Arica spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

• Chilean sandperch (vieja)
  Graus nigra · 3–40 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
  ⚠️ Limit 1 fish/day, no minimum size. Heavily speared — better to release.
• Chilean sheephead
  Semicossyphus darwini · 3–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
  ⚠️ Limit 1 fish/day, no minimum size. Heavily speared — better to release.
• Peruvian grunt
  Anisotremus scapularis · 1–20 m · legal
  Limit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
• Chilean sandperch (rollizo)
  Pinguipes chilensis · 2–30 m · legal
  Limit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
• Peruvian morwong
  Cheilodactylus variegatus · 1–25 m · legal
  Limit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
• Lorna drum
  Sciaena deliciosa · 2–25 m · legal
  Limit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
• snoek
  Thyrsites atun · 0–30 m · legal
• yellowtail amberjack
  Seriola lalandi · 3–40 m · legal
• corvina drummin 40 cm
  Cilus gilberti · 2–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
  ⚠️ Biological closure 1 Oct–30 Nov. Min 40 cm (TL), limit 3/day.
• palm ruffmin 30 cm
  Seriolella violacea · 3–40 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
  ⚠️ Closed 1–31 Aug. Min 30 cm (Atacama–Coquimbo).
• Chilean jack mackerelmin 26 cm
  Trachurus murphyi · 0–40 m · legal
• jerguilla
  Aplodactylus punctatus · 1–20 m · legal
• apañado
  Hemilutjanus macrophthalmos · 5–40 m · legal
• rock bass
  Paralabrax humeralis · 3–30 m · legal
• flounder
  Paralichthys sp. · 2–30 m · legal
• elephant fish
  Callorhinchus callorhynchus · 5–40 m · ⚠️ release
  Mandatory release (catch-and-release). Do not keep.
• humpback smoothhound
  Mustelus whitneyi · 5–40 m · ⚠️ release
  Mandatory release (catch-and-release). Do not keep.
• Chilean abalone (loco)
  Concholepas concholepas · 1–20 m · 🚫 no-take
  🚫 Permanent extraction ban to 31 Dec 2028 (Arica→Aysén). Benthos — by hand by the AMERB org, not speargun; no recreational take.

• ✓A SERNAPESCA recreational-fishing licence is required — it explicitly covers spearfishing (defined as capture by sport diving, apnea and spearguns). Online at pescarecreativa.sernapesca.cl. Free for 65+/under-12/disabled. Sale prohibited.
• ✓Unlike continental Argentina, scuba is not banned: the legal definition includes 'sport diving', so both apnea and scuba are legal. Respect RAV closed seasons (conger, corvina) and regional sizes.

• ⛔ 🚫 Loco (Concholepas) — permanent ban to 31 Dec 2028 (Arica→Aysén). Only by hand by the AMERB org; outsiders/recreational barred.
• ⛔ Elephant fish (Callorhinchus) and smoothhounds (Mustelus) — mandatory release. Don't shoot.
• ⛔ AMERB areas (hundreds of polygons): benthos (loco/lapa/erizo) — exclusive to fisher orgs, don't take; fish by speargun — grey zone, check locally.
• ⛔ Marine mammals, sea turtles, penguins — protected; do not touch.

Rules change. Before heading out, get the recreational licence (SERNAPESCA, pescarecreativa.sernapesca.cl) and respect the RAV closed seasons and regional sizes.

• 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.