Charleston (Coos Bay) spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

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◈Charleston (Coos Bay) · United States
2.5
visibility: 1 m
visibility~1m

Dayisover

Today — sit it out.

Sources: NWS · NDBC · Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 21:18

Sources & confidence

Sources
NWS · NDBC · 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
NWS no dataupdated 21:18
Charleston (Coos Bay) — 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
07:42–18:19 · full moon
▼ 04:00▲ 11:00▼ 17:00▲ 23:00mid-range tides · 2.3 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.89 m
Wave1.14 m
Wind3 km/h
Water11 °C
fish activity: moonset 06:02 · moderate · moon underfoot 11:40 · high · moonrise 17:21 · moderate · moon overhead 00:00 · high
Open the seafloor map with entry points →
Coming soon

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spearo.app · a private marine instrument · Charleston (Coos Bay) · a planner, not a safety guaranteePrivacy
Today
Notify me
Map
Best window · next 3 days

Next 3 days — not divable: wave up to 2.6 m

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

↑ high tide 23:25 · slack water ~22:40–00:10+1 bite times: 10:40–12:40 · 16:51–17:51

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 →
Cape Arago South Cove (Norton Gulch)Charleston (Coos Bay)
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
—
Seabed depth of the selected area
≥3.9 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

Rock ledges and kelp in the south cove of Cape Arago State Park, below the Norton Gulch trail, 4-15 m. A steep switchback path carries the gear down to a cobble entry. Black rockfish, lingcod and cabezon on the ledges — stay south of the Simpson Reef sea-lion haul-out.

Google Maps
Simpson Reef / Shell IslandCharleston (Coos Bay)
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
—
Seabed depth of the selected area
≥5.4 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

An extensive reef complex off Cape Arago, 5–20 m. WARNING: the islands and ledges are a wildlife refuge with a pinniped haul-out — approaching the haul-out sites is prohibited, so confirm the minimum distance before you go. Pin: shore access; water entry unverified.

Google Maps
Sunset BayCharleston (Coos Bay)
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
—

A sheltered cove that stays diveable when the open coast is unworkable, 3–10 m: rockfish, perch and greenling over rock and sand. A gentle entry from the state park, good for a first day in the area.

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: California St. Boat Ramp — North Bend / Coos Bay (Verkada, token-gated) ↗
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now
  • greenling
    Hexagrammos spp. · 2–20 m · legal
    Year-round in both states with no minimum size. The trap is the aggregate: it almost always fills a slot you already spent on rockfish — Oregon's 4-fish General Marine Species limit, or the WA area bottomfish aggregate (15 in Puget Sound Areas 9/13, 9 on the coast in Area 2).
  • surfperch
    Embiotocidae · 0–12 m · legal
    Oregon explicitly lists spear among the legal methods ('by angling, hand, bow and arrow, spear…'). Year-round in both states, no minimum size. Bag: OR 15/day in aggregate for all marine perch; WA Area 2 12/day (or 15 shiner perch), not counted in the bottomfish limit. The default shore-dive target when rockfish are closed.
Regulated — check your state
  • lingcod📋 season by state
    The SPEARFISHING window in Puget Sound (Areas 5–13) is its own: spear May 21–Jun 15 only, while hook-and-line opens May 1. There the spear has no minimum but a 36″ (91 cm) MAXIMUM, 1/day. WA coast (Areas 1–3): 2nd Saturday in March–3rd Saturday in October, 2/day. Oregon year-round, min 22″ (56 cm), 3/day.
  • rockfish📋 season by state
    In WA Marine Areas 6–13 (Puget Sound) rockfish are CLOSED outright — unlawful to fish for, retain or possess. That covers Edmonds, Tacoma, Port Townsend, Friday Harbor and Anacortes. Open on the WA coast (Areas 1–4): 7/day in Areas 2 and 4, no yelloweye, seasonal release requirements for copper, quillback and vermilion. Oregon year-round inside the 4-fish General Marine Species limit, canary sub-limit 2.
  • cabezon📋 season by state
    Oregon is CLOSED Jan 1–Jun 30, open from Jul 1, min 16″ (41 cm), 1/day inside the 4-fish General Marine Species limit. WA Puget Sound (Areas 9, 13) May 1–Nov 30, min 18″ (46 cm), 1/day. WA coast (Area 2) year-round with the bottomfish season.
  • Pacific halibut📋 season by state
    Both states name spear as legal gear for halibut — WA: 'Hook and line angling and spearfishing only'; OR: 'May be taken by angling with a single line, no more than 2 hooks; and by spear.' It is the biggest legal fish a PNW diver can take. The season is set annually: WA by marine area (check WDFW in April), OR by port-of-landing windows. WA 1/day, 6 per year, Catch Record Card required.
Not a target — don't shoot
  • salmon🚫 no-take
    This is a GEAR prohibition, not a stock closure: salmon is an open fishery by rod, but spear is not on the methods list in WA or in OREGON — ODFW lists spear for groundfish, flatfish, surfperch, offshore pelagics and Pacific halibut, never for salmon. WA also restricts white sturgeon to one single-point barbless hook, catch-and-release only, so sturgeon by spear is out in both states.
Law
  • ✓OR: fishing licence + the new Ocean Endorsement (2026, $9/yr). WA: licence + Catch Record Card for certain species (halibut).
  • ✓This is a GEAR prohibition, not a stock closure: salmon is an open fishery by rod, but spear is not on the methods list in WA or in OREGON — ODFW lists spear for groundfish, flatfish, surfperch, offshore pelagics and Pacific halibut, never for salmon. WA also restricts white sturgeon to one single-point barbless hook, catch-and-release only, so sturgeon by spear is out in both states.
  • ✓Lingcod/rockfish/cabezon/halibut allowed; the diver must swim/float, bang sticks banned. No yelloweye retention.
  • •Puget Sound, WA Marine Areas 6–13: rockfish are CLOSED outright (no fishing for, retaining or possessing), bottomfish fishing is prohibited deeper than 120 ft (37 m), with a 15-bottomfish daily aggregate. That covers Edmonds, Tacoma, Port Townsend, Friday Harbor and Anacortes.
  • •Five Oregon marine reserves are no-take for all fish and invertebrates: Cape Falcon, Cascade Head, Otter Rock, Redfish Rocks and Cape Perpetua. The adjoining allow only troll salmon/crab or shore angling.
  • ⛔ 🚫 Salmon and sturgeon — NOT by spear (hook-and-line only). Yelloweye rockfish: no retention in any WA marine area.
  • ⛔ 🚫 Oregon Marine Reserves and Puget Sound conservation areas — take restricted/prohibited; check the specific site.
  • ⛔ 🚫 Puget Sound (WA Marine Areas 6–13): rockfish closed outright, bottomfish prohibited deeper than 120 ft. 🚫 Oregon marine reserves — Cape Falcon, Cascade Head, Otter Rock, Redfish Rocks, Cape Perpetua — no-take for everything.

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.

FAQ — spearfishing in Charleston (Coos Bay)

Where can I spearfish in Charleston (Coos Bay)?

Charleston (Coos Bay) has rock entry points such as Sunset Bay, Simpson Reef / Shell Island and Cape Arago South Cove (Norton Gulch). Sunset Bay dives when the outer coast is rough, plus the Simpson Reef complex off Cape Arago — rockfish and lingcod. Below you'll find each spot (access, shelter and hazards) and today's forecast.

When is the best season in Charleston (Coos Bay)?

Jun–Oct; lingcod and rockfish, the new Ocean Endorsement (2026) is required.

How cold is the water in Charleston (Coos Bay)?

Cold, 9–14 °C; strong upwelling, viz hit-or-miss.

Is Charleston (Coos Bay) good for a beginner?

Advanced: cold, upwelling and surge; lingcod in the rocks.

Do I need a licence in Charleston (Coos Bay)?

Yes — in Charleston (Coos Bay) almost certainly, but the licence is the STATE's, not a federal one: nearly every coastal state requires its own saltwater fishing licence, and several add a free registration or an extra endorsement on top (Florida's free State Reef Fish Survey for reef fish, Texas's saltwater endorsement, California's Ocean Enhancement Validation). Hawaii asks nothing of residents and charges visitors the NRMFL. What may be speared, and with what gear, is state law too — the price and the details depend on the state, so read the «Law» block below.

Full guide: spearfishing on the US West Coast →
Half Moon Bay
  • Menlo Park
  • Soquel
  • Santa Cruz
  • Marina
  • Pacific Grove
  • Oregon

    • Astoria

    Washington

    • Westport
    • Tacoma (The Narrows)
    • Artondale
    • Des Moines
    • Burien
    • Bainbridge Island
    • Seattle
    • La Push
    • Edmonds
    • Mukilteo
    • Port Angeles
    • Everett
    • Port Townsend
    • Camano
    • Neah Bay
    • Oak Harbor
    • Friday Harbor (San Juan Island)
    • Anacortes
    • Birch Bay

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