Cartagena spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility & live cameras

spearo.app / Colombia / Cartagena
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◈Cartagena · Colombia
7.8
visibility: 2 m
visibility~2m

Dayisover

Dive today.

Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 22:18

Sources & confidence

Sources
Open-Meteo · Copernicus
Method
spearo sea-state engine: consensus of up to 6 models + satellite clarity (ZSD) + buoy-bias checks
Freshness
Re-read every hour, per coast

Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine · How it works →

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.

01
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.
02
Wind & gusts
Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
03
Tide phase
Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
04
Water temperature
Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
05
Currents & outflow
Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
06
Rain runoff & air clarity
Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
07
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 — where night spearfishing is banned by law the window is forced red; where it is legal (Australia outside NSW, New Zealand, South Africa) it is capped at yellow, never green.

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.

Entry pointsNo-take zonesLive cams

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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point your camera
0 m

Surface

Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.

spearo.app
updated 22:18
Cartagena — solo, off the rocks
Day is over
That is it for today — the day's windows have closed.
Tomorrow, best window 06:00–09:00
Before entering, check the camera and the surge
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.

Saturday · today2026-10-24
05:51–17:40 · full moon
▼ 03:00▲ 09:00▼ 16:00▲ 19:00 · 0.2 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.26 m
Wave0.34 m
Wind5 km/h
Water30 °C
fish activity: moonset 04:18 · moderate · moon underfoot 10:20 · high · moonrise 16:31 · moderate · moon overhead 22:50 · high
Open the seafloor map with entry points →
Coming soon

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More spots

Spots in Colombia

🇨🇴Colombia

Colombia map →

Islands (Colombia)

  • Rosario Islands
  • San Bernardo Islands
  • San Andrés
  • Providencia

Central Caribbean

  • Puerto Colombia
  • Santa Marta
  • Taganga

Caribbean · Gulf

  • Santiago de Tolú
  • Coveñas
  • Sapzurro
  • Capurganá

Caribbean · Guajira

  • Palomino
  • Riohacha
  • Cabo de la Vela

Pacific (Colombia)

  • Bahía Solano
Feedback

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What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.

spearo.app · a private marine instrument · Cartagena · a planner, not a safety guaranteePrivacy
Today
Notify me
Map
Best window · next 3 days
goMonday · 06:00–09:00
you can see ~3 m ahead fish

transparency ~3 m · satellite, 2 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore

〜 tide is minor here bite times: 09:20–11:20 · 16:01–17:01

Tell me when it's on

Just your email — nothing else needed.

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

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play
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point your camera
−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: 3016 spots across 406 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 →
BocachicaCartagena
borderline
swell on the quarter today
window
—

Southern bay canal, rock and structure 0–10 m, medium viz; tidal current. 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.

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play
Google Play — QR code
point your camera
≈

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».

more: Cartagena de Indias — Playa las Velas ↗
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
  • ✓AUNAP sport-fishing permit (personal, non-commercial). KEY: the speargun is legal ONLY for exotic/introduced species → lionfish is the clearly legal target; for native species legality is a grey zone (consult AUNAP). Apnea, one band speargun, no night, no scuba.
  • ✓PNN Tayrona (next to Santa Marta) = no-take: fishing banned since 1959, and additionally closed in Feb 2026. Spearing there is prohibited.
  • ⛔ 🚫 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.

Rules change. Before heading out, get the AUNAP sport-fishing permit; with a speargun the lionfish is the only clearly legal target — for natives consult AUNAP. PNN Tayrona is no-take.

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 · Cartagena

Spearfishing in Cartagena: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

In Cartagena, do not start with the fish. Start with access, zoning and wind: charter base, tidal Bocachica and Rosario/Baru under park rules. Cartagena is a big hub with a charter fleet and access to the islands. In. If the water overlaps a park, sanctuary or sensitive wildlife sector, keep the speargun out. Keep native reef fish off the list until AUNAP clears them; the invasive lionfish is the one explicit legal target.

TL;DR

  • Cartagena: charter base, tidal Bocachica and Rosario/Baru under park rules.
  • Northwest swell exposes this coast, so dawn counts; one webcam shows color and foam.
  • Native reef fish stay uncertain until AUNAP says otherwise; only the invasive lionfish is an explicit target.

Where to look first in Cartagena

Use the list only after the local rule check. Bocachica only fishes cleanly when a northwest sea is small and the tide leaves an easy return, so check the webcam first. Parks and reserves stay out of the hunt.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
Bocachicastructure and rock0-10mAccessible with a buddyshore access with traffic awarenessSouthern bay canal, rock and structure 0-10 m, medium viz. Turn it into scouting if wind rises.

What is the practical day plan for Cartagena?

Start at dawn, read the exit first and keep it short. The worst sea is from NW; the coast is exposed, so dawn matters; 1 webcam link helps check color and foam. The legal check comes before fish choice. Treat native species as uncertain until AUNAP confirms them; invasive lionfish is the explicit legal target. Tayrona, Rosario, Seaflower and any park sector are treated closed without explicit authorization. Cartagena is more charter base than simple shore coast. Inside the bay and the Bocachica canal, water quality is medium; the canal itself is 0-10 m rock and structure with tidal current. The better clarity sits toward Rosario and Baru, but those islands fall inside PNN Corales del Rosario y San Bernardo. Stay outside Intangible Zones, confirm park rules and use Bocachica only when the current leaves a clean return. The lionfish allowance does not make native species automatic targets. For native reef fish, the same AUNAP check applies before any shot, especially around island edges.

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    FAQ

    Does Cartagena require an AUNAP check?

    Yes. The permit question goes to AUNAP, not to a beach rumor.

    Can native fish be speared in Colombia?

    The safe legal answer is lionfish; native species remain grey.

    What protected areas affect Cartagena?

    Tayrona, Rosario, Seaflower and other listed MPAs are treated as closed if zoning cannot be confirmed.

    Can you spearfish at night in Colombia?

    Keep it diurnal, with one band speargun and no scuba.

    What conditions make Cartagena worth trying?

    A northwest sea is the worst case on this open coast, so aim for dawn and use the single webcam to read color and foam.

    Sources

    • AUNAP, Autoridad Nacional de Acuicultura y Pesca
    • Parques Nacionales Naturales de Colombia
    • CORALINA, autoridad ambiental de San Andrés y Providencia

    Nearby towns

    • Dive spots near Santa Marta
    • Taganga: forecast and spots
    • Capurganá: forecast and spots
    • Cabo de la Vela spearfishing guide
    • Dive spots near San Andrés
    Data partners
    dive centres that send us real visibility readings
    Águas VivasMilfontes · Sagres