A Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour sends swimmers into the shallow sea off western Cyprus to look for wild turtles near the shore. Day trips on other islands are collected on the home page of tours in Greece.
This page covers what the trip is, how long it lasts, how a sea scooter works, the turtle species of the Mediterranean, where they live around Paphos, the season and the questions travellers ask.
What is a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour?
A Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour is a snorkelling trip on the Cyprus coast. Swimmers enter the sea from the shore, look for wild sea turtles, and use shared sea scooters to move.
One operator’s home page invites visitors to snorkel alongside sea turtles in their natural habitat. It also promises colourful marine life to explore. The page brings in sea scooters and the thrill of a glide across the sea. It adds that all snorkelling equipment is supplied and that swimmers bring a towel.
A tour listing explains how a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour begins. A short safety briefing comes first. The tour leaders then provide the snorkelling equipment. After that, swimmers go into the sea straight from the shore. They look over the clear Mediterranean water, with no boat needed.
The same listing stresses that turtles are wild animals. They roam where they choose, so no two trips are alike. Finding them is part of the adventure. The listing names schools of fish and other Mediterranean marine life among the sights along the way. The tour leaders swim with the group throughout and share facts about the turtles.
Wikipedia names Paphos as the district capital, on the Mediterranean shore in the southwest of Cyprus. Three Cypriot cities are larger: Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca. The island’s largest port, Limassol, is about 50 kilometres away to the east. A road called the A6 joins the two cities.
One listing sets a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour in clear waters near Paphos. That is the southwest coast of Cyprus. The Paphos District covers 1,396 square kilometres, about 15.1 percent of the island. Wikipedia says its coastline is cut by gulfs and coves, with capes, points, beaches and small islands.
How long does a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour last?
One listing states that a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour lasts approximately 3 to 4 hours. Between 60 and 75 minutes of that time are spent in the water.
The listing puts a short safety briefing at the start of the trip. The tour leaders then hand out the snorkelling equipment, and the swim begins from the shore itself. Transport from the meeting point is on the list of inclusions. Another listing names the Tombs of the Kings archaeological site in Paphos as that meeting point.
The 3 to 4 hours is longer than the water time, because the full experience holds more than the swim. The briefing, the equipment handout, the start from the shore and the transport all belong to it. The summary line of the same listing shows 3.5 hours.
Wikipedia presents snorkelling as a way to watch underwater life without the complicated gear or training of scuba diving. A Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour fits that pattern. The operator supplies the snorkelling equipment, and a short safety briefing comes first, before anyone swims.
The length of the swim changes with the spot where the turtles are that day, the listing says. The search for turtles counts as part of the adventure. The listing adds that the shared sea scooters make it easier to explore the area while moving through the water.
Another operator in Paphos lists boat cruises with a different length. Its semi-submarine cruises last 2 hours and run in the daytime, before sunset or in the evening. One cruise includes a 30 minute swim stop. These cruises use a glass cabin for underwater viewing. Their figures do not describe a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour.
How does a sea scooter work on a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour?
A sea scooter is a compact underwater device that pulls a swimmer through the water, as Wikipedia describes it. On a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour, one operator says the swimmers share the scooters. They glide through clear water.
Wikipedia lists “sea scooter” among the names for a diver propulsion vehicle. A watertight casing holds a battery-powered electric motor that turns a propeller. The design keeps the propeller away from the diver and from marine life. The device cannot start by accident.
One common type tows the swimmer, who holds on to handles at the stern or the bow, Wikipedia says. The device stays about neutrally buoyant in the water. It takes up at least one hand while in use.
One operator says the shared scooters make the swim easier and let people move through the water with less effort. Another listing says the group shares five to seven scooters on a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour.
One operator says its instructors swim along with the group the whole time and help people explore safely and respectfully. Another listing names an expert local instructor for safety. Both list floating noodles as an aid for swimmers who need more support.
The trip suits confident swimmers. One operator says it is designed for good, confident swimmers. The group can have to swim a distance that depends on where the turtles are that day. Another listing calls the Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour ideal for confident snorkelers.
The same listing advises against the trip for anyone with asthma or a heart condition, and for anyone over 65. It also advises against children under six. Those who still join must swim well and have a parent supervise them.
Which sea turtles can you see on a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour?
One cruise operator says two sea turtle species swim around Paphos: the loggerhead and the green turtle. A Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour searches the coastline, where another operator says turtles feed and rest.
The loggerhead (Caretta caretta) is named for its large head, Wikipedia says. A grown loggerhead has a shell about 90 cm long, and it weighs near 135 kg. Its head and shell are yellow-orange to reddish brown in colour. Mediterranean loggerheads are smaller, on average, than those of the Atlantic Ocean.
A loggerhead eats mainly bottom-dwelling animals without a backbone, and its strong jaws break up its prey. Wikipedia calls the Mediterranean Sea a nursery for young loggerheads. It lists the Greek, Cypriot and Turkish coastlines as common nesting sites.
The green turtle (Chelonia mydas) takes its name from the greenish colour of its fat. Its shell is olive to black. Adults reach a shell length of about 78 to 112 cm and weigh about 68 to 190 kg. The snout is very short, and the beak is not hooked.
The two species eat different food. An adult green turtle eats seagrass. Wikipedia says it is the one aquatic turtle that lives on plants alone once fully grown. The loggerhead is omnivorous.
The listings for a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour speak of wild sea turtles in their natural habitat. The cruise operator says both species can be seen swimming in the waters in and around Paphos.
On a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour, swimmers can meet shoals of fish and other sea life of the Mediterranean. One operator says so, and adds that its instructors explain facts about the turtles and their local underwater environment.
Where do sea turtles live around Paphos?
Cyprus waters hold two sea turtles, the loggerhead and the green turtle. One operator says both live in the waters around Paphos. A Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour searches the clear coastal sea of southwest Cyprus for them.
Paphos, says Wikipedia, is the district capital and a coastal city in the southwest of Cyprus. Akamas, a peninsula in the district’s north-west, has a national park, and the green sea turtle is protected there. Wikipedia also names a loggerhead turtle sanctuary on Akamas. Lara Bay has a turtle hatchery, where the eggs are protected.
Females lay eggs at night on quiet, unlit beaches, a Cyprus news report says. Wikipedia lists the Cyprus coast as a common nesting site for the loggerhead. Another report says Mediterranean green turtles breed almost exclusively in Cyprus and Turkey. A Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour meets turtles in the water, not on these beaches.
Wikipedia says the adult green turtle eats seagrasses in shallow coastal water. The seagrass Posidonia oceanica lives nowhere but the Mediterranean. Its dense meadows grow between 1 and 35 metres deep, and they hold diverse plant and animal communities. The loggerhead eats mainly bottom-dwelling invertebrates.
The Mediterranean monk seal shares these seas. Wikipedia lists it with the sea turtles as a vulnerable animal of Akamas. It names Cyprus among the countries where the seal lives. The seal is shy and now uses sea caves to give birth and find refuge. The operators name turtles and fish as the sights, not seals.
Wikipedia names fishing nets, light pollution on beaches and plastic bags as threats to sea turtles. A Cyprus news report names a protected area, Lara-Toxeftra. There, umbrellas and tents are banned on the beach from June 1 to September 30. One operator lists insights into turtle conservation on a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour.
When is the season for a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour?
One operator lists trips from April and gives late spring through November as the turtle season in Paphos. Another listing gives the same months for peak turtle sightings on its Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour.
The listed months for a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour, April to November, match the warm season in Cyprus. Wikipedia counts the warm season at about eight months, running April to November. Coastal daytime highs in April are 23 to 25 degrees Celsius.
Water warmth counts on a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour. Wikipedia says the Cyprus sea warms to 27 to 28 degrees Celsius by August and cools to 17 by February. In the seven months from late spring to November, it exceeds 20 degrees. Peyia, 14 kilometres north-west of Paphos, has 28 degrees in August.
Summer weather is dry. Wikipedia says it almost never rains in Paphos in July and August. Heatwaves are relatively common in those months, when hot air from the Sahara drifts over Cyprus. Winds are generally light to moderate.
Days are long in the season. Wikipedia says bright sunshine exceeds 12 hours a day on average from April to September. In winter the sun shines for 5 to 6 hours a day. One listing asks guests to pack sunscreen, a towel and swimwear.
A Cyprus news report says sea turtles nest on the island until the end of September, starting in late spring. These months sit inside the listed turtle months for a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour. Wikipedia gives around 80 days of incubation for loggerhead eggs and around sixty days for green turtle eggs.
What else do travellers ask about a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour?
Can a non-swimmer join a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour, or must you swim well?
The listings are clear on this point. One listing says the Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour is for confident swimmers only. It adds that non-swimmers are not suited to the trip.
The same page says beginner and experienced snorkellers alike receive support throughout the tour. Wikipedia says a snorkeller swims face-down near the water’s surface, breathing air through a tube, with relatively little effort.
What does the trip include besides the swim, the scooters and the turtles?
One listing of the Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour names a local tour leader, equipment and floating noodles. The same list adds seasonal fruit, bottled water and photos of the experience.
It also lists insights into marine life and the conservation of turtles, shared along the way. Wikipedia names a snorkel and a mask or goggles as the essential kit for snorkelling, with swimfins common.
How large is each group on a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour?
One listing says the group on a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour is small, with 7 to 9 people. Its answer on group size repeats the figure and says groups are limited to 7 to 9 people.
The description on the same page gives a different figure: 8 to 10 people in a small group. The page gives two ranges, so the exact group size is a point to check with the operator.
What is the town of Paphos known for, apart from the sea and the turtles?
Away from the water, the area around a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour holds ancient ruins. Wikipedia says UNESCO added them to its World Heritage list in nineteen eighty.
Nea Paphos, which covers much of Kato Paphos, gave up four Roman villas, each with a preserved mosaic floor. The mosaics mainly show scenes from Greek mythology. Paphos Castle lies at the port’s western end and goes back to the thirteenth century.
Outside the city, near Palaepaphos, the rock Petra tou Romiou sits in the sea. According to legend, Aphrodite rose from the waves at this spot.
Are the turtles touched or fed during the swim?
The listings for a Paphos sea scooter turtle watching tour describe watching and photographing turtles, not touching or feeding them. One listing says the tour follows eco-friendly practices to protect the marine environment and wildlife around Paphos.
Wikipedia says five of the seven sea turtle species are listed as threatened with extinction. The IUCN considers the loggerhead a vulnerable species, it adds. Sea turtles are air-breathing reptiles and surface regularly to breathe.
Another operator, which runs glass-cabin boat cruises, says its turtle tours let visitors watch without disturbing natural behaviour. Its crew also explains turtle life cycles, migration and local conservation work.