Bahía Tortugas spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

spearo.app / Mexico / Bahía Tortugas
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◈Bahía Tortugas · Mexico
2.5
🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling
visibility~1m

Dayisover

Today — sit it out. 🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling

Sources: NDBC · Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2 — high confidence · data 13:06

Sources & confidence

Sources
NDBC · Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2
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 zones

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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spearo.app · a private marine instrument · Bahía Tortugas · a planner, not a safety guaranteePrivacy
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0 m

Surface

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

spearo.app
updated 13:06
Open water — Islas San Benito — solo, off the rocks
Day is over
That is it for today — the day's windows have closed.
Tomorrow, best window 06:00–09:00
Best window · next 3 days

Next 3 days — not divable: wave up to 1.9 m

🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling

↓ low tide 13:34 · slack water ~12:49–14:19 bite times: 10:10–12:10 · 16:29–17:29

Tell me when it's on

Just your email — nothing else needed.

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
06:45–18:01 · full moon
▼ 01:00▲ 07:00▼ 14:00▲ 20:00mid-range tides · 1.7 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.36 m
Wave1.66 m
Wind6 km/h
Water27 °C
fish activity: moonset 05:10 · moderate · moon underfoot 11:10 · high · moonrise 16:59 · moderate · moon overhead 23:30 · high
Open the seafloor map with entry points →

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 →
Islas San Benito (flanco SE)Open water — Islas San Benito
dangerous
⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “Reserva de la Biosfera Islas del Pacífico de la Península de Baja California — zona de amortiguamiento (contorno oficial del decreto digitalizado por la CONANP (polígono general del ANP))”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
—

Three bare islands 25 km west of Cedros, nearly 100 km offshore: dense kelp and four pinniped species, 5–30 m. Liveaboard access only — this is not a day trip out of Tortugas. Coords approx.

Google Maps
Isla Natividad (flanco W, kelp)Open water — Isla Natividad – Punta Eugenia
dangerous
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind

One morning glance — and you know.

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≈

Surfacing

Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.

Live cameras, map & reference
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now
  • dog snapper / pargo
    Lutjanus novemfasciatus · 3–15 m · tide change — moving water · dusk/night
    Hard-fighting reef snapper around rocky points & pinnacles; ambush on the tide change, best at dusk/night. Peaks in the warm months. Mexican rule sets no minimum size.
  • leopard grouper
    Mycteroperca rosacea · 5–25 m · tide change — moving water · daytime
    Leopard grouper on rocky reef, by day. Forms spawning aggregations in spring (Apr–Jun) — very vulnerable then, take sparingly. No minimum size in the rule.
  • California sheephead
    Semicossyphus pulcher · 3–20 m · tide change — moving water · daytime
    California sheephead on rocky reef, by day; resident, best in the warm months. Roots the bottom — approach slowly. No minimum size in the rule.
  • yellow snapper
    Lutjanus argentiventris · 3–15 m · tide change — moving water · dusk/night
    Yellow snapper by rocks & estuary edges; warm months, best at dusk/night on the tide change. No minimum size in the rule.
off season: yellowtail (Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May) · Pacific sierra (Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr) · white seabass (Mar Apr May Jun Jul)
Not a target — don't shoot
  • mahi-mahi / dorado⚠️ release / rod-only
    ⚠️ Reserved for rod-and-reel in the 50-mile belt — conservatively DON'T spear it (the exact DOF wording isn't quoted).
Buenavista
  • Cabo Pulmo
  • Cabo San Lucas
  • San José del Cabo

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    Gulf of Mexico

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    transparency nearby ~23 m · satellite, 2 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore

    Atlantic hurricane season (Jun–Nov) — check the NHC forecast

    window
    —

    8.7 km² island 6 km west of Punta Eugenia: steep shores fringed with rock and kelp, 5–28 m, by boat. ⚠️ Two decreed fishing-refuge zones (La Plana/Cuevas and Punta Prieta) — check the boundaries with the co-op before you go in.

    Google Maps
    Punta EugeniaOpen water — Isla Natividad – Punta Eugenia
    dangerous
    in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
    window
    —

    The north-westernmost cape of Baja Sur, 6–20 m, by boat from Bahía Tortugas; it takes the full NW swell and the cold California Current — yellowtail is the house fish. Coords approx.

    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.

    roosterfish⚠️ release / rod-only
    ⚠️ Reserved for rod-and-reel in the 50-mile belt — conservatively DON'T spear it (the exact DOF wording isn't quoted).
  • totoaba🚫 no-take
    🚫 Totoaba — permanent no-take (moratorium since 1975, NOM-059 'P', CITES I). Do not take, release.
    • Law
    • ✓Spearfishing needs an INDIVIDUAL permit of its own: «la pesca subacuática … requerirá de permiso individual» (, art. 4.3). /SADER issue it online through E5CINCO (day/week/month/year). You must carry the permit and show it whenever you are asked (art. 4.14). Apnea only — spearing on scuba is banned (art. 4.5).
    • ✓One speargun per fisher — band, spring or pneumatic; hooks (ganchos), gaffs (fisgas) and light lures are prohibited (, art. 4.5). The spearfishing bag is 5 specimens per person per day, of any marine or freshwater fish (art. 4.9.4). You may not fish within 250 m of working commercial vessels and set gear, nor within 250 m of the shore of beaches used by bathers (art. 4.10).
    • ✓Reserved to rod-and-reel sport fishing (do NOT spear, conservative rule): marlin, sailfish, swordfish, tarpon, roosterfish and dorado. Lobster, conch and octopus are outside sport fishing.
    • ✓Grouper (mero) closed season to 31 Mar (Gulf/Yucatán focus). Marine ANPs (APFF Islas del Golfo — Espíritu Santo, Balandra) are no-take cores: do not shoot.
    • ✓Only FISH may be taken. Crustaceans and molluscs are prohibited — with a single exception for squid; marine mammals, reptiles and amphibians are out too (, art. 4.2). Lobster, conch and octopus fall under that ban.
    • ✓The catch belongs to the permit holder and MAY NOT be traded (, art. 4.11). Filleting ashore is not allowed — only aboard and only for eating during the trip (billfish excepted); gutting is fine (art. 4.12).
    • ✓Nets, multi-hook longlines, explosives and toxic substances may not merely be used — they may not even be CARRIED on a sport-fishing vessel (, art. 4.16). Anchoring closer than 15 m to the perimeter of a coral reef is prohibited, and on the reef itself never.
    • ✓The federal rules are a FLOOR, not a ceiling. You may not fish in closed zones and seasons, and in refuge zones, reserves and ANPs fishing «is permitted only on the terms and conditions laid down by the instruments applicable in that zone», plus the express authorisation of the Secretariat (, art. 4.10). So inside a protected area read its own Reglas Administrativas — they can ban the speargun outright.
    • ✓The permit is not always a federal one. In Quintana Roo sport-recreational fishing needs a STATE permit: «Se requiere permiso del Instituto para la realización de Pesca en su modalidad Deportivo-recreativa» (Ley de Pesca Responsable y Acuacultura para el Estado de Quintana Roo, art. 38). Other coastal states have comparable laws.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Sport spearfishing is fish-only: lobster, conch (caracol) and octopus may NOT be speared (squid is the sole exception). §4.2.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Totoaba, sea turtles, marine mammals and corals — no-take (). Inside the national parks (Cabo Pulmo, Cozumel, Puerto Morelos, Revillagigedo) all hunting is banned.

    Rules change. Before heading out, check with CONAPESCA/SADER (E5CINCO permit), CONANP (no-take marine ANPs) and NOM-059; apnea only.

    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 Bahía Tortugas

    Where can I spearfish in Bahía Tortugas?

    Bahía Tortugas has rock entry points such as Punta Eugenia, Isla Natividad (flanco W, kelp) and Islas San Benito (flanco SE). Bahía Tortugas is a protected anchorage behind Punta Eugenia: kelp, yellowtail and good cold-water visibility, isolated. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.

    When is the best season in Bahía Tortugas?

    Best in summer to early autumn (Jul–Oct), when the NW eases. Cold California-Current upwelling water and kelp; big swell in winter.

    How cold is the water in Bahía Tortugas?

    Cold, ~14–20 °C — 5–7 mm suit. California-Current upwelling and kelp; clearer and colder in the north.

    Is Bahía Tortugas good for a beginner?

    Advanced: cold water, surf and kelp demand experience and a good suit.

    Do I need a licence in Bahía Tortugas?

    In Bahía Tortugas spearfishing is legal but breath-hold only (freediving — NOM-017-PESC-1994 §4.5; no scuba/hookah), and an individual CONAPESCA permit is ALWAYS required, including from shore (the "from-the-beach, no permit" idea is a myth). Fish only (no lobster, conch or octopus — squid is the one exception), max 5 fish/day, and keep 250 m off swimmers and boats. Dorado, marlin, sailfish and roosterfish are reserved for rod-and-reel in the 50-mile belt — better not to spear them. Yucatán grouper closed season 1 Feb–31 Mar; totoaba is permanent no-take. See the guide.

    Full guide: hurricanes and Nortes: seasonal spearfishing safety in Mexico →
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