- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Deepest nearshore FH, clearest; snapper.
Google MapsToday — 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 mapDeepest nearshore FH, clearest; snapper.
Google MapsSouth of the barrier islands = cleaner water.
Google MapsNearest public reef to Biloxi (turbid Sound).
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.
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».
US spearfishing law is state-by-state. License, spearable species, powerhead rules and distances vary; federal sanctuaries (Gray's Reef, the Keys, Flower Garden Banks) ban spearfishing. Always confirm with the state agency and local ordinances.
Spearfishing Biloxi is better offshore of the barrier islands than inside the brown Sound. FH-9 is the nearest public reef, but it sits in turbid Sound water. FH-5 sits south of the barrier islands where water clears, and FH-3 is the deepest listed nearshore FH mark, with the best snapper potential. Mississippi allows spear and gig take for finfish with a saltwater license, but that permission does not override red snapper seasons or protected species. Around Ship, Horn and other National Seashore islands, keep the 1 mile no-spear buffer.
The FH reefs are boat plans. The farther marks cost more weather judgment, but they also put you closer to the cleaner water beyond the barrier-island filter.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FH-9 | Nearest public reef to Biloxi | Nearshore reef; exact depth not stated | Intermediate in low visibility | Boat from Biloxi | The convenience option, but it sits in turbid Sound water. Use it for short structure checks, not a clear-water expectation. |
| FH-5 | Public reef south of the barrier islands | Nearshore Gulf reef; exact depth not stated | Intermediate boat dive | Boat run past the inside Sound | A cleaner-water step up from FH-9. It is the better choice when the Sound looks dirty but offshore weather is still settled. |
| FH-3 | Deepest listed nearshore FH reef | Deepest of the listed FH options; exact depth not stated | Intermediate to advanced boat dive | Boat, best with a conservative weather window | The clearest listed FH option, with snapper potential. Seasons and distance from protected islands still need checking. |
Biloxi visibility improves after you get past the inside Mississippi Sound. The barrier islands block some sea, but they also separate dirty inshore water from cleaner Gulf water. A calm south-facing forecast and a good look at the City of Biloxi beach stream help, while PNLM6 gives broader Gulf wind and sea context.
The local Mississippi pack says spear and gig are legal for finfish with a saltwater license. Sheepshead and flounder are practical structure targets, and red snapper is possible only when the state or federal season and area allow it. Do not take Goliath or Nassau grouper, Gulf sturgeon, sawfish, sea turtles, marine mammals or prohibited sharks.
The local Biloxi blurb says to keep 1 mile off the national-seashore islands where spearing is banned. That rule matters because the better FH water is near the barrier-island line. Plot the buffer before the trip, and if the boat position is uncertain, stop hunting until you are clearly outside it.
Usually yes, if you run to FH-5 or FH-3. Inside the Sound, both areas can be turbid.
The useful spots are public reefs reached by boat. Shore water is usually too turbid and crowded for a sensible spearfishing plan.
Yes. Mississippi law requires a saltwater license for recreational saltwater fishing.
Only during the relevant open season and in the right waters. Red snapper is season-controlled.
The 1 mile no-spear ring around Gulf Islands National Seashore islands is the boundary to plot before hunting near Ship or Horn island waters.
Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Biloxi, we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
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Sargassum: in seasonshore washups possibleAFAI satellite, 2026-07-22 · NOAA/USF