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.
01
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.
02
Wind & gusts
Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
03
Tide phase
Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
04
Water temperature
Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
05
Currents & outflow
Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
06
Rain runoff & air clarity
Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
07
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
This verdict — in your pocket. Open the app for the week's window.
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0 m
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
INMET no dataupdated 08:28
Aracruz — solo, off the rocks
DON'T GO
don't go · wave 1.6 m (occasionally up to ~3.1 m)
wave 1.6 mwind 11 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~1 m
today, best window 09:00–12:00
fish · Visibility 1 m · Water 23.8°C
confidence low · 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.
Wednesday · today2026-09-09
05:42–17:34 · new moon
▲ 01:00▼ 08:00▲ 14:00▼ 20:00 · 1.5 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.31 m
Wave1.46 m
Wind5 km/h
Water24 °C
fish activity: moonrise 04:31 · moderate · moon overhead 10:20 · high · moonset 16:15 · moderate · moon underfoot 22:40 · high
Conditions window09:00–12:00
don't go fish
Hs 1.56 m · roughperiod 8.8 swind 11→24surge 6.8viz 1 m
1.56 mrough · up to ~3.12 · 165° at an angle
8.8 sswell moderate
11→24gusts 24 km/h
6.8pounding the rocks
0.11m/s
1 mrecent swell
23.8°C5 mm + hood
▲14:00tide rising
Atmosphere5 kmovercast
highmoon overhead
wave 1.6 m (occasionally up to ~3.1 m)
steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.
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−10 m
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: 1391 spots across 205 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
⛔ Inside “Refúgio de Vida Silvestre de Santa Cruz” (Decreto s/n de 17-06-2010): amateur fishing and spearfishing are banned. Info-zone, not a spot. Rocky shore 0–12 m, shore entry — but inside the Santa Cruz Wildlife Refuge: amateur fishing and spearfishing banned. Info-zone, not a spot.
SOLO 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.
One morning glance — and you know.
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≈
Surfacing
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
State closed seasons: BA 15 May–31 Jul; ES 1 May–30 Jun; PR 1 Nov–31 Dec; SP — none.
common snook
Centropomus undecimalis · 0–15 m · legal
State closed seasons: BA 15 May–31 Jul; ES 1 May–30 Jun; PR 1 Nov–31 Dec; SP — none.
dusky grouper
Epinephelus marginatus · 8–40 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
⚠️ Closed season 1 Nov–28 Feb (national, Port. Interm. 41/2018). Slot 47–73 cm — a minimum AND a maximum (art. 3º). Vulnerable — go easy.
gag grouper
Mycteroperca microlepis · 5–40 m · legal
black grouper
Mycteroperca bonaci · 5–40 m · 🚫 no-take
🚫 On the 2026 national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026) — integrally protected by 1.666/2026, art. 3º: taking, transporting, keeping and selling are prohibited. Do not shoot.
comb grouper
Mycteroperca acutirostris · 3–30 m · legal
⏳ A legal target today; from 25.10.2026 it is fully protected (Portaria GM/MMA 1.666/2026, art. 3º; the 180-day term of art. 12).
snowy grouper
Hyporthodus niveatus · 20–60 m · 🚫 no-take
🚫 On the 2026 national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026) — integrally protected by 1.666/2026, art. 3º: taking, transporting, keeping and selling are prohibited. Do not shoot.
yellowedge grouper
Hyporthodus flavolimbatus · 30–80 m · legal
⏳ A legal target today; from 25.10.2026 it is fully protected (Portaria GM/MMA 1.666/2026, art. 3º; the 180-day term of art. 12).
greenbeak parrotfish
Scarus trispinosus · 2–25 m · 🚫 no-take
🚫 On the 2026 national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026) — integrally protected by 1.666/2026, art. 3º: taking, transporting, keeping and selling are prohibited. Do not shoot.
Brazilian agile parrotfish
Sparisoma amplum · 2–25 m · legal
⏳ A legal target today; from 25.10.2026 it is fully protected (Portaria GM/MMA 1.666/2026, art. 3º; the 180-day term of art. 12).
cubera snapper
Lutjanus cyanopterus · 5–40 m · 🚫 no-take
🚫 On the 2026 national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026) — integrally protected by 1.666/2026, art. 3º: taking, transporting, keeping and selling are prohibited. Do not shoot.
grey triggerfish
Balistes capriscus · 5–40 m · legal
⏳ A legal target today; from 25.10.2026 it is fully protected (Portaria GM/MMA 1.666/2026, art. 3º; the 180-day term of art. 12).
bluefish
Pomatomus saltatrix · 0–20 m · legal
whitemouth croaker
Micropogonias furnieri · 2–25 m · legal
black drum
Pogonias courbina · 2–25 m · 🚫 no-take
🚫 On the 2026 national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026) — integrally protected by 1.666/2026, art. 3º: taking, transporting, keeping and selling are prohibited. Do not shoot.
lebranche mullet
Mugil liza · 0–12 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
Managed by annual quotas/seasons. Min 35 cm; estuary bars may be restricted in season.
king mackerel
Scomberomorus cavalla · 2–30 m · legal
serra Spanish mackerel
Scomberomorus brasiliensis · 1–25 m · legal
mahi-mahi
Coryphaena hippurus · 0–30 m · legal
greater amberjack
Seriola dumerili · 5–40 m · legal
crevalle jack
Caranx hippos · 0–25 m · legal
silver porgy
Diplodus argenteus · 0–15 m · legal
lionfish
Pterois volitans · 3–40 m · invasive — target
Invasive, spreading in NE Brazil. Culling encouraged. Venomous spines — careful; flesh edible.
Atlantic goliath grouper
Epinephelus itajara · 1–30 m · 🚫 no-take
🚫 CR on the 2026 national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026) — integrally protected by art. 3º of Portaria GM/MMA 1.666/2026; moratorium since 2002, indefinite. Do not take, release it. Fine R$700–100,000 + gear seizure.
Law
✓A is REQUIRED, issued on gov.br by the . There are exactly two sub-categories and what chooses between them is WHETHER YOU USE A BOAT: from the shore — Desembarcada, R$ 20/year; from a boat — Embarcada, R$ 60/year. There is no «Subaquática» sub-category (Decreto 8.425/2015, art. 3º § 1º II). Exempt: under-18 accompanied, men 65+ and women 60+.
✓Apnea only: «Fica proibido o uso de aparelhos de respiração artificial durante a prática da pesca subaquática» (Portaria SAP/MAPA 616/2022, art. 4º § 3º). The vessel supporting the fishing may not even CARRY cylinders, a compressor or any underwater breathing apparatus — except where the maritime authority requires it (§ 4º).
✓Goliath grouper (mero, Epinephelus itajara): CR on the 2026 national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026) and integrally protected by art. 3º of Portaria GM/MMA 1.666/2026; the moratorium dates from 2002 and is renewed. Never a legal target — capture, transport or sale is an environmental offence.
✓Closed seasons: true grouper 1 Nov–28 Feb nationwide (slot 47–73 cm); sirigado/badejo/caranha 1 Aug–30 Sep; bluefish in the S/SE 1 Dec–31 Mar; robalo — ES 1 May–30 Jun, BA 15 May–31 Jul; lobster 1 Nov–30 Apr, BUT WHILE DIVING IT IS CLOSED ALL YEAR (Portaria SAP/MAPA 221/2021, art. 6º III). Mind minimum sizes.
✓The speargun and the arbalete are expressly permitted amateur gear: «espingarda de mergulho ou arbalete com qualquer tipo de propulsão e qualquer tipo de seta» (Portaria SAP/MAPA 616/2022, art. 4º IV). The act sets NO limit on power, length, tip or reel.
✓Selling the catch is prohibited: «É vedada a comercialização do recurso pesqueiro capturado» (Portaria SAP/MAPA 616/2022, art. 6º). Nor may you store or carry the fish in a way that hinders inspection — in steaks, fillets or headless (art. 12).
✓The amateur sea limit is 15 kg plus one specimen (Portaria SAP/MAPA 616/2022, art. 8º); in inland and estuarine waters, 10 kg plus one (art. 7º). THIS IS THE FEDERAL FLOOR: inside a protected unit that unit's own regime applies. In the RESEX Marinha do Arraial do Cabo it is 10 kg plus one and no more than 100 kg per boat per day, amateur spearfishing is open only to «Beneficiários C» on an ICMBio authorisation, twelve named places are closed and you must stay 300 m off them (Portaria ICMBio 895/2020, items 63, 65 and 69).
✓Licence and reporting: carry personal ID and a valid Licença de Pescador Amador ou Esportivo under the RGP, and it does NOT displace state and municipal rules (Portaria SAP/MAPA 616/2022, art. 17). Every fishing day is reported on the
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 Aracruz
Where can I spearfish in Aracruz?
Aracruz has rock entry points such as Barra do Sahy costão and Praia dos Padres — recifes. The north coast of Espírito Santo with headlands and reefs at Barra do Sahy, Santa Cruz and Coqueiral; grouper, sand perch, sargo, dolphinfish and snook. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.
When is the best season in Aracruz?
Best in the drier summer months (Nov–Mar); the Rio Doce plume can murk the north after heavy rain.
How cold is the water in Aracruz?
Warm, ~22–27 °C — 2–3 mm suit. Reefs and wrecks off Guarapari; clarity drops near the river mouths.
Is Aracruz good for a beginner?
Moderate: reef and wreck diving off Guarapari with easy boat access; pick spots away from the Rio Doce plume.
Do I need a licence in Aracruz?
Yes — in Aracruz you need the Licença de Pesca Amadora (gov.br portal; the category follows boat use, per the MPA: «desembarcada» R$ 20/yr when you enter from shore, «embarcada» R$ 60/yr with a boat — Portaria 616/2022 itself sets no categories; 65+/pensioners exempt). Breath-hold only (no scuba tank — art. 4º §3º), licence on you (art. 17); take home at most 15 kg + 1 fish and never filleted or headless (arts. 8º and 12); don't sell the catch (art. 6º). A marker buoy is mandatory in Santa Catarina (IN MMA 21/2005, art. 5º) — there is no federal buoy rule. Goliath grouper (mero) is full no-take, dusky grouper has a 1 Nov–28 Feb closed season, badejo-mira and peroá close on 25/10/2026 (Portaria GM/MMA 1.666/2026, art. 12) and taking lobster while diving is banned all year (Portaria SAP/MAPA 221/2021, art. 6º III). See the guide.
form by the fifth working day of the following month (art. 14).
✓Santa Catarina runs its own regime: spearfishing along the state's coast is permitted EXCLUSIVELY on a breath hold (IN MMA 21/2005, art. 1º); closed is the 50 m strip from the low-water line IN THE AREAS OF BEACHES, island beaches included, plus the first 50 m of the rocky costões ADJOINING those beaches (IN MMA 21/2005 art. 4º, in the IN MMA 41/2005 redaction) — a costão with no beach beside it is not closed by this article; a signalling buoy is MANDATORY (IN MMA 21/2005, art. 5º); catch and effort are reported to IBAMA/CEPSUL quarterly (art. 3º). The strip is set by the norm but has no coordinates — it is a text rule, not a zone on the map.
✓In the Proteção Integral group (national park, biological reserve, ecological station and others) only INDIRECT use of the natural resources is admitted — no taking, collecting or damage (Lei 9.985/2000, art. 7º and art. 2º). Spearfishing is direct use, so it is closed there. The saving «com exceção dos casos previstos nesta Lei» is real: arts. 12 and 13 preserve private holdings in a Monumento Natural and a Refúgio de Vida Silvestre. An APA carries no fishing ban of its own (art. 15) — its managing body sets the rules.
•Rio de Janeiro state runs a text rule, not a zone: spearfishing — and carrying a loaded speargun past bathers — is banned within 200 m of the arrebentação (the surf break) on beaches frequented by bathers (Resolução SSP-RJ nº 0451/1981, art. 4º V). The same act EXPRESSLY PERMITS spearfishing along the state's rocky costões that bathers do not frequent (art. 2º item 5). Itaúna in Saquarema is listed by the act as a surf beach «em toda a sua extensão» (art. 2º item 3 al. f), which makes the rule very likely to apply there — but the act does NOT give Itaúna the status of a «praia freqüentada por banhistas». Neither the surf break nor the edge of a «bathing beach» has coordinates, so this is not drawn on the map — it is a text rule. There is no Itaúna-specific prohibition, state or municipal, and no state statute on spearfishing exists at all.
⛔ 🚫 Goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) — indefinite moratorium (CR). Not a legal target: do not take, release.
⛔ Hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini/zygaena) and angel sharks (Squatina spp.) — red list, take banned. Don't shoot.
⛔ ⏳ Badejo-Mira (Mycteroperca acutirostris), Cherne-Amarelo (Hyporthodus flavolimbatus), Budião (Sparisoma amplum), Peroá (Balistes capriscus) — a legal target until 25.10.2026; from that day, a full ban (Portaria GM/MMA 1.666/2026, art. 12 — 180 days).
⛔ 🚫 Not taken with amateur diving gear (Portaria SAP/MAPA 616/2022 — the gear, not the species list): Polvo (Octopus spp.), Lagosta.
Rules change and vary by state. Before heading out, check on gov.br (recreational licence, MPA) and the state closed seasons/sizes; apnea only, goliath grouper is banned.