Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and visibility.
Sources & confidence
Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine
The verdict comes from seven water factors and hard safety gates — not ten tabs. Go or stay.
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.
Safety gates
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
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
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.
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
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 spotsRelief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.
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.
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 mapLong sandy beach with reef ends ~4 km N of Bicheno, outside the marine reserve; 2–8 m, crayfish, abalone on the rocky corners. Exposed on E swell.
Google MapsIconic reserve reef off the Gulch — Governor Island Marine Reserve, NO-TAKE. Sponge gardens, boarfish; look only.
Google MapsSheltered reef by the boat ramp and Waubs Bay — inside the Governor Island Marine Reserve (no-take), which covers Bicheno's town waters. Look only.
Google MapsSOLO 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.
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Rules change and vary BY STATE. Before heading out, check with your state's fisheries (NSW DPI, Fisheries QLD, VFA, DPIRD WA, PIRSA, NRE Tas, NT Fisheries) and the marine-park zoning map.
Spearfishing in Bicheno is simple only after accepting the closure. Governor Island and The Gulch / Waubs Bay are flagged no-take inside Governor Island Marine Nature Reserve, which covers Bicheno town waters for this coast. Those reefs are for looking, not taking. The legal shore plan moves north to Denison Beach, where rocky corners outside the reserve hold shallow 2-8 m ground. Tasmania is not a general-licence state for ordinary sea fishing, but NRE area rules still control the method.
Denison Beach is the listed hunting candidate. The town reefs are landmarks for what to avoid, not alternate entries.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denison Beach | Long sandy beach with reef ends north of Bicheno | 2-8 m | Intermediate, conditions dependent | Walk to the rocky corners and keep the exit clear of east swell | Crayfish and abalone are named in the note, but they are not spear targets. Use the reef edges for legal fish only. |
Governor Island is a hard no-take marine reserve, where spearfishing is banned in the protected marine zone. The Gulch and Waubs Bay also sit inside the same reserve for this coast. If you are looking at the famous town reefs, the conservative answer is no hunting.
Bicheno faces east. The bad swell sector is roughly north-east to south-east, with the worst sea around 110 degrees. Denison can be clear and cold, but the reef ends are exposed. If sets wrap along the beach, do not use the corners.
NRE Tasmania is the legal check. Australian state-by-state rules say Tasmania has no general recreational licence like NSW or Victoria, but closures, species limits and gear restrictions still apply. Marine reserves are generally closed unless an official rule clearly allows the method.
Fishing Tasmania lists protected species such as weedy seadragon and several sharks. Around Bicheno, that matters because the reserve reefs are valued for sponge gardens and marine life. Identify first and leave uncertain fish alone.
No. Treat Governor Island Marine Nature Reserve as no-take.
No. They are flagged inside Governor Island Marine Nature Reserve.
Denison Beach is the listed outside-reserve shore option.
Australian state-by-state rules say Tasmania has no general recreational licence for ordinary sea fishing. Check NRE for species and gear rules.
East-sector swell, especially around east-south-east, is the main problem.
Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Bicheno / St Helens, we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
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