Cockburn Town spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

spearo.app / Bahamas / Cockburn Town
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◈Cockburn Town · Bahamas
5.3
wave 1.4 m
visibility~3m

Marginal

Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and surge pounding.

Sources: Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2 — high confidence · data 23:25

Sources & confidence

Sources
Open-Meteo · Copernicus · Sentinel-2
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.

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0 m

Surface

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

spearo.app
updated 23:25
Cockburn Town — solo, off the rocks
BORDERLINE
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · wave 1.4 m (occasionally up to ~2.8 m)
wave 1.4 mwind 11 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~3 m
today, best window 06:00–09:00
fish · Visibility 3 m · Water 29.6°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
07:00–18:23 · full moon
▼ 01:00▲ 07:00▼ 13:00▲ 19:00 · 0.9 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.24 m
Wave2.10 m
Wind16 km/h
Water29 °C
fish activity: moonset 06:20 · moderate · moon underfoot 12:10 · high · moonrise 17:55 · moderate · moon overhead 00:00 · high
Conditions window06:00–09:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish
Hs 1.40 m · roughperiod 9.4 swind 11→16surge 5.6viz 3 m
1.40 mrough · up to ~2.80 · 8° at an angle
9.4 sswell moderate
11→16gusts 16 km/h
5.6pounding the rocks
0.36m/s
3 mrecent swell
29.6°C5 mm + hood
▼13:00tide turn near
Atmosphere20 kmovercast
moderatemoonset
  • wave 1.4 m (occasionally up to ~2.8 m)
  • current 0.36 m/s
  • just after high water
confidence lowtwilight
Open the seafloor map with entry points →
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spearo.app · a private marine instrument · Cockburn Town · a planner, not a safety guaranteePrivacy
Today
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Map

Atlantic hurricane season (Jun–Nov) — check the NHC forecast

Best window · next 3 days
borderlinetoday · 06:00–09:00
you can see ~3 m ahead fish

ℹ️ Conservative visibility estimate kept

transparency nearby ~31 m · satellite, 3 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore

Tell me when it's on

Just your email — nothing else needed.

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: 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 →
Frascate wreck (Riding Rock, N-конец)Cockburn Town
borderline
swell on the quarter today
window
—

Wreck, 2–5 m — legal (outside reserves). Grouper, snapper. Family-Island rule: stay >200 yd from any shore.

Google Maps
San Salvador west wallsCockburn Town
borderline
swell on the quarter today
window
—

Leeward-west drop walls (Telephone Pole, Vicky's Reef area), 9–40 m+ — legal (>200 yd), grouper, snapper, pelagics; wall drops close to shore. Coords city-level.

Google Maps
Snapshot / Great Cut S wallCockburn Town
borderline
Pin within 200 yd of the shore: Bahamian law bans spearfishing there (Bahamas Ministry of Tourism fishing FAQ). Hunt only seaward of the 200-yd band.
swell on the quarter today
window
—

Drop-off wall, 12–40+ m — hunt only >200 yd from shore, outside reserves. Mutton snapper, grouper, snapper, pelagics. The pin itself is a shore landmark within 200 yd of the coast: Bahamian law bans spearfishing there — hunt only seaward of the band (boat needed).

Google Maps
Telephone Pole (N Cockburn Town wall)Cockburn Town
borderline
Pin within 200 yd of the shore: Bahamian law bans spearfishing there (Bahamas Ministry of Tourism fishing FAQ). Hunt only seaward of the 200-yd band.
swell on the quarter today
window
—

Drop-off wall, 12–40+ m — hunt only >200 yd from shore, outside reserves. Grouper, snapper, pelagics. The pin itself is a shore landmark within 200 yd of the coast: Bahamian law bans spearfishing there — hunt only seaward of the band (boat needed).

Google Maps
Vicky's ReefCockburn Town
borderline
swell on the quarter today
window
—

Drop-off wall, 9–27 m — legal (outside reserves). Hogfish, grouper, snapper. Family-Island rule: stay >200 yd from any shore.

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.

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≈

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
  • Nassau grouper
    Epinephelus striatus · 5–30 m · on the current by structure · daytime
    ⚠️ Closed 1 Dec–28 Feb (spawning, S.I. 71/2015). Off-season min 3 lb; head/tail/skin intact on landing.
  • yellowtail snapper
    Ocyurus chrysurus · 3–25 m · on the current by structure · dusk/night
    Small midwater snapper over the reef; comes up on a drift, shoot at dusk. Warm months.
  • lionfish
    Pterois volitans · 3–40 m · on the current by structure · daytime
    Invasive — culling ENCOURAGED year-round. Tucks under ledges / in reef shade and lets you get close. Venomous spines — handle with care; excellent eating.
off season: black grouper (Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr) · mutton snapper (Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May) · hogfish (Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun) · mahi-mahi / dolphinfish (Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun) · cero mackerel (Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr)
Law
  • ✓🚫 Spearguns are BANNED nationwide — only a or , breath-hold only (scuba/compressor banned). No spearfishing within 1 mile of New Providence, 1 mile of Freeport's south coast, or 200 yards of any Out-Island shore ().
  • ✓Foreign visitors need a sport-fishing permit (or must fish from a licensed charter); catch is for personal use only — selling it is banned (bahamas.com/fishing-faq).
  • ⛔ 🚫 Speargun banned everywhere — / only, breath-hold only (no air). Spear needs a written endorsement on the permit. Spearfishing competitions are banned.
  • ⛔ 🚫 Crawfish (season 1 Aug–31 Mar) and queen conch — hand/hook only, NO spear. Turtles and sharks — full ban (Shark Sanctuary). Corals — no-take.

Rules change. Before heading out, check with the Bahamas Department of Marine Resources and the Fisheries Resources Act; spearguns are banned — sling/pole spear only.

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 · Cockburn Town

Spearfishing in Cockburn Town: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Cockburn Town on San Salvador is the clearest-water wall pick in this group. The island sits on a remote oceanic plateau, so the reef can drop hard into blue water only 100-200 m from the beach. That closeness is exactly why the law matters: on an Out Island, spearfishing must be more than 200 yd from shore. Once beyond that buffer and outside reserves, the west walls are built for careful sling work around ledges, reef cuts and current edges. Spearguns are illegal in The Bahamas, and scuba support is not allowed, so the plan is simple gear, strong boat handling and conservative drops.

TL;DR

  • Cockburn Town puts the San Salvador wall close to shore, but the legal start is still past the 200 yd Out-Island buffer.
  • West-wall sites such as Telephone Pole, Vicky's Reef and Snapshot are clear-water wall dives, not casual beach swims.
  • Spearguns are banned in The Bahamas; use a Hawaiian sling or pole spear only, with no scuba-assisted hunting.
  • Conception Island National Park is no-take offshore, and any uncertain park edge should be treated as closed.

Best spearfishing spots near Cockburn Town

The west coast gives a series of wall names rather than protected bays. Telephone Pole, Vicky's Reef and Snapshot all need the same legal filter: outside reserves and beyond the 200 yd shore strip. The Frascate wreck is shallow but still subject to the same distance rule. Conception Island National Park is a no-take reference offshore, not a place to harvest.

SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
San Salvador west wallsLeeward drop wall9-40+ mIntermediate to advancedBoat or carefully managed offshore swimA clear-water wall for grouper, snapper and pelagics after the 200 yd buffer. The drop is close, so check position before loading.
Vicky's ReefWall and reef edge9-27 mIntermediateBoat from Cockburn TownHogfish, grouper and snapper use the ledges. It is a better choice than forcing the deeper wall when current is running.
Snapshot / Great Cut S wall
Hope Town
  • Marsh Harbour
  • Treasure Cay
  • Green Turtle Cay (New Plymouth)

    • Grand Bahama

    • Freeport–Lucaya
    • West End

    Bimini

    • Alice Town (Bimini)

    spearo.app — All countries

    Open dropoff
    12-40+ m
    Advanced
    Boat, settled weather
    A deeper wall for mutton snapper, grouper and passing fish. Keep a float line tidy and do not chase fish into depth you have not trained for.

    Why is San Salvador different from other Bahamas islands?

    The wall sits unusually close to land and the visibility can exceed 25-30 m, so the place feels more open-ocean than bank lagoon. That also removes margin. A short swim can still be illegal if it is inside 200 yd from shore, and a clean-looking wall can still be unsafe in current. West-side leeward conditions are the normal choice; if wind wraps around the coast, save the hunt for another morning.

    What legal checklist applies before loading a sling?

    Confirm four points: more than 200 yd from shore, outside every marine park or national park, breath-hold only and no speargun. The only lawful hunting tools are Hawaiian slings and pole spears. Visiting spearos need a sport-fishing permit or a licensed charter. Do not sell the catch. If an island, cay or park boundary is uncertain, stay out of it until the position is clear.

    Which species are sensible targets?

    Hogfish, snapper and black grouper are normal wall and reef targets. Nassau grouper needs extra care because the 1 Dec to 28 Feb closure protects spawning fish, and outside that season fish must meet landing rules. Wahoo and mahi may pass the wall, but blue-water ambition should not override the breath-hold-only rule. Crawfish and queen conch are handled without spearing, and sharks, turtles and coral stay untouched.

    FAQ

    Is Cockburn Town good for beginners?

    The visibility is friendly, but the walls and legal distance make it more suitable with a boat, buddy and real depth discipline.

    Can I use a speargun on San Salvador?

    No. The Bahamas bans spearguns nationwide. Use a Hawaiian sling or pole spear only.

    Does the 200 yd rule still apply if the wall is close?

    Yes. The wall being close to shore does not change the Out-Island distance rule.

    Is Conception Island a hunting option?

    No. Conception Island National Park is no-take, so plan away from it.

    What shuts the west walls down?

    Current, wraparound swell and poor boat positioning are the big shutdown signs, even when the water looks blue.

    Sources

    • Bahamas Legislation On-line, Acts
    • Bahamas Legislation On-line, Subsidiary Legislation

    Nearby towns

    • Spearfishing in New Bight
    • Clarence Town spearfishing guide
    • George Town conditions today
    • Spearfishing in Staniel Cay
    • Fresh Creek / Andros Town conditions today
    Data partners
    dive centres that send us real visibility readings
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    Sargassum: in seasonsargassum drifting in the regionsargassum season — NOAA/USF data