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

Cascais · Portugal
5.3
wave 0.8 m head-on
visibility3m

Tomorrow — right on the edge — wave, wind and noticeable surge.

Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 21:45

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
calmCabo Raso 7.2 NWupdated 21:45
Guincho — rocks — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wave 0.8 m + swell period 6 s
wave 0.8 m head-onwind 18, gusts 43 km/hnoticeable surgevisibility ~4 m
Thursday, best window 18:00–21:00
fish · Visibility 4 m · Water 20.6°C
confidence medium · verdict for the selected day
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.

Thursday2026-07-23
06:31–20:56 · first quarter
▼ 04:00▲ 10:00▼ 17:00▲ 23:00 · 1.1 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.08 m
Wave0.88 m
Wind11 km/h
Water20 °C
fish activity: moonset 01:13 · moderate · moon underfoot 08:40 · high · moonrise 16:23 · moderate · moon overhead 21:00 · high
Conditions window06:00–09:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish ·
Hs 0.80 mperiod 5.5 s head-onwind 9→26surge 1.3viz 3 m
0.80 mup to ~1.60 · 334° head-on
5.5 sswell moderate
9→26gusts 26 km/h
1.3noticeable surge
0.14m/s
3 mrecent swell
19.6°C5 mm + hood
▲10:00tide rising
Atmosphere22 kmlandmarks visible
highmoon underfoot
  • cross sea from several directions
  • flood — water rising
confidence hightwilight
Open the seafloor map with entry points

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

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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
Pedra da Nau (Ship Rock)Cascais bay · Pedra da Nau
go
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
06:00–09:00
tide
low–mid (rock channels)
shelter
from the NW nortada (Santa Marta point + bay geometry)
exposure
swell from behind today (geometry; doesn't improve the colour)
hazard
boat traffic from Cascais marina — flag buoy MANDATORY
access
easy entry from the seafront by Villa Italia

the safest solo entry, but busy — a fallback when the NW spots close out (NOT Arriba)

Google Maps
Forte dos Oitavos — rock platformsCabo Raso · Forte dos Oitavos
borderline
swell on the quarter today
window
dawn, finish before the nortada ~10–11
tide
low–mid
shelter
E/NE offshore wind; east faces of the rocks
hazard
exposed west coast — NW washes the low platforms as the swell builds
access
from the EN247 verge

less crowded than Guincho itself

Google Maps
Farol da Guia / Laje da RamelaBoca do Inferno · Farol da Guia / Lage da Ramela
borderline
swell on the quarter today
window
calm morning, offshore N–NE; spring — visibility
tide
mid–high on the headland faces
shelter
east flank of the headland — lee on the Cascais side
hazard
the headland tip amplifies refracted surge even in calm; a fatality in 2018
access
by the Guia lighthouse
Google Maps
Baía do Mexilhoeiro (Mussel Cove)Boca do Inferno · Baía do Mexilhoeiro
borderline
best candidate for today
swell on the quarter today
window
dawn, first 2 h (robalo)
tide
mid→low, end of ebb
shelter
from N/NE/E wind; the cove notch refracts the swell
hazard
mussel rocks are lethally slippery; check the steps are exposed — that's your exit
access
stone steps ~20 m from the road

★ the best real solo candidate: a genuine margin over exposed platforms

Google Maps
OitavosCabo Raso · Oitavos (hotel)
borderline
swell on the quarter today
window
dawn, finish before the nortada
tide
low–mid
shelter
E offshore wind; open NW exposure (like Guincho)
hazard
exposed NW coast — rising swell seals the exit; watch the wave sets on site
access
access right by The Oitavos hotel (Quinta da Marinha)

owner's spot — entry by the hotel; point is approximate, drop a pin if not at the access

Google Maps
Praia da ArribaArriba
borderline
swell on the quarter today
window
dawn in calm, before the nortada
tide
low–mid (rocky ends)
shelter
E offshore wind; both sections face NW
hazard
⚠️ NOT the calm fallback it looks like — the calm fallback is Cascais bay
access
from Guincho/Arriba beach

landmark by the Arriba restaurant

Google Maps
Cresmina — south headlandCresmina · Praia da Cresmina — south headland
borderline
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
dawn in calm, before the nortada
tide
low–mid
shelter
E wind; slightly less exposed under the fort's lee
hazard
a 0.5 m jump in swell seals the exit; in summer, lifeguard no-go zones
access
from the Cresmina car park
Google Maps
Guincho — Ponta Alta (south point)Guincho · Praia do Guincho — Ponta Alta
borderline
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
dawn in calm, before the nortada
tide
low–mid
shelter
E wind; slightly less than the open beach
hazard
⚠️ 'Pedra que Bole' — getting trapped at high water in a storm
access
south end of Guincho beach
Google Maps
Boca do Inferno — cliff platformsBoca do Inferno
dangerous
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
dawn, dead calm
tide
low–mid (spring low)
shelter
from E/S wind; Cabo Espichel blocks the south swell
hazard
MAXIMUM solo risk: documented deaths — two swept off by a single wave
access
cliff, no approach to the water

side platforms only

Google Maps
Gruta da Pombeira / Costa da GuiaBoca do Inferno · Gruta da Pombeira
dangerous
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
dawn, stable high-pressure
tide
low (exposes the ledges)
shelter
from N/NE/E wind; Cabo Espichel blocks the south swell
hazard
ENTRAPMENT: surge pins you to the rock with a 0.3 m swell rise; the cave is NOT for solo
access
2 km trail + scramble over slippery limestone

the cave is not for a solo entry

Google Maps
Cabo Raso — shingle beach (east flank)Cabo Raso · Cabo Raso — east flank
dangerous
swell on the quarter today
window
dawn in dead calm — scouting only
tide
avoid spring-tide currents at the headland
shelter
marginal shelter on the east flank of the headland
hazard
⚠️⚠️ PERMANENT TOPOGRAPHIC RIP on the west side of the headland — lethal, has killed anglers
access
shingle beach by the Cabo Raso lighthouse

scouting only, double the caution

Google Maps
Raio Verde — rocks between Oitavos and Cabo RasoCabo Raso · Raio Verde
dangerous
swell on the quarter today
window
dawn in calm
tide
low–mid
shelter
E offshore wind; almost no swell shelter
hazard
⚠️ entry/exit point UNKNOWN — land recon mandatory before entering
access
undocumented

scout from land first

Google Maps
Praia do AbanoAbano
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
dawn in flat calm <0.3 m
tide
low–mid
shelter
E offshore wind; almost no swell shelter
hazard
⚠️ unstable cliff — rockfall; no spearfishing documentation
access
stairs above a crumbling cliff

isolated scouting candidate — only after a land recon

Google Maps
Praia da Rainha — rocky coveCascais bay · Praia da Rainha
closed
in the headland's lee today — swell from the quarter/behind
window
—
tide
—
shelter
cove fully sheltered from NW and south swell
hazard
hunting banned — proximity to the swimming beach
access
easy, in central Cascais

viz-check only, not hunting

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

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
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».

connecting to the stream…
● LIVE↗
Guincho — Atlantic (Windy, live)live Windy player — open Atlantic home spot. Read the swell before you go.camera: windy ↗
connecting to the stream…
● LIVE↗
Cascais Marina (Windy)Cascais marina/bay watercamera: windy ↗
connecting to the stream…
● LIVE↗
Conceição (Windy)Conceição beach, Cascais baycamera: windy ↗
Guincho — open Atlantic (Windy)
Guincho — open Atlantic (Windy)snapshot refreshes ~every 2.5 min (not video), external source
more: Windy «Arriba» (possible angle on the rocks) ↗
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now: Sea bass, White seabream, Gilthead bream, Salema, Meagre, Mullet · coming soon: Octopus (Sep)

In season now
  • Robalo (sea bass)
    <4 m · end of ebb → start of flood · dawn/dusk
    Prime target. Shy of light — pick early/twilight windows.
  • Sargo (white seabream)
    1–5 m · flood (rides the surf onto the reef) · dawn
    Dominant reef target. Visibility matters more than time of day.
  • Dourada (gilthead bream)
    1–4 m · flood over sand/weed · dawn
    Very skittish — static ambush.
  • Salema
    0–2 m · — · daytime
    Easiest target at 0–6 m. ⚠️ Do NOT eat the head/guts (ichthyosarcotoxism).
  • Tainha (mullet)
    0–2 m · — · —
    Extremely wary; murky water HINDERS it. Opportunistic, in calm coves.
  • Corvina (meagre)
    1–6 m (marginal) · — · twilight
    Near the Tagus mouth, NOT on the Guincho rocks. Adults mostly at 5–75 m. ⚠️ CLOSED 1–30 June (defeso).
  • Santola (spider crab)
    1–10 m · low water (reef shelf exposed) · calm morning (≤force 2)
    Carapace ≥12 cm. Peaks Jul–Aug. CLOSED 15.02–15.06. Limit 2 kg/day.
Law
🦀 spider crab open (season 16.06–14.02)
  • ✓Spearfishing licence required (16+), daily/monthly/annual (~€25/yr). Speargun = licence required.
  • ✓Hand-gathering shellfish with NO gear — no licence; but if a speargun is on the dive, a spearfishing licence is required.
  • ✓Night prohibited: spearfishing only in daylight (sunset→sunrise not allowed). Artificial light as a means of finding/attracting fish is banned — a torch for safety only.
  • ✓Signalling buoy MANDATORY for spearfishing: buoy/float with an «Alfa» flag (red/orange/yellow, ≥8 L), no more than 30 m from the diver.
  • ✓Spearfishing daily limit: fish + cephalopods — 15 kg (excluding the largest specimen). General rod-and-line recreational fishing — 10 kg.
  • ✓Invertebrates (including spider crab) — 2 kg/day total.
  • ✓Spider crab: min. carapace 12 cm; (closed season) 15.02–15.06 — applies to recreational gathering too.
  • ✓Min. sizes: robalo 36 cm, sargo 17 cm, dourada 19 cm, choupa 23 cm, corvina 42 cm; octopus 750 g.
  • ✓Grouper — fully protected, may not be taken.
  • ✓Avencas (Parede↔São Pedro, ~8–12 km east) — hunting allowed but capped at 7.5 kg. Guincho is OUTSIDE this zone.
  • •The Sintra-Cascais Nature Park covers Guincho — sub-zones/restrictions likely. Check with (pnsc@icnf.pt) or de Cascais.
  • •2026 Sintra-Cascais SAC (marine area) — trawling/dredging bans published; no confirmed point no-take at Guincho/Cabo Raso. Check the full text.
  • ⛔ Grouper (Epinephelus) — fully protected, capture PROHIBITED.
  • ⛔ Seahorses (Hippocampus) — protected.

Rules change. Before heading out, check with DGRM / ICNF / Capitania and the defeso table.

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. At Cabo Raso/Arriba a 0.5 m rise in swell makes a boulder exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer here.
  • Headland rip: at Cabo Raso there is 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.
  • Nortada (Jun–Sep): wind builds from midday — be out of the water by ~11:00; 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 · Cascais

Spearfishing in Cascais: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Spearfishing in Cascais splits between two opposite coasts: Guincho and Cabo Raso, open Atlantic facing northwest, and the sheltered Cascais-Estoril bay behind the headland. The Guincho side only opens with groundswell under 0.5 m and a light easterly, and it closes out fast once the nortada builds. Visibility is best in spring. You need a spearfishing licence, apnea only, with a signalling buoy. On big-swell days the sheltered bay is the calm fallback. Every spot here is a rock entry, and while the bay marks can suit a careful solo diver, the exposed Guincho and Cabo Raso side is not a place to dive alone.

TL;DR

  • Best entries: Baia do Mexilhoeiro for solo diving, Forte dos Oitavos at Cabo Raso for fewer people, and Pedra da Nau in the bay as the fallback on northwest days.
  • Window: groundswell under 0.5 m, easterly offshore wind, at dawn; get out before the nortada builds around 10 or 11 am. Best visibility in spring.
  • Guincho and Cabo Raso are open ocean and close out fast; the calm fallback is the Cascais bay, never Praia da Arriba.

Best spearfishing spots in Cascais

These are all rock-entry spots with shallow hunting where sea bass and white seabream hold. Baia do Mexilhoeiro is the safest solo, Forte dos Oitavos at Cabo Raso sees fewer people than Guincho beach, and Pedra da Nau in the bay is the fallback for northwest days. The Boca do Inferno cliff platforms are left out, with documented deaths there.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
Baia do MexilhoeiroRocky cove (Boca do Inferno)Shallow, over the platformsIntermediate, best soloStone steps ~20 m from the roadThe best real solo candidate, with exposed platforms and a genuine safety margin. Go in only with the steps exposed, since they are your exit, and the mussel rock is slippery. It fishes 15 to 20 days a month.
Forte dos OitavosRock platforms (Cabo Raso)Shallow, along the rocksIntermediateFrom the EN247 vergeFewer people than Guincho beach. It closes out fast in a northwest swell, so finish before the nortada washes the low platforms.
Pedra da NauRock channels (Cascais bay)Shallow, in the rock channelsEasy, fallback optionFrom the seafront by Villa ItaliaThe easiest solo entry and the fallback when Guincho closes out; the calm alternative is the bay, never Arriba. Marina boat traffic means the flag buoy is mandatory.

When is the best time to spearfish in Cascais?

Spring gives the best visibility, when an easterly land wind holds the sea down. At dawn the first two hours by the rocks produce sea bass, which is shy of light and hunts under 4 m. Get out before the northwest nortada builds around 10 or 11 am; in summer it drives upwelling and cools the water. After heavy rain the Tagus plume can push turbid water in.

Can you spearfish at Guincho beach?

You can, but on tight conditions. Guincho and Cabo Raso are open ocean facing northwest, with rock entries and no sheltered bail-out, and they only open with groundswell under 0.5 m and a light easterly. Once the swell builds, the northwest seals the exit off the rocks, not a place for solo beginners. Treating Praia da Arriba as shelter is a common mistake: it takes the same swell. The real fallback is the Cascais bay behind the headland, busier and coarser. The Boca do Inferno cliff platforms stay off the list, with documented deaths there.

What fish can you spearfish in Cascais?

The species and minimum sizes are national, set by DGRM. Sea bass is the prime target at 36 cm, best June to October. White seabream, 17 cm, is the steadiest reef fish. Gilthead is 19 cm, black seabream 23 cm, salema 18 cm, and you must not eat the salema head or guts. Octopus has a 750 g minimum. Meagre, 42 cm, is closed nationwide through June. Grouper and seahorses are protected.

FAQ

Where can you spearfish in Cascais?

Baia do Mexilhoeiro for solo diving, Forte dos Oitavos at Cabo Raso, and Pedra da Nau in the bay as the fallback. The open-ocean cliff spots are not for hunting.

How is the water visibility in Cascais today?

It depends on swell, wind and recent rain. The clearest water comes in spring with a light easterly and groundswell under 0.5 m. After heavy rain the Tagus plume can brown it.

Do I need a license to spearfish in Cascais?

Yes. A licence is required from age 16 and costs about 25 euros a year. Hunting is apnea only; scuba is banned.

What is the minimum size for sea bass in Portugal?

Sea bass is 36 cm. Others: white seabream 17 cm, gilthead 19 cm, black seabream 23 cm, meagre 42 cm, and octopus 750 g.

How far from the beach can you spearfish in Portugal?

There is no single distance figure in the national rules. Stay clear of concessioned swimming beaches and keep the flag buoy within 30 m of you.

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