Anderson Liberty ShipDauphin Island
dangerousexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Sister Liberty ship; pelagics.
Google MapsDauphin Island spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
2.5
💧 Water should clear by Friday (~2d)
visibility1m
Today — sit it out — wave, wind and surge pounding. 💧 Water should clear by Friday (~2d)
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 05:26
Sources & confidence
- Sources
- IPMA · NDBC buoys · Copernicus Marine
- Method
- Model consensus, read per window
- Freshness
- Re-read every hour, per coast
Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine
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 — forced red; the window is closed after dark.
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
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
calmupdated 05:26
Dauphin Island — solo, off the rocks
don't go · wave 1.8 m (occasionally up to ~3.6 m)
wave 1.8 mwind 56, gusts 70 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~1 m
today, best window 06:00–09:00
fish · Visibility 1 m · Water 30.8°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.
Wednesday · today2026-07-22
06:05–19:52 · first quarter
▲ 04:00▼ 18:00 · 0.4 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.11 m
Wave1.96 m
Wind42 km/h
Water31 °C
fish activity: moonset 00:22 · moderate · moon underfoot 07:20 · high · moonrise 14:27 · moderate · moon overhead 19:40 · high
Conditions window06:00–09:00
don't go fish
Hs 1.78 mperiod 6.7 swind 56→70surge 4.1viz 1 m
1.78 mup to ~3.56 · 142° at an angle
6.7 sswell moderate
56→70gusts 70 km/h
4.1pounding the rocks
0.28m/s
1 mrecent swell
30.8°C5 mm + hood
▼18:00tide falling
Atmosphere15 kmlandmarks visible
highmoon underfoot
- wave 1.8 m (occasionally up to ~3.6 m)
- steep wind-wave — choppy surface, careful on entry
- ebb — weaker inshore
confidence lowtwilight
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: 1152 spots across 189 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
See all spotsThe 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
Edwards Liberty ShipDauphin Island
dangerousexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
416-ft WWII Liberty ship; big snapper.
Google MapsPapa Joe (John Wood)Dauphin Island
dangerousexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Metal tug directly south.
Google MapsSOLO 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.
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».
Reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
In season now
- red snapperRed snapper: state-set season (typically May–Oct), 2–4/day, 15–16″.
- sheepshead
- flounder
- cobia (ling)Texas: spear NONGAME only (sheepshead/flounder); gamefish (red drum/seatrout/cobia) pole-and-line only.
Law
- ✓Saltwater licence (+endorsement) per state: FL $17/$47, AL res $30, MS ~$13/$30, LA res $32, TX licence + saltwater endorsement.
- ✓Texas: spear only (sheepshead/flounder); gamefish (red drum/seatrout/cobia) pole-and-line only.
- ✓Red snapper: state-set season. Federal reef waters: spear + allowed outside the stressed area, descending device required.
- ⛔ 🚫 Goliath/Nassau grouper, Gulf sturgeon, sawfish, sea turtles, mammals and many sharks — take prohibited.
- ⛔ ⚠️ Texas & Alabama: gamefish (red drum/seatrout) pole-and-line only, NOT by spear. : banned in FL/TX, allowed in federal waters outside the stressed area.
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 Dauphin Island: spots, seasons and rules
Dauphin Island spearfishing is not a beach-rock article. The plan points offshore to metal: Papa Joe, the Edwards Liberty Ship and the Anderson Liberty Ship. Each entry is yellow with medium solo severity and no protected-spot flag. The area faces south, with a poor sector from 150 to 225 degrees. The buoy station is pnlm6 at 45.6 km, and the Dauphin Island live camera is a surface check, not a wreck-visibility guarantee.
TL;DR
- Dauphin Island is a wreck plan: Papa Joe, Edwards Liberty Ship and Anderson Liberty Ship are the listed marks.
- The south-facing Gulf sector matters, with 150 to 225 degrees marked poor and 185 degrees the main direction.
- Alabama resident saltwater license is listed at $30 in Gulf rules.
- Alabama gamefish red drum and seatrout are pole-and-line only, not spear targets; red snapper remains season-dependent.
Which Dauphin Island wrecks are listed?
The city set is all wrecks, so the plan is boat, crew and season check. The Liberty ships are larger, more exposed objectives; Papa Joe is the simpler name but still requires clean Gulf conditions.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papa Joe (John Wood) | Metal tug wreck | Wreck depth is not stated | Intermediate boat dive | Boat access directly south of Dauphin Island | Papa Joe is described as a metal tug directly south. Treat it as the first wreck to assess before committing to larger offshore metal. |
| Edwards Liberty Ship | 416 ft WWII Liberty ship | Wreck depth is not stated | Intermediate to advanced boat dive | Boat access | The Edwards Liberty Ship is the big-snapper wreck in the Dauphin list. Red snapper seasons and current rules must be checked first. |
| Anderson Liberty Ship | WWII Liberty ship wreck | Wreck depth is not stated | Intermediate to advanced boat dive | Boat access | The Anderson Liberty Ship is described as a sister Liberty ship with pelagics. Keep gamefish restrictions and identification discipline front and center. |
Why is Dauphin Island mostly a wreck plan?
All three named marks are metal wrecks: a tug and two Liberty ships. That means anchoring, pickup, current and boat traffic matter more than a beach entry. No exact depths are available here, so do not present any of them as shallow unless your current chart confirms it.
What Alabama legal cautions matter?
Gulf rules list Alabama resident saltwater license at $30. Alabama gamefish, specifically red drum and seatrout, are pole-and-line only and not spear targets. Keep those fish out of the speargun plan.
How does red snapper change the checklist?
Red snapper is state-set, often May to October, with two to four fish per day and a 15 to 16 inch line. That is not a standing invitation. Confirm the current Alabama season before building a wreck day around snapper.
Which Gulf wildlife is protected?
Goliath and Nassau grouper, Gulf sturgeon, sawfish, sea turtles, marine mammals and many sharks are listed as prohibited. Federal reef waters also have separate descending-device language. If a wreck is full of mixed life and identification is poor, wait.
FAQ
What are the listed Dauphin Island spearfishing spots?
Papa Joe, Edwards Liberty Ship and Anderson Liberty Ship are the three listed wrecks.
Do Alabama gamefish allow spearing here?
Gulf rules make Alabama red drum and seatrout pole-and-line only, not by spear.
What license cost is listed for Alabama?
Alabama resident saltwater license is listed at $30.
Is red snapper always open around Dauphin Island?
No. Red snapper is flagged as state-set, so the current season must be checked.
What swell direction is worst for Dauphin Island?
The poor sector is 150 to 225 degrees, with 185 degrees listed as the worst direction.
Sources
Nearby towns
Coming soon
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