The short answer: some children will, and there is a cheap way to find out
Nobody can promise your child will be fine at sea. What we can tell you is that the Side deep sea fishing trip is a small-group boat capped at twelve guests heading into open water, and a small boat sitting still over a fishing mark moves considerably more than a large coastal boat under way. If seasickness is your actual worry, test it first on the full-day Side boat trip — EUR 20 for adults and EUR 14 for children, seven hours, hugging the coast with repeated swim and snorkelling stops. If your child is happy on that, the fishing morning is a reasonable next step. If they are green by the second bay, you have learned it for EUR 14 rather than EUR 32.
What the fishing morning actually is
Six hours, with an early departure for the best fishing light and a gentle Mediterranean sunrise, and round-trip transfer from your Side hotel in an air-conditioned vehicle. All professional tackle, lines and fresh bait are supplied by the captain, who gives hands-on help — you do not need to know anything, and the listing describes the trip as suitable for all ages and experience levels, complete beginners included. A light breakfast of Turkish simit and hot tea is served on deck. A catch is close to guaranteed, though it may be small and colourful rather than a trophy.
On price, our own listing needs saying plainly rather than smoothing over: the fare table shows EUR 45 for adults and EUR 32 for children, while a note on the same tour states the price is the same for every guest regardless of age, because capacity is strictly limited to twelve passengers. We would rather flag that than quietly pick the number that suits us — confirm your family's exact total with us when you book, and it will be the total.
Practical things that help a child at sea
- Keep them on deck in fresh air, looking at the horizon or at the coastline — not down at a phone.
- The bait is fresh, which is exactly what makes it work and exactly what a queasy child should not be leaning over. Give them a job at the other end of the boat when the captain is re-baiting.
- Let them eat something plain from the on-deck breakfast. An empty stomach is not the safer option it feels like.
- A hat, sunglasses and sunscreen matter more than you think — glare off the water is relentless and adds to the queasiness.
- Any medication question belongs to your pharmacist or doctor before you travel, not to a tour operator. We will not advise on dosing a child.
You are welcome to bring your own snacks, meals and cold drinks aboard, which is unusual and worth using with children. Lunch is not included; cold drinks can be bought on board. Your exact collection time is confirmed personally after you book.
Who should not book the fishing trip
- A child who needs constant stimulation. Fishing has long, quiet stretches — that is the appeal for some families and the entire problem for others.
- Families expecting a swim programme. The morning in our listing is fishing, breakfast and the sea; there is no foam party, no animation and no scheduled swim stop.
- Anyone in the family who has been ill on a ferry. Twelve guests, open water, no lower deck to retreat to.
- Families who want a lie-in. The early departure is the point of the trip, not an inconvenience of it.
And who will love it: a child who wants to catch something with their own hands, a parent who wants six quiet hours, and anyone tired of the loud boats. Twelve people is a very different day out from a hundred and twenty.
If the big boat is the better fit
The full-day Side boat trip is the opposite experience in every way — lunch on board, live music, a foam party on deck, multiple swimming and snorkelling stops along the turquoise coastline, and hotel pickup and drop-off. Children stay under parental supervision throughout and the route can change with sea and weather conditions. At EUR 14 for a child it is also the cheapest way to find out how your family handles a full day afloat.