Is Cocoa Beach spearfishing mostly from shore?

No. The listed sites are Brevard Reef 1, Ebin's Pyramids and Newy Reef, all offshore structure.

How far is the nearest listed Cocoa Beach structure?

Brevard Reef 1 is described as about 15 km directly off Cocoa Beach.

Do Cocoa Beach reef fish require extra Florida paperwork?

The free State Reef Fish Angler designation is listed for reef fish.

Can you use a rebreather to spearfish Cocoa Beach?

No. Florida rules here make rebreathers illegal for spearfishing.

What swell direction is worst for Cocoa Beach?

The bad sector is 45 to 150 degrees, with 90 degrees listed as the worst direction.

Cocoa Beach spearfishing forecast — United States

Cocoa Beach · United States

2.5

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

visibility1m

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

Sources: NWS · NDBC · Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 00:12

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.

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 — 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.

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.

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

Special Marine Warning · NWSupdated 00:12

Offshore marks — solo, off the rocks

DON'T GO

don't go · wave 3.0 m (occasionally up to ~6.0 m)

wave 3 m head-onwind 20, gusts 41 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~1 m

today, best window 06:00–09:00

fish · Visibility 1 m · Water 25°C

confidence low · 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.

Sunday · today2026-10-25

07:29–18:43 · full moon

▼ 00:00▲ 07:00▼ 13:00▲ 19:00 · 1.3 m

Hours (06→20)

Day's trends

Tide-0.07 m

Wave2.78 m

Wind21 km/h

Water25 °C

fish activity: moon overhead 00:10 · high · moonset 06:50 · moderate · moon underfoot 12:30 · high · moonrise 18:14 · moderate

Conditions window06:00–09:00

don't go fish

Hs 2.98 m · roughperiod 10 s head-onwind 20→41surge 17.9viz 1 m

2.98 mrough · up to ~5.96 · 38° head-on

10 sswell building

20→41gusts 41 km/h

17.9pounding the rocks

0.39m/s

1 mrecent swell

25°C5 mm + hood

▼13:00tide turn near

Atmosphere19 kmlandmarks visible

moderatemoonset

wave 3.0 m (occasionally up to ~6.0 m)
steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
just after high water

confidence lowtwilight

Open the seafloor map with entry points

Coming soon

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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

Bernhardt PyramidsOffshore marks

dangerous

Ultra · subscribers

exposed head-on to the swell today

window: —
Seabed depth of the selected area: ≈25–26 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM, 10 m)

The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

Open in the app

Brevard Reef 1Offshore marks

dangerous

exposed head-on to the swell today

window: —
Seabed depth of the selected area: ≈18–18 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM, 10 m)

The nearest structure directly off Cocoa Beach, about 15 km out in 16 m. A sunken hull with snapper and grouper; the coast is exposed and calm days are few.

Google Maps

Ebin's PyramidsOffshore marks

dangerous

exposed head-on to the swell today

window: —
Seabed depth of the selected area: ≈25–25 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM, 10 m)

Reef pyramids with 2.5 m of relief in 23 m, about 31 km offshore — a deep, full-day trip. Snapper and grouper over the modules, and cleaner water than anything closer to the beach.

Google Maps

Gidus ReefOffshore marks

dangerous

Pro · subscribers

exposed head-on to the swell today

window: —
Seabed depth of the selected area: ≈26–26 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM, 10 m)

The full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.

Open in the app

Newy ReefOffshore marks

dangerous

exposed head-on to the swell today

window: —
Seabed depth of the selected area: ≈25–25 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM, 10 m)

Module reef with 1.5 m of relief in 24 m, next door to the pyramids. Low relief, so find it on the sounder before dropping; grouper and snapper in cleaner water than inshore.

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.

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…

Port Canaveral inlet — 10 km north of Cocoa Beach (PTZtv)Live (ptztv) — Port Canaveral inlet — 10 km north of Cocoa Beach (PTZtv). Operator iframe embed. Read the water before you go.camera: ptztv ↗

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now

sheepshead
Archosargus probatocephalus · 2–15 m · legal
Year-round. Min FL 12″ (30 cm), NC/SC 14″, GA 10″. Bag FL 8/person (50/trip vessel limit in Mar–Apr), NC 5, SC 10/person and 30/boat, GA 15. FL expressly allows spearing.
mangrove/mutton snapper
Lutjanus griseus · 5–35 m · legal
Year-round in FL state waters on both coasts. Min 10″ (25 cm), 5/person — but the real constraint is FL's 10-snapper daily aggregate. NC/SC handle it inside the snapper-grouper complex, not as a standalone line.
mutton snapper
Lutjanus analis · 5–40 m · legal
A core Keys / SE-Florida target. Year-round in FL state waters on both coasts and in SC. Min 18″ (46 cm), bag 5/person inside the 10-snapper daily aggregate.
yellowtail snapper
Ocyurus chrysurus · 3–30 m · legal
The Keys' bread-and-butter reef fish. Year-round in FL state waters on both coasts. Min 12″ (30 cm), up to 10/person/day — but inside the 10-snapper aggregate, i.e. that is the whole snapper bag.
black sea bass
Centropristis striata · 5–40 m · legal
A staple on every NC/SC/GA nearshore ledge and artificial reef. Year-round in FL, NC south of Hatteras, SC and GA. Min 13″ (33 cm) FL Atlantic / NC-south / SC, 12″ GA, 10″ FL Gulf. Bag 7/person (GA 15).
gray triggerfish
Balistes capriscus · 10–50 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
FWC lists 'hook and line, spears, gigs' as legal gear, so it is NOT covered by the FL ornamental-triggerfish spearing ban. FL Atlantic year-round, min 12″ (30 cm), 10/day; FL Gulf open Mar 1–May 31 and Aug 1–Dec 31, min 15″ (38 cm), 1/day.
lionfish
Pterois volitans / P. miles · 1–60 m · invasive — target
Invasive: no season, size or bag limit. No licence needed with a pole spear, Hawaiian sling, hand-held net or a lionfish-specific device. The SPEAR bans still apply: 100 yd from swimming beaches/piers/fishing bridges, 100 ft from a jetty's above-water part, Monroe County from Long Key north to the Miami-Dade line, and any DEP park water — hand-held nets only there.
great barracuda
Sphyraena barracuda · 1–30 m · legal
Year-round. The trap is county-scoped: Collier, Monroe, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin run a 15–36″ (38–91 cm) slot, 2/person and 6/vessel plus one fish over 36″. Rest of the state: no size limit, 2 fish or 100 lb, whichever is more.

Regulated — check your state

gag/red grouper📋 season by state
Not merely 'state-set': the windows are tiny. FL Gulf state waters 2026 are OPEN SEP 1–30 ONLY; FL Atlantic May 1–Aug 1; SC closed Aug 2 2026–Apr 30 2027. Min 24″ (61 cm); bag sits inside the grouper aggregate.
hogfish📋 season by state
One species, two regimes. FL Atlantic and the Keys (all water south of Cape Sable): open May 1–Oct 31, min 16″ (41 cm), 1 fish/day. FL Gulf north of Cape Sable: year-round, 14″ (36 cm), 5/day. SC 17″ (43 cm), 2/day.
cobia📋 season by state
GEAR WARNING: in SC state waters cobia 'may only be taken by rod & reel and gig' — a speargun is not named as legal gear. FL year-round, GA Mar 1–Oct 31, NC by DMF proclamation. Min 36″ (91 cm), bag 1/person.
flounder📋 season by state
NC is the trap: the 2026 recreational season was SEP 1–14 ONLY; from Sep 15 possession is unlawful. FL closed Oct 15–Nov 30, min 14″ (36 cm), 5/day; SC 16″ (41 cm), 5/person and 10/boat; GA 12″, 15/day. FL lists spears and gigs as legal gear.
red snapper📋 season by state
FL Gulf state waters 2026: May 22–Jul 31 daily, then Sep 1–Jan 4 (partly weekends only). Min 16″ (41 cm) on the Gulf side, 20″ (51 cm) FL Atlantic, SC and GA. Bag 2/person inside the 10-snapper aggregate.
red grouper📋 season by state
The most commonly landed grouper on the FL Gulf shelf: state waters year-round (federal closed Feb 1–Mar 31 seaward of 20 fathoms). FL Atlantic May 1–Dec 31; SC closed Jan 1–May 31. Min 20″ (51 cm); bag inside the grouper aggregate.
black grouper📋 season by state
The trophy grouper of the Keys and SE-Florida ledges. FL Gulf state waters year-round; FL Atlantic May 1–Dec 31; SC closed Jan 1–Apr 30 2027. Min 24″ (61 cm). Atlantic trap: one gag OR one black, never both.

Law

✓Florida: saltwater licence $17 res / $47 non-res; reef fish need the free State Reef Fish Angler (SRFS) designation. NC: CRFL; SC/GA: saltwater licence.
✓Distances (FL): 100 yd from beaches/piers/bridges, 100 ft from the above-water part of a jetty. banned in FL and SC; rebreathers are illegal for spearfishing in FL.
✓SC: gamefish (red drum/seatrout/cobia/tarpon/striped bass) hook-and-line only (§50-5-1700). GA: speargun doubtful in state water — real hunting on federal reefs.

⛔ 🚫 FLORIDA's full no-spear list (FWC, FAC 68B-20.005): snook, bonefish, tarpon, goliath and Nassau grouper, red drum, spotted seatrout, weakfish, pompano, African pompano, permit, tripletail, spiny lobster, blue crab and stone crab, all billfish, sharks, manta ray and spotted eagle ray, sturgeon — plus any species whose harvest is prohibited by law.
⛔ 🚫 Florida also bans spearing in fresh water, within 100 yards (91 m) of a public swimming beach, a commercial or public fishing pier or any part of a bridge from which public fishing is allowed, and within 100 ft (30 m) of the above-water part of a jetty; ornamental reef fish may not be speared. Federal Gulf waters follow the federal list instead.
⛔ 🚫 Spiny lobster/stone crab — hand-take only (no puncturing). banned in FL and SC. Monroe County (Long Key north to the Miami-Dade line — incl. Key Largo): spearfishing banned; the lionfish licence exemption does NOT override it — hand-held nets only there.

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.

Spearfishing in Cocoa Beach: spots, seasons and rules

Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

Cocoa Beach spearfishing works when it is planned like a small-boat reef trip, not a casual swim beside the pier. The spots are Brevard Reef 1 about 15 km out, Ebin's Pyramids about 31 km out, and Newy Reef. All are yellow with medium solo severity. The Westgate pier camera can show chop and color, but buoy 41009, east-sector swell and legal distance from beach and pier decide whether the trip makes sense.

TL;DR

Cocoa Beach is an offshore-structure plan, with Brevard Reef 1, Ebin's Pyramids and Newy Reef listed as boat-entry sites.

The Atlantic bad sector is 45 to 150 degrees, and east swell around 90 degrees is the main shutdown direction.

Florida saltwater licensing, the free State Reef Fish Angler designation and beach or pier distance rules shape the plan.

Sheepshead, snapper, hogfish, cobia and flounder are listed; gag or red grouper needs season checking.

Where should Cocoa Beach spearfishing be planned?

The listed options are offshore structures. Keep the pier as a condition check, then build the dive around boat range, depth comfort and Florida species rules. The deeper module sites are not backup plans for a messy ocean.

Spot	Type	Depth	Level	Access	Notes
Brevard Reef 1	Nearer offshore structure	Structure depth not stated	Intermediate boat dive	Boat entry; listed about 15 km off Cocoa Beach	Brevard Reef 1 is the nearest listed structure directly off Cocoa Beach and the logical first check before going farther.
Ebin's Pyramids	Reef pyramids	2.5 m relief; described as deep/advanced	Advanced boat dive	Boat entry; listed about 31 km out	Ebin's Pyramids have named relief but also the strongest depth warning in this set. Treat it as a crew-and-conditions site.
Newy Reef	Module reef	1.5 m relief; deep/advanced	Advanced boat dive	Boat entry	Newy Reef is another module site with modest relief. The deep label matters more than the module height.

Surface

Windows, hours
and the day's trends.

Spots in United States

🇺🇸United States

Florida

Help us make it better

The water column

A marine instrument,
go / no-go for solo hunting.

The seabed

The forecast is the plan.
The call is on the rock.

Where to get in
off the rocks.

Surfacing

Look at the water
right now.

What's in season,
what the law says.

Spearfishing in Cocoa Beach: spots, seasons and rules

TL;DR

Where should Cocoa Beach spearfishing be planned?

Why is the Cocoa Beach pier not the main plan?

What weather pattern hurts Cocoa Beach visibility?

Which species should Cocoa Beach divers check first?

What is no-take under the Florida notes?

FAQ

Sources

Nearby towns

Cocoa Beach spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

Windows, hours and the day's trends.

Get the go / no-go verdict for Cocoa Beach by email

Spots in United States

🇺🇸United States

Florida

Help us make it better

A marine instrument, go / no-go for solo hunting.

The forecast is the plan.The call is on the rock.

Where to get in off the rocks.

Look at the water right now.

What's in season, what the law says.

TL;DR

Where should Cocoa Beach spearfishing be planned?

Why is the Cocoa Beach pier not the main plan?

What weather pattern hurts Cocoa Beach visibility?

Which species should Cocoa Beach divers check first?

What is no-take under the Florida notes?

FAQ

Sources

Nearby towns

Windows, hours
and the day's trends.

A marine instrument,
go / no-go for solo hunting.

The forecast is the plan.
The call is on the rock.

Where to get in
off the rocks.

Look at the water
right now.

What's in season,
what the law says.