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

spearo.app / Ecuador / Ayangue
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◈Ayangue · Ecuador
5.2
visibility: 2 m
visibility~2m

Dayisover

Today — right on the edge.

Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 22:20

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.

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.

Entry pointsNo-take zonesLive cams

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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point your camera
0 m

Surface

Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.

spearo.app
updated 22:20
Ayangue horseshoe bay — solo, off the rocks
Day is over
That is it for today — the day's windows have closed.
Tomorrow, best window 09:00–12:00
Before entering, check the camera and the surge
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.

Saturday · today2026-10-24
06:01–18:11 · full moon
▲ 02:00▼ 08:00▲ 14:00▼ 20:00 · 1.8 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.64 m
Wave1.02 m
Wind4 km/h
Water29 °C
fish activity: moonset 04:34 · moderate · moon underfoot 10:50 · high · moonrise 17:01 · moderate · moon overhead 23:10 · high
Open the seafloor map with entry points →
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spearo.app · a private marine instrument · Ayangue · a planner, not a safety guaranteePrivacy
Today
Notify me
Map
Best window · next 3 days
borderlinetomorrow · 09:00–12:00
you can see ~2 m ahead fish

ℹ️ Conservative visibility estimate kept

transparency ~8 m · satellite, 2 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore

bite times: 09:50–11:50 · 16:31–17:31

Tell me when it's on

Just your email — nothing else needed.

Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.

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point your camera
−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: 3016 spots across 406 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.

See all spots →
−20 m

The 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 →
Bajo Cope (offshore — mantas no-take)Open shoals — El Pelado & Bajo Cope
borderline
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
—
Google Maps
Islote El Pelado (REMAPE — regulated)Open shoals — El Pelado & Bajo Cope
borderline
⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “Reserva Marina El Pelado / Ayangue (Santa Elena)”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
—
Google Maps
Ayangue horseshoe bayAyangue horseshoe bay
borderline
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
—
Google Maps

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.

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play
Google Play — QR code
point your camera
≈

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».

more: Ayangue — Playa (La Piscina del Pacífico) ↗
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now
  • mahi-mahi
    Coryphaena hippurus · 0–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    ⚠️ Closed 1 Jul–7 Oct. Minimum size 80 cm (TL) — the only regulated size in Ecuador.
  • wahoo
    Acanthocybium solandri · 0–30 m · legal
  • yellowfin tuna
    Thunnus albacares · 0–40 m · legal
  • Pacific sierra
    Scomberomorus sierra · 0–20 m · legal
  • almaco jack
    Seriola rivoliana · 5–35 m · legal
  • snapper
    Lutjanus argentiventris · 3–30 m · legal
  • croaker
    Cynoscion spp. · 2–25 m · legal
  • snook
    Centropomus spp. · 0–15 m · legal
  • grouper
    Epinephelus / Mycteroperca spp. · 5–40 m · legal
    No national minimum size (verified:false). Slow-growing — set an ethical limit.
  • sand/rock bass
    Paralabrax spp. · 2–25 m · legal
  • pompano
    Trachinotus spp. · 0–15 m · legal
  • barracuda
    Sphyraena spp. · 0–25 m · legal
  • roosterfish
    Nematistius pectoralis · 0–15 m · legal
    Usually catch-and-release sport. No national size.
Law
  • ✓Authority: Viceministerio de Acuacultura y Pesca (Ministry of Production). Coastal recreational spearfishing is lightly regulated, but mind closed seasons and sizes.
  • ✓Dorado (mahi): closed 1 Jul–7 Oct and 80 cm (LT) minimum — the only regulated size in Ecuador. PN Machalilla and the Galápagos Marine Reserve are no-take.
  • ⛔ 🚫 Plan de Acción Tiburones: 9 sharks (white, whale, hammerhead ×4, oceanic, basking, bonnethead), manta (Manta birostris) and sawfish (Pristis pristis) — take/sale BANNED. Finning («aleteo») banned.
  • ⛔ Sea turtles and marine mammals — no-take.
  • ⛔ 🚫 Galápagos Marine Reserve and Machalilla NP (Isla de la Plata/Salango) — marine-resource extraction banned; hunting banned. REMAPE (El Pelado, Ayangue) — core reserve, hunting restricted.

Rules change. Before heading out, check with the Viceministerio de Acuacultura y Pesca (Ministry of Production); respect the dorado closure (1 Jul–7 Oct, 80 cm) and the no-take zones (PN Machalilla, Galápagos).

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.
Local guide · Ayangue

Spearfishing in Ayangue: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Spearfishing in Ayangue sits between a sheltered bay, a nearby marine reserve and Ecuador's dorado rule. The horseshoe bay is the practical base for reading water and training apnea; the local summary calls it the Pacific swimming pool. Offshore, El Pelado and several shoals are part of the draw, but REMAPE is not an open invitation. The El Pelado islet and 13 shoals around Ayangue are regulated, with hunting restricted near the reserve core. Bajo Cope adds another warning: it gathers giant mantas from July to September, and mantas are no-take. Nationally, dorado, mahi-mahi, is closed from 1 July to 7 October and has an 80 cm TL minimum. Outside regulated zones, the cited targets are snapper, grouper, almaco jack, sierra and sand bass, with conservative identification.

TL;DR

  • Ecuador headline caveat: dorado, mahi-mahi, is closed from 1 July to 7 October and has an 80 cm TL minimum size.
  • Ayangue is a sheltered horseshoe bay, the Pacific swimming pool, and a real diving and breath-hold hub for southern Ecuador.
  • The supported spots are Ayangue horseshoe bay, Islote El Pelado (REMAPE, regulated) and Bajo Cope (offshore, mantas no-take). El Pelado and Bajo Cope are not automatic green lights.
  • Best visibility in the base data is the warm season, about 8-15 m from December to May. REMAPE has regulated core areas; hunt outside the protected area.

Best spearfishing spots in Ayangue

The verified local data gives three names and several gaps. Ayangue horseshoe bay is verified; El Pelado and Bajo Cope are unverified or regulated, so they are not presented as hunting permissions. The table stays inside the source data: name, type, depth and legal or environmental caveat.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
Ayangue horseshoe bayProtected bay10 mAccessible, but check traffic and local permissionFrom Ayangue bayVerified spot. It is the cleanest base for reading visibility and sea state, not a catch guarantee.
Islote El Pelado (REMAPE — regulated)Islet in a marine reserve25 mAdvanced because of regulation and logistics
Boat
Unverified for hunting and marked as regulated. REMAPE has protected core areas; do not assume spearfishing is allowed.
Bajo Cope (offshore — mantas no-take)Offshore shoal30 mAdvanced, offshoreOffshore boatUnverified for hunting. Bajo Cope gathers giant mantas from July to September; mantas are no-take, look and do not shoot.

Spearfishing Ayangue conditions today

Ayangue is more protected than many open Santa Elena beaches, but it is still equatorial Pacific water. The registry marks the bay as sheltered and flags the bad sector from 200 to 290 degrees, with the worst direction near 235 degrees. If sea is coming from that quarter, do not turn a training day into an offshore run. Use the bay to read visibility, wind and safety before thinking about El Pelado or shoals. Warm season can bring the best southern water, but the decision is simple: if zone, permission, pilot and pickup are not clear, do not load the gun.

Underwater visibility in Ayangue today

The base visibility reference for Ayangue is 8-15 m from December to May. That warmer window is why the village works as a diving and training centre. Visibility is not harvest permission, though. A clear bay can still have swimmers and boats; a blue shoal may sit inside a regulated area. Use the beach camera and local confirmation to decide whether the day is for training, scouting without a shot or fishing outside the protected area.

Spearfishing Ayangue horseshoe bay

The horseshoe bay is the honest starting point because it is the only verified spot in the table. Its registry depth is 10 m and the type is protected bay. That makes it useful for checking clarity, current, traffic and fitness before running farther. Do not turn it into a fish promise: the registry has no per-spot species prose. As an apnea base, it is strong; as a hunting area, it still needs the same safety, swimmer, boat and local-rule check as any working beach.

Reserva Marina El Pelado Ayangue spearfishing allowed

Do not treat it as green. REMAPE is a multiple-use protected marine zone with core areas where hunting is restricted. The registry marks Islote El Pelado as regulated and unverified for hunting, and notes that boundaries are approximate and should be confirmed with the competent authority. The conservative reading is to hunt outside the core and reserve, not beside the islet or on doubtful shoals. If the guide cannot explain the boundary, the trip does not have enough basis for shooting.

Mahi-mahi Ayangue season and size

Dorado, mahi-mahi, has Ecuador's clearest national rule: closed from 1 July to 7 October and minimum size 80 cm TL. The Ecuador rule describes it as the country's only regulated size. Seeing dorado in blue water is therefore not enough. During the closed season, do not take it. Outside the closure, if it is under 80 cm total length, do not take it either. Other cited local targets such as snapper, grouper, almaco jack, sierra and sand bass still require protected-area checks and clean identification.

Machalilla, Galapagos and protected species

Ecuador also has hard no-take lines. Machalilla National Park and the Galapagos Marine Reserve ban marine-resource extraction. Around Ayangue, the local alerts are REMAPE and Bajo Cope. The shark action plan protects several sharks plus manta and sawfish; sea turtles and marine mammals are no-take too. If you see manta at Bajo Cope, the correct action is to watch and not shoot. If you cannot identify a species clearly, do not shoot.

FAQ

Where can you spearfish in Ayangue?

The registry supports Ayangue horseshoe bay, Islote El Pelado (REMAPE, regulated) and Bajo Cope. El Pelado and Bajo Cope are not automatic hunting permissions.

What is the underwater visibility in Ayangue today?

The base reference is 8-15 m from December to May, but the day depends on swell, wind, rain, traffic and zone.

What fish can you spear in Ayangue?

Outside regulated zones, the base cites snapper, grouper, almaco jack, sierra and sand bass. Dorado has a closed season and minimum size.

Can you spearfish in Reserva Marina El Pelado / Ayangue?

Do not assume it. REMAPE has protected cores and the registry marks El Pelado as regulated; hunt outside the core and confirm boundaries.

When is the best season to spearfish in Ayangue?

For visibility, the warm December to May window is the reference. For dorado, always respect the 1 July to 7 October closure.

Can you spear dorado during the closed season?

No. Dorado is closed from 1 July to 7 October.

What is the minimum size for dorado?

Ecuador's national minimum size for dorado is 80 cm TL.

Can you spearfish in Machalilla or the Galapagos?

No. Machalilla National Park and the Galapagos Marine Reserve are no-take for marine-resource extraction.

Sources

  • Ministry of Production, Aquaculture and Fisheries
  • Ministry of Environment and Energy, protected areas
  • SkylineWebcams, Ayangue beach

Nearby towns

  • Salinas spearfishing guide
  • Spearfishing in Puerto López
  • Manta conditions today
  • Dive spots near Mompiche
Data partners
dive centres that send us real visibility readings
Águas VivasMilfontes · Sagres