Turtle Poaching
Introduction
One of the many Illegal Runs that you can do on the island of Altis is harvesting sea turtles. Turtles are one of the safest Illegal items to run when you are first becoming financially stable enough to afford a boat and an SDAR. It is one of the lower traffic runs you can do on the server allowing for a more relaxed journey on the open seas. Turles is unique in the fact that you only have two stops; Turtle poaching and turtle dealer.
Starting the Run
Before you start your run it's a good idea to check the market to see if the turtles are at full price. Once you have done that you should get all of the required equipment for turtles. It's also a good idea to make sure you have ambient life enabled by pressing y and going to settings. When you are ready to start the run, you will need a wetsuit, rebreather, diving goggles, and a bergan backpack which you can find at the diving shop or local clothes store in the town of your choice. After this, you will need to go to a Rebel Outpost or a Black Market and purchase an SDAR. The SDAR is a high-powered rifle that can be utilized underwater to dispatch any aquatic enemy gamers, or Turtles in this case, that you may encounter. It can only be used underwater if you have purchased the Dual Purpose mags that are grouped with it in the aforementioned storefronts at which it can be purchased. In order to reach the turtles, you will need a boat, which can be purchased at any boat shop around the map. The best boat to use for this run would be the motorboat, which can be upgraded with additional storage and engine speed for maximum efficiency. Last, but not least, you will want to take some water, food, and redgull and you can begin your quest to violate the laws of man and god and poach some sweet, lean, and endangered turtles.
Gathering - Turtles
Once you have arrived at one of the two turtle poaching zones in Altis, you will want to be sure to stop your boat as close to the center of the zone as you can. At this point, you can expedite the spawning of turtles by using your scroll wheel while in the boat to drop your fishing net 1-3 times. Once this is done, drop into the ocean and after 30-45 seconds the turtles will begin to spawn around you. Once you have your prey is in your sights, you will want to be sure to aim directly in the center of the turtle when you shoot at it and you will know you have hit it when it keels over and goes belly up. Once dead, you will need to swim close to the turtle and press your windows key while looking ever so slightly above it in order to collect its carcass. Once you have collected the desired amount of turtles, you will be free to proceed to the closest turtle dealer.
Selling
After you have filled up the boat and your backpack with turtles you should start heading towards the pyrgos turtles dealer as quickly as you can. When you get close enough make sure to scope out the area for anyone who may be camping or selling at the dealer before proceeding.. To interact with the turtle dealer, scroll wheel on the NPC, double click on the turtles in your inventory to select all of the turtles in your inventory, then click sell. You will then want to quickly make your way to the nearest ATM to deposit the money before any would-be robbers can remove it from your coin purse.
Payout
The average payout for a turtle with a tier 4 storage motorboat and a Bergen bag(96) comes out to $964,782. Since there are no cartels you will get full price on what you sell.
Special Thanks
A very special thank you from the Wiki team to Waddles for creating the draft and assisting in the creation of this page.