zones.
- Didim — Didim (Altınkum): Tekağaç burnu is called 'ideal rocks'; dentex comes up to 1 m, dusky grouper, sea bream, leerfish.
- Bodrum — Bodrum: viz 6–12 m, the Bardakçı and Akvaryum coves, Kızılburun.
- Gümüşlük — Gümüşlük: viz 8–12 m, 'like a lake' inside, sheltered, the outer points take the meltemi.
- Turgutreis — Turgutreis: amberjack May–September at 15–40 m.
- Datça — Datça: the clearest water in the Turkish Aegean (viz 10–20 m); on the deep reef, dusky grouper/gilthead grouper (WARNING: shooting the gilthead grouper is BANNED — just look, let it go).
- Marmaris — Marmaris: on the outer coves viz 6–12 m — İçmeler, Turunç, Kumlubük/Amos, Sarı Mehmet Burnu.
West Mediterranean (Turkey)
The Turkish West Med (Fethiye, Ölüdeniz, Kalkan, Kaş): warm crystal water, cliffs and walls, a very long season — a freediving mecca. Mind the invasive lionfish (venomous spines).
- Fethiye — Some of Turkey's clearest water, viz 15–25 m.
- Ölüdeniz — Viz 20 m+, but the fishing ground is narrow: the inner lagoon is a Nature Park — spearfishing FORBIDDEN.
- Kalkan — West of the SEPA, fully legal and among Turkey's clearest water (viz 20–30 m).
- Kaş — Turkey's clearest water (25–30 m+), but fishing is legal ONLY WEST of Uluburun (~36.
- Demre — All of Kekova is no-take: fishing only on the open coast WEST of the zone.
- Finike — The marina is a forbidden basin — fishing is on the flanks: Oruç Reis Koyu, Gökliman/Çağıllı and the eastern stretch toward Kumluca.
- Kemer — A rock coast where the Beydağları drop straight in: the Ayışığı rock rim, Tekirova (Üç Adalar by boat) and Ceneviz Koyu.
- Antalya — A big-city coast; the real fishing: the Falez cliffs, the west end of Konyaaltı, the Lara rock stairs and Sıçan Adası (mostly boat).
Central Mediterranean (Turkey)
The Turkish Central Med (Antalya, Side, Alanya, Mersin): warm water, rock and sand, a long season. Increasingly lionfish; lots of summer swimmers, so keep your distances.
- Belek — Thirty kilometres of sand between the Aksu and Köprüçay mouths: Belek, Kadriye, Boğazkent — golf courses, dunes and red pine, and not one rock.
- Side — An ancient-harbour town; fishing on the rock point to the west and at Kumköy/Sorgun.
- Alanya — The two sides of the castle peninsula and the coast west toward Konaklı.
- Gazipaşa — A quieter zone favoured by spearos: the rocks SE of the river mouth, the Koru natural pools and the east point.
- Anamur — Anatolia's southernmost tip: Anamur Burnu/lighthouse, the Anemurium ruins and the İskele rocks.
- Bozyazı — Turkey's most famous grouper habitat — precisely why you must be ultra-conservative (one-per-day speargun rule, take none in practice).
- Aydıncık — A small coastal town built over ancient Kelenderis, between Anamur and Silifke.
- Taşucu — The cleanest entry is Boğsak ~10 km west: Boğsak Koyu, Boğsak Adası and İncekumburnu.
- Kızkalesi — Off the sea castle: Korsan/Şövalye Koyu (<10 m shallow), the west end of Korykos and Kurt Burnu (a wall to 40 m, current, advanced).
- Mersin — The real fishing is NOT the port but the western districts: the Erdemli rocks, Yapraklı Koyu, Susanoğlu/Atakent.
Hatay (Gulf of İskenderun)
The east shore of the Gulf of İskenderun (Samandağ, Arsuz, İskenderun): the warmest water in the Mediterranean and its most Lessepsian — lionfish and pufferfish are ordinary. Rock only at Arsuz; the gulf head is an industrial port basin and the Orontes clouds Samandağ.
- Samandağ (Hatay) — Turkey's south-west corner, just north of the Syrian border: a long sand-and-shingle beach with the mouth of the Orontes (Asi) immediately south.
- Arsuz (Hatay) — Hatay's one real rock coast: Arsuz (Uluçınar), about 30 km south-west of İskenderun, on the front that looks out of the gulf mouth.
- İskenderun (Hatay) — The head of the Gulf of İskenderun — Turkey's largest industrial port basin: Limak Port, the container quays, the İsdemir steelworks north at Payas, tanker berths.
West Black Sea
The West Black Sea (Amasra, Şile, Kefken): cold, greenish, murky water, almost no tide, heavy river runoff after rain. A short summer season for the motivated — bring a thick suit.
- İstanbul (Kilyos) — İstanbul's Black Sea coast: Kilyos, Gümüşdere and Rumelifeneri, half an hour from the city.
- Şile — The Black Sea is cold and tideless, viz 3–8 m (worse off river mouths and in blooms).
- Ağva — A small Black-Sea town between two rivers (Göksu/Yeşilçay).
- Kefken — Kocaeli's popular spearing zone: Kefken Adası (swim/boat) and Yeşil Koy.
- Karasu — The sand belt of the western Black Sea: the shore runs at 118°, the seaward normal is 29° — everything is open to the north, and a northerly swell lands straight on the beach.
- Akçakoca (Düzce) — The sea of Düzce and Bolu: Akçakoca is a western Black Sea shore where pebble coves alternate with low rocky headlands.
- Karadeniz Ereğli — The rocky western Black Sea coast and the country's largest steelworks port share one town: Ereğli's bay faces west and the water inside the harbour basin is not hunting water.
- Zonguldak — A coal port's town: in Zonguldak the shore is steep, the rock is high and the harbour basin with its loading quays takes up the middle of the waterfront.
- Amasra — The best structure on the western Black Sea: points, islets and the mouth of the Bartın strait — a real destination (Bartın/İnkumu folds in).
- Kurucaşile — The best rock coastline of the western Black Sea: the breakwater, Kapisuyu and Tekkeönü.
- Cide — Gideros cove (a closed natural harbour!), Aydos/Denizkonak and Uğurlu. Rock coast, two-banded/saddled bream, sea bass, mullet. The closed mouth of Gideros…
Central Black Sea
The Central Black Sea (Sinop, Samsun, Ünye): cold greenish water, no tide, the Sinop peninsula sheltering both sides depending on the wind. Short summer, murkier than the Med.
East Black Sea
The East Black Sea (Trabzon, Rize, Hopa): Turkey's coldest, murkiest water — mountain rivers dump silt after every rain. The shortest season; dive 2–3 dry days later, away from rivermouths.
- Ünye — An eastern-Black-Sea town: Çamlık, the breakwater and Uzunkum.
- Ordu — The foot of Boztepe and the Güzelyalı/Efirli rock coast.
- Giresun — The breakwater, Batlama and around Giresun Island.
- Tirebolu — The rock point of St. Jean castle and the west beach rocks. Sea bass, two-banded bream, mullet, whiting. Viz 3–8 m, open north. WARNING: seasonal caveat —…
- Vakfıkebir — Büyükliman — 'the big harbour' — is the only real bay on this stretch of the eastern Black Sea, but the shore stopped being natural long ago: the Black Sea coastal highway runs on fill, and everything that breaks the surface between Çarşıbaşı and Beşikdüzü is riprap, groynes and moles.
- Trabzon — Akçaabat, the Faroz breakwater and Yomra.
- Rize — Turkey's rainiest coast — chronic murk. The breakwater, İyidere and the Ardeşen/Fırtına mouth. Sea bass, two-banded bream, mullet, whiting. Viz 2–5 m, open…
- Ardeşen — The mouth of the Fırtına Deresi: Turkey's wettest catchment empties into the sea right here, and the water's colour is set by the calendar rather than the weather — Kaçkar snowmelt in spring, cloudbursts all summer.
- Hopa (Artvin) — Just west of the Georgian border: Hopa is a port town on the eastern Black Sea coast, where the mountains drop straight into the sea.
Frequently asked questions
Rules current as of 2026 and can vary locally — the current 6/2 tebliğ (RG 32629, 2024–2028), the local il/ilçe müdürlüğü and the protected areas set their own limits. Frame: tourists can't hunt alone (an av-turizmi boat/guide or an il müdürlüğü permit is required), apnea only, night banned, buoy mandatory, ≤5 kg / ≤3 fish per day. Orfoz/lagos 1/day (but leave it); don't bring a pufferfish ashore. Always check the local rules and the closed zones before you dive.
As a tourist, can I spearfish on my own in Türkiye?
No — this is the key point. A foreign tourist does not automatically have the right to hunt alone. The lawful path: (a) with a licensed boat/guide holding a 6/1 av-turizmi permit, OR (b) with a permit from the local il/ilçe agriculture müdürlüğü. The grey area is wide in practice, but this is the official rule — we recommend a licensed guide/permit. Also: apnea only, buoy mandatory, night banned.
Can I shoot an orfoz (grouper)?
Legally you may take max 1 orfoz or lagos per day by speargun (combined) — so it isn't fully banned. But we honestly say DON'T: the dusky grouper is slow-breeding and vulnerable, stocks are depleted and many restaurants won't take it. Leave a big grouper — you protect a reef's future.
What do I do if I catch a pufferfish?
☠️ NEVER eat it — it carries tetrodotoxin, no antidote, cooking doesn't destroy it. The amateur rule: kill it and return it to the open sea. BRINGING IT ASHORE/TO A HARBOUR IS BANNED — with a fine. The "you get a reward" line doesn't apply to amateurs (payment is for commercial boats only). Mind the strong beak.
Can I hunt at night? Is a buoy mandatory?
Night is banned — no speargun hunting between sunset and sunrise (art. 16/4-a), and hunting lights are banned. A buoy is MANDATORY (art. 16/4-c). Apnea only; scuba/narghilé banned. Diving-to-hunt is banned inside ports, marinas and shelters; 1 Apr–15 Nov hunting is banned in swim areas (≤200 m from shore).
What's the daily catch limit?
For weight-limited species, up to 5 kg per person total (a single fish over 5 kg is still legal). For count-limited species, a mixed total of up to 3 fish. There's a 5% size tolerance. Minimum sizes: sea bass 25, gilthead 20, dentex 35, bluefish 18, two-banded bream 18 cm — for the exact current table see the official 6/2 tebliğ.
Where can't I hunt — the main no-take zones?
The 6 no-take areas of the Gökova Gulf (Akbük, Akyaka, Çamlık, Boncuk-Karaca, İngiliz Limanı, Bördübet) are fully closed to all hunting. Kaş-Kekova and Kızılliman protected areas have coordinate-defined coastal no-hunt points. Diving-to-hunt is banned at the Gallipoli war-grave wrecks and monk-seal caves; naval exclusion zones too. Always check the boundaries.
What's the best season, and what's the Black Sea like?
Aegean and Mediterranean: the longest season, late spring to autumn, clearest in summer (water 25–27 °C, 3 mm). The Black Sea is different: cold, often murky, a short summer window — 5–7 mm needed, visibility drops often. Tides are negligible in Türkiye; the wind decides, so find the lee. Each city's daily go / borderline / no-go forecast helps you pick the day.