Sun Safety on Deck: A Full Day at Suluada Without Burning

Bring more sun protection than you think you need, reapply it after every swim, and treat shade as a bonus rather than a plan. A boat deck is the harshest sun environment of most people's holiday — and there is no shop on the island, so whatever you did not pack, you do not have.

That is the whole guide in two sentences. The rest is why, and what specifically works on this day.

Why a Deck Is Harder Than a Sunbed

Three things gang up on you at sea.

The water reflects. On a hotel terrace the sun arrives from one direction. On a boat it also comes back up off the sea and off a pale deck, so the places you never normally protect — under the chin, the underside of the arms, behind the knees, the tops of the feet, the parting in your hair — take a share they are not used to.

The wind lies to you. Under way there is always moving air, and moving air makes strong sun feel mild. People burn on boats precisely because they are comfortable while it happens.

You keep getting wet. Swimming, the tender boat, spray, a towel. Every one of those takes protection off, and almost nobody reapplies as often as the day actually demands.

Then add exposure time. The Side departure sails at 09:40 and docks back at 16:00, which means the entire middle of the day is spent outdoors — and the strongest hours land exactly when you are at the island, in the water, with nothing over your head.

What to Pack, Specifically

• More sun cream than you would take to the beach, with a high protection factor. A small tube will not survive a full day and several swims for two people.
• A hat that survives wind. A wide brim is only useful if it is still on your head. A chin cord, or a cap you can pull down, beats a beautiful straw hat that leaves on the first leg.
• Sunglasses — glare off the sea is genuinely tiring across a full day, and a strap that stops them sinking costs almost nothing.
• A long-sleeved layer. A rash vest or a loose light shirt is the one thing that reliably works, because it does not wash off. For fair skin and for children it is the difference between a good evening and a bad one.
• A towel, and something dry to put on for the run home.
• Water, more than feels necessary. Drinks at the bar are not included, so bring cash if you want them.

The full list, including the things people forget, is in what to bring on a Suluada boat tour, and everything the tour provides is set out on the what is included page.

Shade: Plan as if You Will Not Get Any

Where a boat has shaded space, it fills early and it stays filled. That is not a complaint about our boats; it is true of every boat on this coast on a hot day. The reliable move is to bring your own cover — sleeves, a hat, a light wrap — and treat any shade you find as a bonus.

Ask the crew as you board where they suggest you sit. They know their own boat and they know where the sun lands as the day turns. And if someone in your group needs shade for a real reason — a young child, a skin condition, a medication that reacts — say so at boarding, or better, tell us when you book so it is not a surprise on the day.

Use the water itself, too. Between stops, the coolest place on a hot boat is very often the sea.

Time Your Reapplications to the Day, Not the Clock

Do not think in hours. Think in events.

Before pickup. Put the first layer on at the hotel, not on the boat. The Side pickup window is 05:30–06:00, so there is a road leg and a harbour to get through before the sun matters — and nothing else to do in that time anyway. The optional breakfast stop at Adrasan around 08:30, paid at the local restaurant, is a natural moment for a second pass.

After every swim. Not "at lunchtime". After every single time you come out of the water, including after the tender boat run into the bay, and including the swim you only stayed in for two minutes.

Around lunch. Lunch is cooked and served on board — grilled fish or chicken with pasta or rice, the day's Turkish mezes, a seasonal salad, then fruit and Turkish tea — and it falls in the strongest part of the day, which makes it a useful checkpoint.

On the Antalya departure the same rules apply over a longer day: the pickup window is 08:30–09:00 from central Antalya, Kemer and Beldibi, the day runs about 12 hours door to door, and it sails Tuesday and Thursday all year plus Saturday from April to October. Snorkelling masks and pool floats are included on that boat — which means more time face-down in the water and considerably more sun on the backs of your legs than most people expect.

Children, and Anyone Who Burns Easily

The rule that works with children is coverage rather than cream: a rash vest, a hat, and shade in the middle of the day. Cream is the backup, because it comes off in the water and because nobody reapplies it as often as they intend to.

The Side departure has a minimum age of 6. Infants aged 0–3 sail free but need adult supervision on deck at all times, and children aged 4–10 pay €30 against €40 for adults — one flat price from every pickup point on the coast. There is more on the shape of the day with a family in Suluada with kids and on the family tour page.

Booking is free online and you pay on the tour day, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure; the full breakdown sits on the prices page. And one last piece of reassurance about the weather: if the sea is rough the harbour authority can stop departures, and a cancelled day is rebooked or refunded. That is one sunburn you definitely will not be getting.