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

spearo.app / Chile / Chanaral
PTPortuguêsRUРусскийESEspañolITItalianoELΕλληνικάFRFrançaisTRTürkçeHRHrvatski
◈Chanaral · Chile
2.5
🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling
visibility~1m

Nottoday

Today — sit it out — wave, wind and surge pounding. 🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling

Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 00:16

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 zones

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.

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

Surface

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

spearo.app
updated 00:16
Chanaral — solo, off the rocks
DON'T GO
don't go · wave 1.7 m (occasionally up to ~3.4 m)
wave 1.7 mwind 6 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~1 m
today, best window 06:00–09:00
fish · Visibility 1 m · Water 20.2°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.

Sunday · today2026-10-25
06:58–19:55 · full moon
▼ 03:00▲ 09:00▼ 15:00▲ 22:00mid-range tides · 1.2 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.65 m
Wave1.56 m
Wind4 km/h
Water21 °C
fish activity: moon overhead 00:30 · high · moonset 06:15 · moderate · moon underfoot 12:50 · high · moonrise 19:40 · moderate
Conditions window06:00–09:00
don't go fish
Hs 1.72 m · roughperiod 6.5 swind 6→6surge 13.8viz 1 m
1.72 mrough · up to ~3.44 · 224° at an angle
6.5 sswell moderate
6→6gusts 6 km/h
13.8pounding the rocks
0.17m/s
1 mrecent swell
20.2°C5 mm + hood
▲09:00tide turn near
Atmosphere32 kmlandmarks visible
moderatemoonset
  • wave 1.7 m (occasionally up to ~3.4 m)
  • long secondary swell (13 s) straight onshore
  • flood toward high water
confidence lowtwilight
Open the seafloor map with entry points →
Coming soon

Get the go / no-go verdict for Chanaral by email

Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Chanaral, we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.

Optional: city, channel, phone
What to send
Where to send it
More spots

Spots in Chile

🇨🇱Chile

Chile map →

Norte Chico

  • Caldera
  • Huasco
  • La Serena
  • Coquimbo
  • Guanaqueros
  • Tongoy
  • Los Vilos
  • Pichidangui

Norte Grande

  • Taltal
  • Antofagasta
  • Mejillones
  • Tocopilla
  • Iquique
  • Arica

Central Chile

  • Papudo
  • Zapallar
  • Maitencillo
  • Concon
  • Vina del Mar
Feedback

Help us make it better

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 · Chanaral · a planner, not a safety guaranteePrivacy
Today
Notify me
Map
Best window · next 3 days

Next 3 days — not divable: wave up to 1.7 m

🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling

transparency nearby ~4 m · satellite, 2 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore

↓ low tide 03:14 · slack water ~02:29–03:59 bite times: 11:50–13:50 · 19:10–20:10

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
Google Play — QR code
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 →
Playa ChañaralChanaral
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
—

Mainland rock+sand coast, 0–12 m, shore; away from the reserve island. 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
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now
  • Chilean sandperch (vieja)
    Graus nigra · 3–40 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    ⚠️ Limit 1 fish/day, no minimum size. Heavily speared — better to release.
  • Chilean sheephead
    Semicossyphus darwini · 3–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    ⚠️ Limit 1 fish/day, no minimum size. Heavily speared — better to release.
  • Peruvian grunt
    Anisotremus scapularis · 1–20 m · legal
    Limit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
  • Chilean sandperch (rollizo)
    Pinguipes chilensis · 2–30 m · legal
    Limit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
  • Peruvian morwong
    Cheilodactylus variegatus · 1–25 m · legal
    Limit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
  • Lorna drum
    Sciaena deliciosa · 2–25 m · legal
    Limit 5 fish/day (overall cap ≤10/jornada). No minimum size.
  • snoek
    Thyrsites atun · 0–30 m · legal
  • yellowtail amberjack
    Seriola lalandi · 3–40 m · legal
  • corvina drum
    Cilus gilberti · 2–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    ⚠️ Biological closure 1 Oct–30 Nov. Min 40 cm (TL), limit 3/day.
  • palm ruff
    Seriolella violacea · 3–40 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    ⚠️ Closed 1–31 Aug. Min 30 cm (Atacama–Coquimbo).
  • Chilean jack mackerel
    Trachurus murphyi · 0–40 m · legal
  • jerguilla
    Aplodactylus punctatus · 1–20 m · legal
  • apañado
    Hemilutjanus macrophthalmos · 5–40 m · legal
  • rock bass
    Paralabrax humeralis · 3–30 m · legal
  • flounder
    Paralichthys sp. · 2–30 m · legal
  • elephant fish
    Callorhinchus callorhynchus · 5–40 m · ⚠️ release
    Mandatory release (catch-and-release). Do not keep.
  • humpback smoothhound
    Mustelus whitneyi · 5–40 m · ⚠️ release
    Mandatory release (catch-and-release). Do not keep.
  • Chilean abalone (loco)
    Concholepas concholepas · 1–20 m · 🚫 no-take
    🚫 Permanent extraction ban to 31 Dec 2028 (Arica→Aysén). Benthos — by hand by the AMERB org, not speargun; no recreational take.
Law
  • ✓A SERNAPESCA recreational-fishing licence is required — it explicitly covers spearfishing (defined as capture by sport diving, apnea and spearguns). Online at pescarecreativa.sernapesca.cl. Free for 65+/under-12/disabled. Sale prohibited.
  • ✓Unlike continental Argentina, scuba is not banned: the legal definition includes 'sport diving', so both apnea and scuba are legal. Respect RAV closed seasons (conger, corvina) and regional sizes.
  • ⛔ 🚫 Loco (Concholepas) — permanent ban to 31 Dec 2028 (Arica→Aysén). Only by hand by the AMERB org; outsiders/recreational barred.
  • ⛔ Elephant fish (Callorhinchus) and smoothhounds (Mustelus) — mandatory release. Don't shoot.
  • ⛔ AMERB areas (hundreds of polygons): benthos (loco/lapa/erizo) — exclusive to fisher orgs, don't take; fish by speargun — grey zone, check locally.
  • ⛔ Marine mammals, sea turtles, penguins — protected; do not touch.

Rules change. Before heading out, get the recreational licence (SERNAPESCA, pescarecreativa.sernapesca.cl) and respect the RAV closed seasons and regional sizes.

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 · Chanaral

Spearfishing in Chanaral: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Chanaral stays on mainland rock and sand, away from the reserve island. Playa Chanaral is listed at 0-12 m from shore, and that distance is part of the plan. Keep a mainland route and avoid doubtful boundaries. Boundary caution joins the licence, RAV and AMERB benthos rules. If the route starts depending on island water, stop.

TL;DR

  • Playa Chanaral is mainland shore; the reserve island is not the destination.
  • Southwest swell over rock and sand removes the clean exit quickly.
  • Boundary caution sits beside SERNAPESCA, RAV, closed loco and AMERB.

Where can you spearfish in Chanaral?

The article stays on Playa Chanaral, a mainland rock-and-sand shore away from the reserve island.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
Playa ChañaralRocky shore0-12 mIntermediateShore entryMainland rock+sand coast, 0-12 m, shore; away from the reserve island. Coords approx. Check the exit.

When does Playa Chanaral work?

It needs low energy, light wind and a visible return line. Southwest swell is the main problem for the mainland shore. The SERNAPESCA recreational licence is required; Chile includes sport diving, apnea and spearguns for spearfishing. RAV closures for conger and corvina apply, recreational loco remains closed until 31 Dec 2028, and AMERB benthos stays out of the catch. The mainland route is the article, not a path toward island water. Playa Chanaral is a mainland rock-and-sand shore plan in 0-12 m. Treat the offshore reserve island as the hard boundary, because the useful hunting water is the open coast with a licence. The area sits at the gateway to Pan de Azucar National Park, with cold, very clear water and kelp rockfish habitat. That clarity still depends on picking the day on a coast exposed to SW swell. Reserva Marina Isla Chanaral and its ring are no-take. Before entering, check the limits and keep the session on the continental side, where the fact pattern remains licence-based recreation. There are no listed webcams or buoy here, so the entry check has to cover swell direction, exit options and the 5-7 mm suit needed for Humboldt water. The mainland spot is marked as shore access, rock plus sand, and approximate coordinates; keep the plan simple enough to stay inside that description.

  • Valparaiso
  • Laguna Verde
  • Quintay
  • Tunquen
  • Algarrobo
  • El Quisco
  • Isla Negra
  • San Antonio
  • Maule · Biobío

    • Pichilemu
    • Bucalemu
    • Constitucion
    • Curanipe
    • Cobquecura
    • Dichato
    • Tome
    • Talcahuano
    • Lebu

    spearo.app — All countries

    FAQ

    Is the reserve island a spot?

    No. Stay on mainland shore.

    What is Playa Chanaral?

    Rock and sand in 0-12 m.

    Camera listed?

    No.

    What swell is bad?

    Southwest on the open coast.

    What if a boundary is unclear?

    Stay away from it.

    Sources

    • SERNAPESCA, Recreational Fishing
    • SERNAPESCA, permitted fishing gear and methods
    • SUBPESCA, official fisheries regulations
    • BCN Ley Chile, Recreational Fishing Law 20.256

    Nearby towns

    • Spearfishing in Caldera
    • Spearfishing in Antofagasta
    • Mejillones conditions today
    • Spearfishing in La Serena
    • Coquimbo spearfishing guide
    Data partners
    dive centres that send us real visibility readings
    Águas VivasMilfontes · Sagres