Gasparilla Mitigation Reef NorthBoca Grande
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Shallow boulder reef, 1.5 m relief; over 100 yd off the beach; boat entry.
Google MapsBoca Grande spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
5.3
wave 0.6 m head-on
visibility4m
Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and noticeable surge.
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 18:52
Sources & confidence
- Sources
- IPMA · NDBC buoys · Copernicus Marine
- Method
- Model consensus, read per window
- Freshness
- Re-read every hour, per coast
Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine
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.
- 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.
- Wind & gusts
- Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
- Tide phase
- Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
- Water temperature
- Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
- Currents & outflow
- Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
- Rain runoff & air clarity
- Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
- 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 — forced red; the window is closed after dark.
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
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
calmupdated 18:52
Boca Grande — solo, off the rocks
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wind 17 km/h
wave 0.6 m head-onwind 17 km/hnoticeable surgevisibility ~5 m
today, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 5 m · Water 30.9°C
confidence low · 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 · today2026-07-22
06:48–20:22 · first quarter
▼ 00:00▲ 05:00▼ 14:00▲ 23:00 · 0.5 m
Hours (06→20)
18
Day's trends
Tide-0.08 m
Wave0.64 m
Wind5 km/h
Water31 °C
fish activity: moonset 01:05 · moderate · moon underfoot 08:00 · high · moonrise 14:56 · moderate · moon overhead 20:20 · high
Conditions window18:00–21:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish
Hs 0.64 mperiod 6 s head-onwind 17→17surge 1.3viz 4 m
0.64 mup to ~1.28 · 276° head-on
6 sswell moderate
17→17gusts 17 km/h
1.3noticeable surge
0.11m/s
4 mrecent swell
30.9°C5 mm + hood
▲23:00tide rising
Atmosphere18 kmlandmarks visible
highmoon overhead
- wind 17 km/h
- northerly wind picks up after midday
- flood — water rising
confidence lowtwilight
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: 1152 spots across 189 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
See all spotsThe 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
Mary's ReefBoca Grande
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Concrete, ~4 m relief; best relief nearby; boat entry.
Google MapsNovak Reef 04Boca Grande
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Concrete, ~4 m relief; grouper; boat entry.
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.
Surfacing
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
Live cameras, map & reference
Cameras · live
Look at the water
right now.
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».
Reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
In season now
- sheepshead
- mangrove/mutton snapper
- gag/red grouperSeason is state-set — check before you go.
- hogfish
- cobia
- flounder
Law
- ✓Florida: saltwater licence $17 res / $47 non-res; reef fish need the free State Reef Fish Angler (SRFS) designation. NC: CRFL; SC/GA: saltwater licence.
- ✓Distances (FL): 100 yd from beaches/piers/bridges, 100 ft from the above-water part of a jetty. banned in FL and SC; rebreathers are illegal for spearfishing in FL.
- ✓SC: gamefish (red drum/seatrout/cobia/tarpon/striped bass) hook-and-line only (§50-5-1700). GA: speargun doubtful in state water — real hunting on federal reefs.
- ⛔ 🚫 Do not spear (FL FAC 68B-20.005): snook, red drum, spotted seatrout, tarpon, bonefish, pompano, goliath/Nassau grouper, billfish, sharks, rays + ornamental reef families.
- ⛔ 🚫 Spiny lobster/stone crab — hand-take only (no puncturing). banned in FL and SC. Monroe County (Long Key north to the Miami-Dade line — incl. Key Largo): spearfishing banned; the lionfish licence exemption does NOT override it — hand-held nets only there.
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.
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.
Spearfishing in Boca Grande: spots, seasons and rules
Spearfishing Boca Grande is about staying out of the pass and working verified reefs by boat. Boca Grande Pass has strong current and tarpon, and tarpon is a no-spear fish, so the safer hunting plan shifts to the concrete and boulder reefs off Gasparilla Island. The listed reef choices are Mary's Reef, Novak Reef 04 and Gasparilla Mitigation Reef North. Expect better Boca Grande water visibility offshore in light east winds, not when west or southwest weather pushes into the Gulf face. Florida rules apply: license, SRFS for reef fish, distance buffers, no powerheads and no protected gamefish by spear.
TL;DR
- Boca Grande is a boat-only Gulf reef plan beside a pass known for strong current and tarpon you cannot spear.
- Mary's Reef and Novak Reef 04 have about 4 m of concrete relief; Gasparilla Mitigation Reef North is shallower boulder relief.
- Offshore water clears best in light east winds, while west and southwest weather work against the nearby reef line.
- Florida Gulf state waters run 9 nm here; use a saltwater license, SRFS for reef fish, and no powerheads or rebreathers.
Where are the Boca Grande spearfishing reefs?
All three listed spots are boat entries, with the pass itself left out of the hunting plan. The pass itself is not the hunting plan; current, boats and tarpon make the nearby reefs the more sensible choice.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mary's Reef | Concrete artificial reef | About 4 m of reef relief; site depth not stated | Intermediate boat dive | Boat entry off Gasparilla Island | The best relief of the three. Hunt it as a reef-fish check for hogfish, snapper and legal grouper, not as a pass drift. |
| Novak Reef 04 | Concrete artificial reef | About 4 m of reef relief; site depth not stated | Intermediate boat dive | Boat entry | Another concrete-relief option with grouper potential when seasons allow. Confirm reef-fish rules before the trip. |
| Gasparilla Mitigation Reef North | Shallow boulder mitigation reef | About 1.5 m of relief | Intermediate because it is shallow and close to beach-use zones | Boat entry, more than 100 yd off the beach by GPS check | The shallowest listed reef. Keep the Florida beach and pier distance rules in mind before anyone enters with a loaded gun. |
When does Boca Grande water visibility improve?
Offshore water clears best in light east winds. That fits the west-facing Gulf exposure: the bad sector runs through west and southwest, with the worst direction around 255 degrees. Use the Boca Grande Pass lighthouse camera for sea state at the pass, but judge the reefs by offshore wind, swell and current rather than a calm-looking beach.
What fish are realistic around Boca Grande?
Hogfish, mangrove and mutton snapper, sheepshead, flounder and cobia are in the regional Florida species set, while gag and red grouper need current season checks. The pass is full of tarpon, but tarpon is not a spear target. Snook, red drum, spotted seatrout, bonefish, pompano, Goliath and Nassau grouper, billfish, sharks, rays and ornamental reef fish are off limits.
Which Florida rules matter at Boca Grande?
Florida Gulf state waters extend 9 nm here. Carry a saltwater license and the free State Reef Fish Angler designation for reef fish. Stay 100 yd from beaches, piers and bridges, and 100 ft from the above-water part of a jetty. Powerheads are banned, rebreathers are illegal for spearfishing, and spiny lobster or stone crab may not be punctured.
FAQ
Can you spearfish in Boca Grande Pass?
The practical answer is no. The pass has strong current, boats and tarpon, and tarpon is a no-spear fish. Work verified reefs instead.
Which Boca Grande reef has the most relief?
Mary's Reef and Novak Reef 04 both carry about 4 m of relief in this plan.
Do you need SRFS in Boca Grande?
Yes for reef fish. Florida requires the free State Reef Fish Angler designation in addition to the saltwater license.
Are powerheads allowed?
No. Florida rules say powerheads are banned, and rebreathers are illegal for spearfishing.
What wind is best for Boca Grande visibility?
Light east wind is the local clearing setup. West and southwest weather face the reef line and are the warning sector.
Sources
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