Ilha Feia (ao largo)Armação dos Búzios
dangerousexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Armação dos Búzios spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
2.5
wave 1.2 m head-on
visibility1m
Today — sit it out — wave, wind and noticeable surge.
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 14:05
Sources & confidence
- Sources
- IPMA · NDBC buoys · Copernicus Marine
- Method
- Model consensus, read per window
- Freshness
- Re-read every hour, per coast
Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine
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 — forced red; the window is closed after dark.
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
calmupdated 14:05
Armação dos Búzios — solo, off the rocks
don't go · wave 1.2 m (occasionally up to ~2.3 m)
wave 1.2 m head-onwind 20, gusts 42 km/hnoticeable surgevisibility ~1 m
today, best window 12:00–15:00
fish · Visibility 1 m · Water 22.7°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.
Wednesday · today2026-07-22
06:25–17:22 · first quarter
▼ 02:00▲ 08:00▼ 15:00▲ 20:00 · 0.4 m
Hours (06→20)
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.02 m
Wave1.28 m
Wind21 km/h
Water23 °C
fish activity: moonset 00:32 · moderate · moon underfoot 06:10 · high · moonrise 11:45 · moderate · moon overhead 18:30 · high
Conditions window12:00–15:00
don't go fish
Hs 1.16 mperiod 6 s head-onwind 20→42surge 1.3viz 1 m
1.16 mup to ~2.32 · 79° head-on
6 sswell moderate
20→42gusts 42 km/h
1.3noticeable surge
0.17m/s
1 mrecent swell
22.7°C5 mm + hood
▼15:00tide turn near
Atmosphere39 kmlandmarks visible
moderatemoonrise
- wave 1.2 m (occasionally up to ~2.3 m)
- steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
- ebb — weaker inshore
confidence mediumday
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: 1152 spots across 189 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
João Fernandes costãoArmação dos Búzios
dangerousexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
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.
Surfacing
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Live cameras, map & reference
Cameras · live
Look at the water
right now.
Check the cam BEFORE you leave. Foam, brown/green murk, or waves washing the entry rocks = No-go. At night/in fog the cam is useless — treat it as «unknown», NOT «green».
Reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
In season now
- fat snookState closed seasons: BA 15 May–31 Jul; ES 1 May–30 Jun; PR 1 Nov–31 Dec; SP — none.
- common snookState closed seasons: BA 15 May–31 Jul; ES 1 May–30 Jun; PR 1 Nov–31 Dec; SP — none.
- dusky grouper⚠️ Closed season 1 Nov–28 Feb (national). Size 47–73 cm. Vulnerable — go easy.
- gag grouper
- black grouper
- comb grouper
- snowy grouper⚠️ Closed 1 Sep–31 Oct (SE/S). Deepwater grouper.
- bluefish
- whitemouth croaker
- black drum
- lebranche mulletManaged by annual quotas/seasons. Min 35 cm; estuary bars may be restricted in season.
- king mackerel
- serra Spanish mackerel
- mahi-mahi
- greater amberjack
- crevalle jack
- silver porgy
- lionfishInvasive, spreading in NE Brazil. Culling encouraged. Venomous spines — careful; flesh edible.
- Atlantic goliath grouper🚫 Full moratorium since 2002, indefinite (CR, Portaria MMA 148/2022). Do not take, release it. Fine R$700–100,000 + gear seizure.
Law
- ✓A is required (category B – boat covers apnea spearfishing), issued on gov.br by the . Exempt: under-18 accompanied, men 65+/women 60+.
- ✓Apnea only: spearing on a tank/scuba is banned (artificial breathing apparatus prohibited — IBAMA rule).
- ✓Goliath grouper (mero, Epinephelus itajara): total moratorium since 2002, renewed (in force 2026+). Never a legal target — capture/transport/sale is an environmental offence.
- ✓Closed seasons (vary by state): true grouper & badejo in the N/NE 1 Aug–30 Sep; bluefish in the S/SE ~1 Dec–31 Mar; robalo reopens after 31 Jul (state-dependent). Mind minimum sizes.
- ⛔ 🚫 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.
- ⛔ Sea turtles, whales/dolphins, seahorses — protected, taking/disturbing prohibited.
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.
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.
Spearfishing in Armação dos Búzios: spots, seasons and rules
MERO TOTAL MORATORIUM leads the Búzios plan: do not shoot goliath grouper. Armação dos Búzios sits on the edge of the Região dos Lagos upwelling system. NE wind can bring colder, clearer water to the east and south faces, while the north side is more sheltered. The stated range is 8 to 20 m visibility and 16 to 26 °C water. João Fernandes is the practical shore-rock choice; Ilha Feia is offshore and needs settled weather and boat support. Brazil requires the gov.br recreational licence route and apnea-only spearfishing.
TL;DR
- MERO TOTAL MORATORIUM: goliath grouper is not a legal target anywhere around Búzios.
- The peninsula changes by face: NE wind can bring cold clear upwelling to the east and south, while the north is more sheltered.
- João Fernandes is the shore-rock option; Ilha Feia is offshore and needs boat support. Licence through gov.br, apnea only, no fee figures here.
Best spearfishing areas in Búzios
Think in faces, not beach names. Clear upwelling water can mean cold water and a harder rock exit. Sheltered water can mean swimmers and tour boats. Treat any local protected sign as closed until checked.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| João Fernandes rock | Rocky peninsula shore | Shallow to moderate, depending on the day | Intermediate, with boat traffic awareness | Shore entry away from the busy bathing strip | Use it when the north face is clean and manageable. Keep the float obvious because tour boats move close to the peninsula. |
| Ilha Feia offshore | Exposed rocky island | Open-water rock, no confirmed depth number | Advanced because of logistics and exposure | Boat only, with a return plan | Save it for a settled window. If south or southwest swell is running, the offshore option is not the sensible one. |
What conditions matter in Búzios?
The local trigger is upwelling. NE wind can pull cold clear water onto the east and south sides of the peninsula, while southern to southwestern sea is the bad sector. Use Geribá only as a broad check for the open side; still inspect the entry. Legally, use the gov.br recreational licence, do not quote stale fee amounts, dive apnea only, and confirm seasons and sizes. Goliath grouper remains fully banned.
FAQ
Do you need a licence to spearfish in Búzios?
Yes. Use the gov.br recreational fishing licence service; the national note points spearfishing to category B.
Is Búzios an upwelling coast?
Yes. It sits on the edge of the Região dos Lagos upwelling system, especially noticeable with NE wind.
Is Ilha Feia a beginner spot?
No. It is offshore and needs boat support, settled weather and a clear return plan.
Can you spearfish on scuba in Brazil?
No. Spearfishing is apnea only under the national rule used here.
Can you spear goliath grouper in Búzios?
No. Goliath grouper, locally mero, is under total moratorium and is never a legal target.
Sources
Nearby towns
Coming soon
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