The meltemi, and why the afternoon changes everything

• The short answerFlat at eight, choppy by two, calm after six. Plan the day around it.

The meltemi is a summer wind that builds through the middle of the day and drops again in the evening. It is not weather in the dramatic sense; it is a pattern. On a typical July day the sea is glass at eight in the morning, has a chop by two, and settles again after six. Nothing about that is a problem if the route accounts for it, and everything about it is a problem if the route does not.

This is the reason a good captain reads the forecast before setting the route rather than printing it a week ahead. The morning goes to the exposed bays while the water is still flat, the afternoon moves to the sheltered side of the coast, and the run home happens once the wind has dropped. Shared day boats cannot do this because their timetable is fixed, which is why they sometimes look uncomfortable in the same conditions where a private boat looks calm.

Some anchorages hold their temper regardless. Adrasan is enclosed enough by pine slopes that it stays workable when the rest of this coast empties out, Ucagiz behind Kekova is flat even when the channel outside is running, and the Gokkaya lagoons are protected by their own islets. These are the places a route retreats to, not the places it avoids.

August is the windiest month and May and October the calmest. If you are prone to seasickness, that alone is a reason to book at the edges of the season rather than the middle.

Guides

When to take a boat trip from AntalyaMay and October: warm water, empty bays, lower prices.What to bring on a day charterHat, reef safe cream, soft shoes, a layer for the evening. The rest is aboard.Avoiding seasickness on a day charterMorning departure, sheltered bays, low and central, eyes on the horizon.What you actually see at KekovaRead the ruins from the boat, swim at Gokkaya, climb the castle at Simena.Day, sunset or a week: choosing a charterOne free day: day charter. One free evening: sunset. A week: go west.

Ways to charter

Day charterbest for first time charterers and familiesSunset cruisethe short charter that still feels like an occasionPrivate charterfor anyone who wants the day unsharedSwim and snorkel charterplanned around visibility, not mileageWeekly charterreaches the bays a day charter cannot

Common questions

Included in every charter

• Licensed captain and crew
• Fuel, harbour fees and insurance
• Towels, snorkel sets and paddle boards
• Soft drinks, water, tea and Turkish coffee
• Hotel pickup across Antalya on request

From EUR 800 Per boat, not per person, for the whole yacht and your party only. The exact figure depends on the programme, the season and the number of guests, and you get it in one message.