Basco (Batanes) spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

• talakitok / mamsa / badlon
  trevally / jack · Caranx ignobilis / Caranx melampygus · 0–25 m · target (freedive)
• lapu-lapu / suno / pugapo
  grouper / coral trout · Epinephelus spp. / Cephalopholis spp. / Plectropomus leopardus · 3–30 m · target (freedive)
  No national minimum size; a draft FAO (s.2019) proposes a length-at-first-maturity (Lm) guide — NOT enacted law. Slow-growing — take large ones sparingly.
• maya-maya / pargo / bambangon
  red snapper · Lutjanus spp. (L. malabaricus, L. bohar, L. gibbus) · 5–40 m · target (freedive)
  Large reef predators can accumulate ciguatoxin — poisoning risk from certain reefs. Be cautious with big individuals.
• mangagat / manggagat
  mangrove red snapper · Lutjanus argentimaculatus · 0–15 m · target (freedive)
• katambak / kanuping / bukawin / silay
  emperor · Lethrinus spp. (L. nebulosus, L. olivaceus, L. harak) · 5–40 m · target (freedive)
• lipti / lipit / aluman
  sweetlips · Plectorhinchus spp. · 3–30 m · target (freedive)
• mulmol / loro
  parrotfish · Scarus spp. / Chlorurus spp. · 2–20 m · target (freedive)
  The 'parrotfish is banned / Cebu banned it' rumour is FALSE (fact-checked). A legal target, but ecologically important (grazes reef algae) — take moderately.
• labahita / indangan / mongho
  surgeonfish / unicornfish · Acanthurus spp. / Naso spp. · 2–20 m · target (freedive)
• samaral / danggit / kitong / padas
  rabbitfish · Siganus spp. (S. guttatus, S. canaliculatus, S. fuscescens) · 1–15 m · target (freedive)
  Venomous fin spines — handle with care.
• barakuda / asugon / rumpi / lusod
  barracuda · Sphyraena spp. (S. barracuda, S. jello) · 0–30 m · target (freedive)
  Large reef predators can accumulate ciguatoxin — poisoning risk from certain reefs. Be cautious with big individuals.
• asilo / adgawon / agba-on / admon
  green jobfish · Aprion virescens · 5–45 m · target (freedive)
• tanigue / tangigue / tangi
  narrow-barred Spanish mackerel · Scomberomorus commerson · 2–30 m · target (freedive)
  Names: 'tanigue/tangigue' = Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus). In Visayan 'tangigi' usually = wahoo (Acanthocybium) — don't conflate with the next card.
• tangigi / guahon
  wahoo · Acanthocybium solandri · 5–40 m · target (freedive)
• dorado / duradu / pandawan / dulama
  mahi-mahi / dolphinfish · Coryphaena hippurus · 0–30 m · target (freedive)
• tambakol / bariles
  yellowfin tuna · Thunnus albacares · 10–50 m · target (freedive)
• bangkulis / lanhu-an / gantaan
  dogtooth tuna · Gymnosarda unicolor · 15–45 m · target (freedive)
• kugtong / pugapo / lapu-lapu na higante
  giant grouper · Epinephelus lanceolatus · 5–50 m · ⚠️ release
  NOT on the national banned list (verified:false), but large, vulnerable (IUCN) and often MPA-protected — release it, don't take large ones. This is advice, not a ban.
• mool / taposak / taungan
  bumphead parrotfish · Bolbometopon muricatum · 3–20 m · ⚠️ release
  NOT on the national banned list (verified:false), but IUCN-vulnerable and protected in many MPAs — release it. In FAO 208-1 the name 'mol-mol' means the Napoleon wrasse (mameng), NOT this fish — don't conflate.

• ✓Recreational breath-hold spearfishing for personal consumption needs NO national licence (RA 8550 as amended by RA 10654). There is NO single national registry of spot rules — municipal waters (0–15 km) are governed by each LGU through its Municipal Fisheries Ordinance. The national fisheries authority is BFAR; marine protected areas (MPAs) are managed by DENR-BMB. A foreigner has no automatic right — check with the LGU.
• ✓There is NO national by-name gear ban: RA 8550/10654 do not name compressor, hookah or scuba. But many LGUs ban apparatus (compressor) hunting by ordinance, and nationally it is an offence if it pounds/damages the reef (Sec 97) or is paired with poison (Sec 92) — treat apparatus hunting as off-limits unless a local ordinance allows it. Any take inside an MPA/sanctuary is prohibited (Sec 101).
• ✓Never take, from the national do-not-take list: whale shark and manta (FAO 193 s.1998), all sharks and rays and the sawfish, sea turtles and dugong (RA 9147), mameng/Napoleon wrasse (FAO 208-1 s.2024), giant clam (taklobo) and seahorse. Bumphead parrotfish and giant grouper (kugtong) are NOT nationally banned, but are vulnerable (IUCN) and often protected by local MPAs — release them.

• ⛔ Mameng / humphead (Napoleon) wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) — nationally BANNED (FAO 208-1 s.2024, Annex A C.5; CITES App. II). Not a legal target — release it.
• ⛔ Whale shark, all sharks and rays, manta/devil ray and sawfish (Rhincodon typus, Mobula/Manta spp., Pristidae) — nationally protected (FAO 193 s.1998; RA 9147 / BFAR protected list). Taking is banned.
• ⛔ Sea turtles & dugong (Chelonia mydas et al., Dugong dugon) — protected (RA 9147). Taking/disturbing is prohibited.
• ⛔ Giant clam (taklobo, Tridacna spp.) — protected (RA 9147; CITES App. II). Do not take.
• ⛔ Seahorse (Hippocampus spp.) — protected (RA 9147; CITES App. II). Do not take.

Rules are set by municipalities: municipal waters 0–15 km are run by the LGUs and there is no single national registry. There is NO national by-name gear ban, but LGU/MPA bans and zoning are widespread and apparatus (compressor/scuba) hunting is barred by ordinance in many LGUs. Before heading out, check the local Municipal Fisheries Ordinance, BFAR and DENR-BMB (MPAs); in many sanctuaries any take is banned.

• 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.