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.
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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0 m
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
calmupdated 11:45
Baleal — solo, off the rocks
DON'T GO
don't go · wave 1.8 m (occasionally up to ~3.6 m)
wave 1.8 m head-onwind 26, gusts 47 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~1 m
today, best window 12:00–15:00
fish · Visibility 1 m · Water 17.7°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 · today2026-09-09
07:12–19:55 · new moon
▲ 02:00▼ 08:00▲ 14:00▼ 20:00 · 2.9 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide-0.65 m
Wave1.98 m
Wind21 km/h
Water17 °C
fish activity: moonrise 05:08 · moderate · moon overhead 12:10 · high · moonset 19:06 · moderate · moon underfoot 00:00 · high
Conditions window12:00–15:00
don't go fish ·
Hs 1.78 m · roughperiod 6.7 s head-onwind 26→47surge 13viz 1 m
1.78 mrough · up to ~3.56 · 324° head-on
6.7 sswell moderate
26→47gusts 47 km/h
13pounding the rocks
0.28m/s
1 mrecent swell
17.7°C5 mm + hood
▲14:00tide turn near
Atmosphere33 kmlandmarks visible
highmoon overhead
wave 1.8 m (occasionally up to ~3.6 m)
steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.
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−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: 1391 spots across 205 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
Baleal South beach (Meia Praia)South cove sheltered by the island/tombolo · Praia do Baleal Sul (Meia Praia)
dangerous
best candidate for today
swell on the quarter today
window
Early morning before the surf/swimmer crowd; summer for water but busy. Shoulder season is quieter.
tide
High/mid-tide — low tide goes shallow and sandy; the reef margins fish better with more water.
shelter
The south side of the tombolo sits in the lee of the dominant N/NW swell and the nortada — this is the 'calm' family side. Open to S/SW swell.
conditions
Good when the dominant N/NW swell is blocked by the island; clearer on calm days with no southerly. The rocky reef margins by the rocks hold fish.
hazard
Strong currents noted here too, and in summer surfers/swimmers are in the water — watch for boards and never shoot near people. Sandy cove bottom — fish are on the rocky margins, not the sand.
access
Park in Baleal, walk straight in off the sandy beach on the south side of the tombolo — the easiest entry in the area.
The safest entry at Baleal: gentle sand entry, the island cuts the main swell. Hunt the rocky margins by the rocks, away from the bathing/surf zone; in summer it's a lifeguarded beach (1 Jun–15 Sep). ⚠️ Place is real (Praia do Baleal Sul, officially also 'Meia Praia'). TWO problems. (1) Coords mislocated: official playocean/bandeiraazul coords are 39.371938,-9.338484; claimed 39.3686,-9.3372 is ~370m too far S (lands off the beach proper, toward the inland/south end). (2) HAZARD INACCURATE — claim asserts 'strong currents noted here too', but this is the SHELTERED side: playocean states 'Sea waters are serene due to the natural protection provided by Peninsula do Baleal.' The strong-current warning appears copied from the exposed island side and does not apply here; the maxSafety=yellow downgrade is driven by a hazard that the sources contradict. The swimmer/surfer + sandy-bottom-vs-rocky-margins notes ARE honest.
Cova da Alfarroba beachLong sandy beach SE of the headland · Praia da Cova da Alfarroba
dangerous
⛔ Banned here
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
Early morning before the nortada; in summer it's lifeguarded (1 Jun–15 Sep).
tide
High tide for less shorebreak over the sand; low tide leaves a long foamy zone.
shelter
Long open Atlantic sandy beach facing west — essentially unsheltered. A touch calmer in E/SE (offshore) wind.
conditions
Rarely worth it for spearfishing — bottom is mostly sand. Snorkel only in dead-flat conditions; shorebreak muddies viz.
hazard
Shorebreak and rip currents on an exposed sandy beach — the classic long-Atlantic-beach risk. Swimmers and surfers in summer; hunting here is essentially inappropriate.
access
Off the main Peniche road turn onto Estrada do Baleal; park by the beach, walk in off the sand.
A Blue-Flag lifeguarded beach — essentially a bathing zone, not a hunting spot; keep it as a calm fallback for snorkel/training in flat conditions, not a productive mark.
Baleal Island rocky pointWest/south rocky tip of Baleal island · Ilha do Baleal (ponta rochosa)
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
Early morning in summer (Jun–Sep) before the N sea-breeze; water 16–19°C.
tide
Mid-tide on the push; low tide exposes rock and the pull strengthens.
shelter
The rocky tip faces W/NW and is barely sheltered from the dominant Atlantic swell. Only an E/SE (offshore) wind gives any lee.
conditions
Only a narrow window: swell under ~0.8 m and light offshore (SE) wind. Any swell build closes it out on the rocks — stay out.
hazard
Strong current — locals on DeeperBlue warn flatly 'the current can be really strong there, be careful'. Plus shorebreak on the exit rocks. Solo you can drift off the exit fast.
access
From Baleal village across the island to the rocky tip, scramble down the rocks. Slippery rock entry/exit.
Documented spearfishing mark on limestone reef, but the strong current makes it solo-dangerous — scout from land first, enter only flat-calm and with a buddy.
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.
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≈
Surfacing
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
In season now: Sea bass, White seabream, Gilthead bream, Salema, Octopus, Mullet
In season now
Robalo (sea bass)
<4 m · end of ebb → start of flood · dawn/dusk
Prime target. Shy of light — pick early/twilight windows.
Sargo (white seabream)
1–5 m · flood (rides the surf onto the reef) · dawn
Dominant reef target. Visibility matters more than time of day.
Dourada (gilthead bream)
1–4 m · flood over sand/weed · dawn
Very skittish — static ambush.
Salema
0–2 m · — · daytime
Easiest target at 0–6 m. ⚠️ Do NOT eat the head/guts (ichthyosarcotoxism).
Polvo (octopus)
1–6 m · high water · twilight
Peaks in autumn. Spot the den by the pile of shells. Don't take egg-bearing females. Min. weight 750 g (DGRM).
Tainha (mullet)
0–2 m · — · —
Extremely wary; murky water HINDERS it. Opportunistic, in calm coves.
Santola (spider crab)
1–10 m · low water (reef shelf exposed) · calm morning (≤force 2)
Carapace ≥12 cm. Peaks Jul–Aug. CLOSED 15.02–15.06. Limit 2 kg/day.
Law
🦀 spider crab open (season 16.06–14.02)
✓Spearfishing licence required, daily/monthly/annual (~€25/yr). Speargun = licence required. (DL 246/2000, art. 12.º + 12.º-A; fees in , .) There is no minimum age for the licence, but under-16s are exempt from holding one when fishing accompanied by a licence holder (art. 12.º n.º 2 al. b).
✓Hand-gathering shellfish with NO gear — no licence; but if a speargun is on the dive, a spearfishing licence is required (DL 246/2000, art. 12.º n.º 1; ).
✓Night prohibited: spearfishing only in daylight (sunset→sunrise not allowed). Artificial light as a means of finding/attracting fish is banned — a torch for safety only (, art. 8.º/3 + 3.º/5; DL 246/2000, art. 14.º n.º 1 d).
✓Signalling buoy MANDATORY for spearfishing: buoy/float with an «Alfa» flag (red/orange/yellow, ≥8 L), no more than 30 m from the diver (, art. 4.º/2).
✓Spearfishing daily limit: fish + cephalopods — 15 kg (excluding the largest specimen). General rod-and-line recreational fishing — 10 kg (, art. 12.º/1).
✓Spider crab: min. carapace 12 cm; (closed season) 15.02–15.06 — applies to recreational gathering too (, ; table).
✓Min. sizes: robalo 36 cm, sargo 17 cm, dourada 19 cm, choupa 23 cm, corvina 42 cm; octopus 750 g ( + EU Reg. 2019/1241; minimum-size table).
✓Grouper — fully protected, may not be taken (
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. At Cabo Raso/Arriba a 0.5 m rise in swell makes a boulder exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer here.
Headland rip: at Cabo Raso there is 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.
Nortada (Jun–Sep): wind builds from midday — be out of the water by ~11:00; 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 · Baleal
Spearfishing in Baleal: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Spearfishing in Baleal is a shore dive off a small island tied to Peniche by a sandy isthmus, with a north-facing and a south-facing side. When one side takes the swell, the other is usually sheltered, but the constant hazard is the strong current running along the rocky fringe. So you pick the side in the lee and hunt the reef margins, where sea bass and white seabream sit. The best stretch runs from late spring into autumn, on low swell with clean water. A spearfishing licence is required.
TL;DR
Hunt only the rocky reef margins by the rocks, in flat calm and with a buddy, clear of the bathing zone. Praia do Baleal Sul (Meia Praia) is flagged red: it is a lifeguarded bathing beach with reports of strong current and, in summer, surfers and swimmers in the water over a mostly sandy bottom.
The island rocky tip is a scout-only mark: the current there can be really strong and the exit over the rocks closes out fast. Enter only flat-calm and with a buddy.
National rules: licence required, apnea only, a signalling buoy within 30 m, daylight only. Offshore, the Berlengas Nature Reserve has no-take zones where spearfishing is restricted.
Where can you spearfish in Baleal?
The south side, Praia do Baleal Sul (Meia Praia), sits in the lee of the dominant north and northwest swell that the island blocks, but it is a lifeguarded bathing beach and it is flagged red: there are reports of strong current and, from 1 June to 15 September, surfers and swimmers in the water, over a bottom that is mostly sand. It is not a spot to hunt casually. The fish sit on the rocky reef margins by the rocks, never on the sand, and always clear of the bathing zone, so never shoot near people. The island rocky tip is a documented mark on limestone reef, but it works only as a scout from land: the current there can be really strong, there is shorebreak on the exit rocks, and solo you can drift off the exit fast. Look at it from land first and enter only flat-calm and with a buddy. Cova da Alfarroba, further south, is a Blue-Flag sand beach, a calm fallback for snorkelling on flat days, not a productive mark. Offshore, the Berlengas archipelago is a UNESCO marine reserve with no-take zones where spearfishing is restricted.
How are the sea conditions and tides in Baleal?
The island splits the swell, so the first call is to pick the side in the shadow. The dominant swell comes from the north and northwest, with the nortada, and the island cuts that sea on the south side, which stays diveable and clears after calm days with no southerly. The exposed tip faces west-northwest and opens only with swell under about 0.8 m and a light offshore southeast wind; any swell build closes it out on the rocks. This is an upwelling coast, so expect cold-water snaps. On the tide, sea bass comes best on the turn from the end of the ebb to the start of the flood, and white seabream moves in on the flood. Before you go, check the Baleal and Lagide cameras for swell, wind and visibility on the sheltered corner.
✓Breath-hold only: spearfishing may be practised in apnea alone. Scuba, rebreather and hookah are banned; the speargun may not be powered by a detonating charge or by compressed gas (DL 246/2000, art. 9.º n.º 3 — o antigo art. 6.º foi revogado).
✓The catch may NOT be sold: displaying for sale, offering or selling recreational catch is prohibited — it is for the fisher, the household, or donation to charitable, scientific or museum institutions (DL 246/2000, art. 7.º).
✓A loaded speargun out of the water is an offence (DL 246/2000, art. 14.º n.º 2 f). Same article: no fishing closer than the legally set distance from concessioned beaches during the bathing season (n.º 2 d), nor in places closed for health or marine-traffic reasons (n.º 2 e). The exact metres come from the regulation and the capitania — check before you go.
✓Distances between people: at least 20 m from another spearfisher (, art. 6.º n.º 3) unless you agree otherwise; from a boat, 50 m from other vessels, divers and set gear (art. 6.º n.º 2); every vessel must keep 50 m from your signalling buoy and from boats flying flag Alfa (art. 7.º n.º 6). The figure that circulates — «30 m between hunters» — is wrong: 30 m is the distance to YOUR OWN buoy.
✓What you may take into the water: the CAPTURE gear on a spearfishing dive is the speargun, a shellfish knife, a gaff (puxeiro) and an arrelhada (, art. 3.º n.º 3). That is not a ban on everything else: art. 4.º n.º 1 expressly allows equipment for cold protection, for buoyancy, for protection or safety and for carrying the catch, and any other equipment that does not permit the direct capture of specimens. Bait and groundbait are PROHIBITED in spearfishing (art. 5.º n.º 3). You may not carry or keep a speargun and a breathing apparatus aboard at the same time, nor carry the gun ready to fire out of the water or in a zone where spearfishing is banned (art. 3.º n.º 6). On any recreational-fishing boat the whole crew wears a lifejacket (art. 4.º n.º 3).
✓Where recreational fishing is closed altogether (, art. 8.º n.º 1): in marked shipyard zones (no exception) and in aquaculture establishments — in the LATTER only, fishing is possible when the concession-holder or owner formally authorises it; the shipyard bar has no such carve-out; within 100 m of the mouth of any marked sewage outfall; over beach-concession waters, to the extent the POOC sets; and in other zones closed by the port or maritime authority. For spearfishing and boat fishing specifically (n.º 2) the navigation channels of port and river bars, the approach channels and the buoyed channels are closed. There is NO «300 m from the beach» rule on the mainland — that number comes from Madeira's own act; on the mainland the distance is set by the POOC and by the capitania's edital.
✓The border rivers Minho and Guadiana: spearfishing is BANNED along both international stretches — bilateral Portugal-Spain agreements, art. 9.º n.º 3 (Minho, RAR 34/2023, in force since 26-05-2023) and art. 6.º n.º 1 (Guadiana, RAR 173/2025, in force since 07-12-2025), both reading «É proibida a pesca submarina». On the Guadiana it is also a serious offence (art. 19.º), and a 100 m strip alongside the Sapal de Castro Marim reserve is closed separately (art. 5.º). The stretches run from the confluence with the Trancoso / the Chança down to the closing line at each mouth.
✓On the other Portuguese-Spanish border river stretches (outside the TIRM and the Guadiana maritime-jurisdiction zone) — Decreto 30/88, art. 6.º n.º 1: harpoons, gigs, tridents and any blunt instrument used to take fish are prohibited (al. e), as is «a pesca ou caça subaquática» with artificial light, and night fishing (al. g).
Rules change. Before heading out, check with DGRM / ICNF / Capitania and the defeso table.
When is the best time and what fish can you spearfish in Baleal?
Late spring into autumn is the best stretch, on settled, clearer water. The species and sizes are those of the Portuguese coast, not Baleal-specific rules. Sea bass, minimum 36 cm, is the main target on the reef margins, shy of light and best at dawn and dusk, in under 4 m, from June to October. White seabream, minimum 17 cm, is the steadiest reef fish, from April to September, when visibility matters more than the hour. You also see gilthead bream (19 cm, May to September), black seabream (23 cm, winter into early spring) and salema through most of the year in the first few metres; do not eat the head or guts of salema. Octopus shows in autumn, minimum 750 g. Meagre has a national closed season from 1 to 30 June, and grouper is fully protected.
FAQ
What fish can you spearfish in Baleal?
On the rocky reef margins you mostly take sea bass and white seabream: sea bass from June to October, white seabream from April to September. You also see gilthead bream, black seabream and salema, with octopus in autumn. Sizes are national: sea bass 36 cm, white seabream 17 cm.
Do you need a license to spearfish in Baleal?
Yes. The spearfishing licence is required from age 16, around 25 euros a year, and any dive carrying a speargun needs one. It applies to visitors and residents alike. Spearfishing is only allowed in apnea; confirm the current licence with DGRM.
What is the minimum size for sea bass in Portugal?
The minimum size for sea bass is 36 cm nationwide. Other minimums: white seabream 17 cm, gilthead bream 19 cm, black seabream 23 cm and meagre 42 cm; octopus is by weight, minimum 750 g. Check the DGRM table, because it changes.
How far from the beach can you spearfish in Portugal?
There is no single set distance. What the law fixes is the signalling buoy, which must stay within 30 m of the diver. On lifeguarded bathing beaches, spearfishing is closed during the bathing season and you never shoot near swimmers; the inshore limits are set by the local Capitania.
Is night spearfishing allowed in Portugal?
No. Spearfishing is only allowed in daylight, from sunrise to sunset. Using artificial light to find or attract fish is banned; a torch is for safety only.
Is scuba spearfishing allowed in Portugal?
Spearfishing is an apnea, freediving discipline; diving on compressed air is not part of the recreational activity. Confirm the current rules with DGRM before you go.
Portugal
Spain