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Guide · Türkiye

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:

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.

SpeciesMinimum
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:

No-take zones

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.

  • Ayvalık — Ayvalık: a rock-and-posidonia zone with its archipelago, channels and Cunda.
  • Dikili — Dikili: the open north shore of the Gulf of Çandarlı, viz 4–7 m.

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 (~36.13, 29.68) — east of it is the Kaş-Kekova SEPA no-take.
  • 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.
  • Silifke — Silifke's sea is the front of the Göksu delta: Taşucu to the west, the Atakent/Susanoğlu rock to the east.
  • 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).
  • Erdemli — The Kumkuyu–Tömük–Ayaş strip: mostly sand with rock ledges and boulder patches in between, 0–12 m, shore entry.
  • 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.
  • Bartın (İnkumu) — Bartın meets the sea at İnkumu, a long sand beach.
  • Amasra — The best structure on the western Black Sea: points, islets and the mouth of the Bartın strait — a real destination.
  • 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.

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.

  • İnebolu — Open central-Black-Sea coast — strong swell.
  • Sinop — The best peninsula on the Black Sea, away from rivers and cleaner: Akliman/Hamsilos (a fjord!), İnceburun (Turkey's northernmost tip, very exposed) and Sarıkum.
  • Samsun — A big port city; fishing on the west coast: the Atakum groynes, Dereköy and Alaçam.

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.
  • 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.
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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.