With 8,000 kilometers of coastline, a perfect Mediterranean climate, great visibility and a growing number of marine parks, it is no wonder that Turkey is fast becoming a destination fish enthusiasts want to explore. And what better way to do so than by luxury yacht charter? This summer, get away from it all on your own private yacht, anchor at deserted sandy coves dotted with the occasional traditional sailing boat and enjoy bustling bars and restaurants at night after another great day at the water, discovering the many fish species of Turkey.

Turkey is the perfect spot for a family holiday that allows you to discover the many local fish species. While some of your family members would like to go diving to see the fish up close, others might prefer to update their fish logbooks by exploring the underwater world by snorkeling. The best part of being on yacht charter? You can do both! And if some of your loved ones are not feeling the underwater adventures that day, they can go for a swim or chill out on the beach. Or stay onboard of the yacht and have a ton of fun, lounging at the sun deck, sipping their favorite drinks whipped up by your chief stewardess while taking pictures of their loved ones in the sea.

While diving and snorkeling can be done all year round, the main season runs from May until November, with water temperatures ranging between a pleasant 18ºC and 26ºC. The underwater landscape is typically a varied selection of reefs, walls, drop-offs and caverns. Marine life in the waters of Turkey includes grouper, rays, moray eels, turtles and octopuses. You may even be able to catch a glimpse of seahorses in some areas and there are lots of nudibranchs. Here are some fun facts about the fish species in the Turkish sea!

Grouper fish

Groupers are a type of ray-finned fish that can grow extremely large. These fish have stout bodies with large mouths. They range from yellow-brown to gray in color with dark spots. Their habitat is in shallow temperate waters around the depths of 46 meters. They prefer areas of coral, rock, and mud bottoms in the ocean and are generally ambush predators. Their gills and mouth form a vacuum that pulls prey towards them. Groupers can change their color to match coral reefs to help camouflage themselves. Some other fascinating grouper facts are that they attain maturity only as females and that they are one of the few species that have the ability to change their sex after reproduction maturity.

Moray eel

Now that we are at the subject of interesting facts about fish, moray eels don’t have bony gill covers on their sides, instead they use their mouths to orally pump water through the two circular openings they have behind their head. On top of that, they have a hidden set of internal jaws, making them look slightly alien. Moray eels are kind of blind. Have you ever noticed the two small appendages on their noses? These are their nostrils. Due to their relatively poor eyesight, moray eels rely on their excellent sense of smell to hunt.

Sea turtle

Loggerhead turtles are named for their large heads that support powerful jaw muscles, allowing them to crush hard-shelled prey like clams and sea urchins. Sea turtles are really ancient. The oldest known sea turtle fossil is at least 120 million years old, making sea turtles some of the oldest creatures on the planet. That means they shared the planet with dinosaurs which became extinct around 65 million years ago.

Did you know that leatherback turtles travel 16,000 kilometers or more to dine out on their favorite jellyfish and that female marine turtles return to the same nesting grounds where they were born when it is time for them to lay their own eggs? Green turtles can hold their breath underwater for as long as five hours. To do this, they slow their heart rate to up to nine minutes in between heart beats to conserve oxygen!

Octopus

Now that we are talking about ancient fish species, there is competition for the turtle in the Turkish waters! The oldest known octopus fossil belongs to an animal that lived some 296 million years ago. In other words, long before life on land had progressed beyond puny pre-dinosaur reptiles, octopuses had already established their shape for the millions of years to come. Did you know that octopuses have three hearts? Two of the hearts work exclusively to move blood beyond the animal’s gills, while the third keeps circulation flowing for the organs. The organ heart actually stops beating when the octopus swims, explaining the species’ penchant for crawling rather than swimming, which exhausts them.

Seahorse

Seahorses are a favorite with adults and kids alike. They live in warm and calm shallow marine waters that have plenty of food and anchor points around which they can wrap their tails. They are called seahorses because of the similarity in the appearance of their head to a horse’s head. Seahorses swim in an upright position, using a delicate dorsal fin on their back. Scientific research has evidence that suggests the seahorse is in fact a highly evolved pipefish. It is hypothesized that seahorses evolved into their own branch as a result of tectonic changes in the earth, resulting in the creation of shallow waters that were hospitable to many types of marine plants, including sea grasses.

Because the nature of seagrass is characterized by its vertical growth to reach the sun’s light, scientists believe this is what caused the upright posture of the seahorse, as opposed to the horizontal swimming of most fish species. 

Seahorses have a big appetite. In fact, they eat almost constantly. Since they have neither teeth nor stomachs, food passes through their small bodies very quickly, so they have to eat at least 30 meals per day. Seahorses are also among only a few other fish species that mate for life. They renew this bonding every day with a courtship display that can last for an hour. They swim up to each other and change color as they get closer. Next, the male swims around the female, and the pair then swim around a small object with their tails entwined, like a pair of dancers twirling the night away. Family bonding time!

Are you and your family ready to see these interesting fish with your own eyes? Then plunge into the deep and book your luxury yacht charter in Turkey!