HasrAl Birk
borderline⚠ Restrictions apply
swell on the quarter today
- window
- —
Fringing reef by a named island — a mapped feature, not a known dive site; boat access. Spearfishing not permitted. Coords from OpenStreetMap, approx.
Google MapsAl Birk freediving & snorkelling forecast — wind, swell, visibility & live cameras
5.3
wave 0.2 m head-on
visibility3m
Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and visibility.
Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 16:38
Sources & confidence
- Sources
- Open-Meteo · Copernicus
- Method
- spearo sea-state engine: consensus of up to 6 models + satellite clarity (ZSD) + buoy-bias checks
- Freshness
- Re-read every hour, per coast
Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine · How it works →
The verdict comes from seven water factors and hard safety gates — not ten tabs. Go or stay.
How we score the water
Our own model
Our own forecast engine — not a third-party widget. It weighs these water factors into one go-or-stay verdict for this coast; the 0–10 dial is that verdict, read out as a number.
- Swell & wave memory
- Height, period and direction of the swell, plus the wake of recent storms — an old storm still stirs the water, and the engine remembers.
- Wind & gusts
- Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
- Tide phase
- Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
- Water temperature
- Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
- Currents & outflow
- Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
- Rain runoff & air clarity
- Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
- Coast shape & exposure
- How the coast faces the swell — a sheltered cove keeps the water clean; an exposed, head-on point takes a penalty.
Safety gates
- Thunderstorm forecast — an instant red, no exceptions.
- An official warning (MeteoAlarm / IPMA) — yellow, or red for the higher ranks.
- Missing input data — a would-be green is capped to yellow rather than overstated.
- Strong disagreement between forecast models — a green day is pulled back to yellow.
- Night hours — where night spearfishing is banned by law the window is forced red; where it is legal (Australia outside NSW, New Zealand, South Africa) it is capped at yellow, never green.
It all folds into a single 0–10 score and one verdict: go or stay.
A forecast, not a guarantee — the sea has the last word.
Where to get in, where to hunt
Entry points with coordinates
Seabed relief — promising ground
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
updated 16:38
Al Birk — solo, off the rocks
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · strong wind 19 km/h, gusts 27 — caution
wave 0.2 m head-onwind 19, gusts 27 km/hvisibility ~3 mwindow 15:00–18:00
today, best window 15:00–18:00
fish · Visibility 3 m · Water 32.7°C
confidence medium · verdict for the selected day
Whole week — tap a day. is driving swell right now.
Solo risk: carry a float · tell someone your plan and exit time · doubt = don't go. A model-based planner; the call is made on site.
Selected day
Windows, hours
and the day's trends.
The day is picked above, in the hero. Here are that day's windows, the hour-by-hour map and the trends. Tap a window to break down the conditions.
Thursday · today2026-10-29
06:11–17:42 · waning gibbous
▲ 02:00▼ 08:00▲ 15:00▼ 21:00 · 0.6 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.20 m
Wave0.22 m
Wind7 km/h
Water32 °C
fish activity: moon overhead 02:30 · high · moonset 09:28 · moderate · moon underfoot 15:00 · high · moonrise 20:39 · moderate
Conditions window15:00–18:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish
Hs 0.22 m · calmperiod 3.9 s head-onwind 19→27surge 0viz 3 m
0.22 mcalm · up to ~0.44 · 189° head-on
3.9 sswell moderate
19→27gusts 27 km/h
0weak surge
0.08m/s
3 mrecent swell
32.7°C5 mm + hood
▼21:00tide turn near
Atmosphere8 kmprecip 0.8 mm
highmoon underfoot
- strong wind 19 km/h, gusts 27 — caution
- next window is red — keep it short, watch for rising swell/wind
- dawn/dusk
confidence mediumtwilight
The water column
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
What it is
A marine instrument,
go / no-go for solo hunting.
spearo.app folds wind, wave, swell period, visibility, tides, water temperature and risk into a single verdict — go to the spot or not. It computes 7 days ahead from open marine models (Open-Meteo, IPMA), with no sign-up and no accounts. Built for solo spearfishing off the rocks, where any mistake costs dearly.
Now live: 3094 spots across 421 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
See all spotsThe seabed
Relief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.
On the rock
The forecast is the plan.
The call is on the rock.
The models set the window. Whether you go in is read only at the water: count the sets, watch the surge on the entry. If in doubt, you don't get in.
Entry points
Where to get in
off the rocks.
Scouted entries, coloured by today. The colour is the sea state at the spot, not a guarantee: the wash and a slippery entry you judge on site.
Open the seafloor map
Jabal Dhahban IslandAl Birk
borderline⚠ Restrictions apply
swell on the quarter today
- window
- —
Fringing reef by a named island — a mapped feature, not a known dive site; boat access. Spearfishing not permitted. Coords from OpenStreetMap, approx.
Google MapsMarka IslandAl Birk
borderline⚠ Restrictions apply
swell on the quarter today
- window
- —
Fringing reef by a named island — a mapped feature, not a known dive site; boat access. Spearfishing not permitted. Coords from OpenStreetMap, approx.
Google MapsSOLO is the biggest risk: underwater you can black out from lack of oxygen silently and fatally, with no one around. Solo is never truly «safe». Below are the best weather windows; carry a buoy, tell someone your plan and exit time, and any doubt — don't go.
Surfacing
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Live cameras, map & reference
Open the seafloor map →What's in season,
Reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
In season now
- no targets this month
Law
Saudi Arabia: the fisheries ministry (MEWA) treats spearguns as prohibited fishing gear under the Agriculture Law (Royal Decree M/64) and seizes them on both coasts — spearfishing is not permitted; the forecast is for freediving and snorkelling. Farasan Islands, Jubail wildlife sanctuary and other reserves are protected. Grouper and parrotfish are closed on the Red Sea in April–May; shrimp seasons apply.
Safety protocol
- Sets: watch the wave trains ≥15 min before entering; Hmax ≈ 2×Hs, the wash can run 50 m past the foam line. A lull >10 min with period >12 s = a big set «overdue», do NOT enter; enter right after a full set passes and re-check at minute 30.
- Exit FIRST: find your exit AND a backup before entering. On a rocky/boulder shore a 0.5 m rise in swell can make the exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer.
- Headland rip: prominent points often have a permanent topographic rip regardless of the model — locate it, enter/exit on the windward side, never swim against it.
- Cold: wetsuit per the SST chip; the first shiver = a metabolic surge and a drop in breath-hold → get out at the first steady shiver. Cap the session at 45–60 min below 15 °C.
- Solo discipline: buoy up; tell someone the spot and exit time; conservative breath-hold (never push it in cold/murky/surfy water); visibility <3 m — don't enter.
- Afternoon wind: on many coasts the wind builds from midday — plan to be out of the water by midday; the chop builds — get out.
- UV 11:00–15:00 (UVI ≥6): sunscreen and cover up on the surface interval.
- Solo is a fundamental risk (hypoxic blackout with no buddy). Any doubt = No-go.
FAQ — spearfishing in Al Birk
Where can I spearfish in Al Birk?
Al Birk has rock entry points such as Hasr, Jabal Dhahban Island and Marka Island. Small harbour on a rocky volcanic coast. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.
When is the best season in Al Birk?
Year-round, easiest October–May; summer is very hot. A N–NW wind blows most of the year (south of ~19° N it turns SSE in winter).
How cold is the water in Al Birk?
22–25 °C in winter, 29–32 °C in summer; 15–25 m visibility on the fringing reefs on calm days.
Is Al Birk good for a beginner?
Moderate: reefs drop off steeply, currents on the outer reefs; spearfishing is not permitted (MEWA) — the forecast is for freediving and snorkelling.
Do I need a licence in Al Birk?
Al Birk: Saudi Arabia: the fisheries ministry (MEWA) treats spearguns as prohibited fishing gear under the Agriculture Law (Royal Decree M/64) and seizes them on both coasts — spearfishing is not permitted; the forecast is for freediving and snorkelling. Farasan Islands, Jubail wildlife sanctuary and other reserves are protected. Grouper and parrotfish are closed on the Red Sea in April–May; shrimp seasons apply.
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