Capurganá spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

Capurganá · Colombia
2.7
wave 1.4 m
visibility3m

Today — sit it outwave, wind and surge pounding.

Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicushigh confidence · data 12:41

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

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 12:41
Capurganá — solo, off the rocks
DON'T GO
don't go · wave 1.4 m (occasionally up to ~2.9 m)
wave 1.4 mwind 6 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~4 m
today, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 4 m · Water 29.7°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
05:5918:32 · first quarter
03:00 06:00 11:00 19:00 · 0.3 m
Hours (06→20)
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.25 m
Wave1.26 m
Wind1 km/h
Water30 °C
fish activity: moonset 00:13 · moderate · moon underfoot 06:40 · high · moonrise 13:03 · moderate · moon overhead 19:00 · high
Conditions window12:00–15:00
don't go fish
Hs 1.40 mperiod 6.8 s head-onwind 8→23surge 13.2viz 3 m
1.40 mup to ~2.80 · 20° head-on
6.8 sswell moderate
8→23gusts 23 km/h
13.2pounding the rocks
0.11m/s
3 mrecent swell
29.8°C5 mm + hood
▲19:00tide rising
Atmosphere6 kmovercast
moderatemoonrise
  • wave 1.4 m (occasionally up to ~2.8 m)
  • strong surge — waves hit the rocks hard
confidence mediumday
Open the seafloor map with entry points

Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.

Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.

Android beta — QR code
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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: 1152 spots across 189 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.

See all spots
−20 m

The 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
Cabo TiburónCapurganá
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Border cape with Panama, high-viz reef 0–20 m, moderate current. Coords approx.

Google Maps
La HondaCapurganá
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
tide
shelter
hazard
access

Wall/reef 0–33 m, one of the zone's classic sites; deep for apnea. Coords approx.

Google Maps

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.

Android: the public release is in Google Play review — leave your email and we'll send beta access today.

Android beta — QR code
point your camera

Surfacing

Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.

Live cameras, map & reference
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now
  • lionfish
    Pterois volitans · 3–40 m · invasive — target
    ✅ The only clearly-legal speargun target (Res 0549/2022 Art.5 — invasive/exotic). Culling encouraged (Armada + CORALINA). Edible; venomous spines — careful.
  • snapper
    Lutjanus spp. · 3–30 m · ❓ consulta AUNAP
    ❓ The legality of spearing native species in Colombia is not confirmed in text (grey zone). Res 0549/2022 only authorises the speargun for invasives. Check AUNAP rules; in MPAs/Seaflower — banned.
  • king/Spanish mackerel
    Scomberomorus spp. · 1–25 m · ❓ consulta AUNAP
    ❓ The legality of spearing native species in Colombia is not confirmed in text (grey zone). Res 0549/2022 only authorises the speargun for invasives. Check AUNAP rules; in MPAs/Seaflower — banned.
  • jack / trevally
    Caranx spp. · 0–25 m · ❓ consulta AUNAP
    ❓ The legality of spearing native species in Colombia is not confirmed in text (grey zone). Res 0549/2022 only authorises the speargun for invasives. Check AUNAP rules; in MPAs/Seaflower — banned.
  • snook
    Centropomus undecimalis · 0–15 m · ❓ consulta AUNAP
    ❓ The legality of spearing native species in Colombia is not confirmed in text (grey zone). Res 0549/2022 only authorises the speargun for invasives. Check AUNAP rules; in MPAs/Seaflower — banned.
  • great barracuda
    Sphyraena barracuda · 0–25 m · ❓ consulta AUNAP
    ❓ Native species — grey zone (see AUNAP). Large individuals — ciguatera risk.
  • mahi-mahi
    Coryphaena hippurus · 0–30 m · ❓ consulta AUNAP
    ❓ The legality of spearing native species in Colombia is not confirmed in text (grey zone). Res 0549/2022 only authorises the speargun for invasives. Check AUNAP rules; in MPAs/Seaflower — banned.
  • Nassau grouper
    Epinephelus striatus · 3–35 m · ⚠️ release
    ⚠️ On Colombia's Red List (EN/CR). No formal ban, but please release it.
  • goliath grouper
    Epinephelus itajara · 1–30 m · ⚠️ release
    ⚠️ On Colombia's Red List (EN/CR). No formal ban, but please release it.
Law
  • 🚫 Parrotfish (Scaridae) and surgeonfish — banned in San Andrés/Seaflower (CORALINA Res 369/2019). Don't shoot.
  • 🚫 Sharks and rays — directed take banned (Res AUNAP 0744/2012, 190/2013, 01743/2017). Release.
  • ⚠️ Goliath (E. itajara, CR) and Nassau grouper (E. striatus, EN) — Red List; release.
  • Queen conch (Lobatus gigas) and spiny lobster (Panulirus) — closed season + size, by hand only, no speargun; conch export banned.
  • 🚫 In (PNN Tayrona, Corales del Rosario, Malpelo, Gorgona, Utría, Old Providence) and across Seaflower, spearguns are BANNED for tourists.
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.
Local guide · Capurganá

Spearfishing in Capurganá: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

For Capurganá, start with exposure and zoning. Capurganá, on the Gulf of Urabá by Cabo Tiburón, has one of Colombia's best-preserved reefs: average visibility around 18 m. The worst sea is from NE; the coast is exposed, so dawn matters. The usable plan is conservative: buddy, buoy, small sea and no shooting inside parks, reserves or uncertain sectors. Think lionfish control before a mixed cooler: native species need prior AUNAP confirmation.

TL;DR

  • Capurganá: Gulf of Uraba reef, good coral and access only by air and boat.
  • A northeast sea hits this coast head-on, so plan the dawn slot.
  • In Colombia the sensitive point is the species, not just the gear: lionfish yes; native fish sit in a grey area with AUNAP.

Practical spearfishing areas around Capurganá

Treat each name as a starting point, not permission. Cabo Tiburon and La Honda only settle when the northeast sea is low at first light. Confirm the boundary before loading.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
Cabo Tiburónreef0-20mIntermediateshore entry, only in small seasBorder cape with Panama, high-viz reef 0-20 m, moderate current. Exit before boat traffic rises.
La Hondareef0-33mAdvancedshore entry, only in small seasWall/reef 0-33 m, one of the zone's classic sites; deep. Exit before boat traffic rises.

When should you skip spearfishing in Capurganá?

Skip it when the return route is covered, visibility is too short, or zoning is unresolved. May to October is the useful season cue, with local security checked before travel. Tayrona, Rosario, Seaflower and turtle beaches are treated as closed if zoning cannot be confirmed. Capurgana is won or lost on logistics. There is no road approach; access is air plus boat, and the Darien setting means local security checks matter before travel. Cabo Tiburon is high-visibility reef in 0-20 m with moderate current; La Honda drops to 33 m and can be too deep for casual breath-hold hunting. The listed best season is May to October, with average visibility around 18 m. The Acandi turtle sanctuary is nearby, so nesting beaches are not treated as hunting water. The area is also known for roughly twenty dive sites with rays, nurse sharks and hawksbill turtles, so the safer hunting filter is narrow: lionfish first, native fish only after AUNAP and local operator confirmation, and no shooting beside nesting beaches.

FAQ

Does Capurganá require an AUNAP check?

Yes. AUNAP is the authority to check before any speargun plan.

Can native fish be speared in Colombia?

For snapper or grouper, get AUNAP clarity first; lionfish is explicit.

What protected areas affect Capurganá?

Tayrona, Rosario, Seaflower and turtle beaches are treated as closed if zoning cannot be confirmed.

Can you spearfish at night in Colombia?

Plan daylight only. The local framing excludes night and scuba.

What conditions make Capurganá worth trying?

It is worth it when a northeast swell is small and early; the coast is open, so the dawn window is the reliable one.

Sources

Nearby towns

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