Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and surge pounding.
Sources & confidence
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.
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.
Safety gates
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
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
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.
Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.
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 spotsRelief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.
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.
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 mapNorthern breakwall and jetty pylons; sheltered easy entry, bream and snapper around the rocks.
Google MapsRocky corners at each end of Diggers Beach; reef 3–8 m, snapper, kingfish. Solitary Islands MP — check zoning.
Google MapsThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appReef off the Sawtell/Bonville headland; drummer, bream, the odd jewfish. Exposed on E swell.
Google MapsThe full spot briefing is part of the subscription: entry, bottom, hazards, tide window.
Open in the appSOLO 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.
Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.
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».
Rules as of now — 25.10.2026 14:47 (Australia/Sydney)
Rules change and vary BY STATE. Before heading out, check with your state's fisheries (NSW DPI, Fisheries QLD, VFA, DPIRD WA, PIRSA, NRE Tas, NT Fisheries) and the marine-park zoning map.
Coffs Harbour gives spearfishers three different shore moods in a compact stretch: beach-corner reef at Diggers, more exposed headland reef at Sawtell, and a sheltered harbour edge around the jetty and Park Beach breakwall. The coast faces east, so E swell is the fast way to lose visibility and exit comfort. NSW rules apply, including the Recreational Fishing Fee, bag and size limits, and protected species rules. Because the Solitary Islands Marine Park begins around this coast, check zoning before swimming out or launching a boat.
The safe order is conditions first, zoning second, entry third. Coffs has reef close to beaches, but it is not a place to ignore marine park maps or swell direction. Pick the side with clean water and a reliable exit, then keep the dive short if current or boat traffic builds.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diggers Beach / Charlesworth Bay | Beach-corner rock and reef | Reef ledges around 3-8 m | Intermediate shore entry | Walk in from either rocky end of Diggers Beach | A useful small-swell option with snapper and kingfish potential on the reef. Stay alert for Solitary Islands Marine Park zoning, and do not let an easy beach walk hide a rough return through shore break. |
| Sawtell Headland | Exposed headland reef | Reef and wash, roughly 3-10 m | Intermediate to advanced | Headland access near Sawtell and Bonville | Better structure for drummer, bream and occasional mulloway, but it takes E swell hard. If white water wraps the point, save the dive for another day. |
| Coffs Jetty / Park Beach breakwall | Harbour wall and pylon edge | Shallow to mid-depth rock and pylons | Accessible, with boat awareness | Harbour-side entry near the jetty and breakwall | The easiest entry in the group, especially when outer headlands are rough. Bream and snapper work the shade and stones, but boat traffic and harbour rules matter more than distance. |
Coffs is most readable after small swell and light land breeze. The east-facing beaches and headlands cloud up fast when E or SE swell pushes into the sand and rock gutters. Diggers can give a cleaner corner on settled mornings, while Sawtell needs the calmest forecast. The breakwall is not a magic fix; it is simply more sheltered, with more people and vessels nearby.
The Coffs area sits beside Solitary Islands Marine Park, where zoning changes what can be taken and where. Sanctuary zones are closed to fishing, and other zones may still have method or species limits. Check the official map before treating any reef as open. When a boundary is hard to read on the water, leave a buffer or choose a different entry.
The shore reefs are realistic for drummer, bream, luderick, snapper and the chance of yellowtail kingfish when warmer blue water pushes in. NSW minimum sizes and bag limits decide what goes on the float. Eastern blue groper is protected from spearing, and black cod, grey nurse shark, white shark, seahorses and seadragons are no-take.
Carry proof of the Recreational Fishing Fee unless exempt, measure fish carefully and check current closures before the dive. Spearfishing is not allowed in inland waters, and marine protected areas can remove otherwise legal ground from the plan. Keep the gun unloaded around swimmers, surfers and the harbour edge. If the best-looking water is in a closed zone, the right call is to move.
Yes. NSW requires the Recreational Fishing Fee for recreational fishing, including spearfishing, unless an exemption applies.
It can be, on small swell with a clear exit. Check Solitary Islands Marine Park zoning before entering.
Only if the water is open under current rules and conditions are calm. E swell makes Sawtell exposed and risky.
Expect drummer, bream, luderick and snapper, with kingfish possible in clearer warm water.
No. Treat sanctuary zones as no fishing and no spearfishing, and fail closed if the line is uncertain.
Leave your email — and the moment a window opens at Coffs Harbour, we'll send the go / no-go verdict. Email is all we need.
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