Ayangue horseshoe bayAyangue
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Ayangue spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
5.2
wave 1.1 m head-on
visibility2m
Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and surge pounding.
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 12:56
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 12:56
Ayangue — solo, off the rocks
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wave 1.1 m + hitting the shore
wave 1.1 m head-onwind 16, gusts 37 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~3 m
today, best window 15:00–18:00
fish · Visibility 3 m · Water 26.3°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 · today2026-07-22
06:28–18:29 · first quarter
▼ 03:00▲ 09:00▼ 16:00▲ 22:00 · 1.2 m
Hours (06→20)
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.75 m
Wave0.96 m
Wind11 km/h
Water26 °C
fish activity: moonset 00:42 · moderate · moon underfoot 06:50 · high · moonrise 13:00 · moderate · moon overhead 19:10 · high
Conditions window12:00–15:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish
Hs 1.12 mperiod 4.8 s head-onwind 20→43surge 3.4viz 3 m
1.12 mup to ~2.24 · 226° head-on
4.8 sswell moderate
20→43gusts 43 km/h
3.4pounding the rocks
0.17m/s
3 mrecent swell
26.3°C5 mm + hood
▼16:00tide falling
Atmosphere29 kmovercast
moderatemoonrise
- wave 1.1 m + hitting the shore
- steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
- ebb — weaker inshore
confidence lowday
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
Bajo Cope (offshore — mantas no-take)Ayangue
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Islote El Pelado (REMAPE — regulated)Ayangue
borderlineexposed 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
- mahi-mahi⚠️ Closed 1 Jul–7 Oct. Minimum size 80 cm (TL) — the only regulated size in Ecuador.
- wahoo
- yellowfin tuna
- Pacific sierra
- almaco jack
- snapper
- croaker
- snook
- grouperNo national minimum size (verified:false). Slow-growing — set an ethical limit.
- sand/rock bass
- pompano
- barracuda
- roosterfishUsually 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.
Spearfishing in Ayangue: spots, seasons and rules
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.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayangue horseshoe bay | Protected bay | 10 m | Accessible, but check traffic and local permission | From Ayangue bay | Verified 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 reserve | 25 m | Advanced 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 shoal | 30 m | Advanced, offshore | Offshore boat | Unverified 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
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