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.
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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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: 1391 spots across 205 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.
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».
connecting to the stream…
Dubrovnik — stari gradwhatsupcams live — Dubrovnik — stari grad. Direct HLS (open CORS) plays in the browser. Check the water before you go.camera: whatsupcams ↗
Epinephelus marginatus · 8–40 m · ⛔ closed 1 Jul–31 Aug
Kirnja (grouper): spearfishing for grouper is closed 1 Jul–31 Aug. A vulnerable, slow-growing fish — please release it. National daily limit 5 kg.
European seabass
Dicentrarchus labrax · 0–15 m
white seabream
Diplodus sargus · 0–12 m
striped seabream
Lithognathus mormyrus · 2–20 m
Law
✓Speargun fishing is allowed ONLY with the SPORT sea-fishing licence (dozvola za športski ribolov na moru) — the ordinary does NOT cover it; tourists are eligible. 2026 fees: 1-day €10 / 3-day €25 / 7-day €45 / annual €79.63, plus mandatory HSSRM membership €10. Buy the day/multi-day online at ribarstvo.mps.hr; the annual is issued via HSSRM/clubs.
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.
✓Breath-hold only, from age 16, and daylight only — from sunset to sunrise speargun fishing is prohibited; in the water you must be marked at the surface (ZOMR NN 62/17, čl. 31.).
✓Kirnje (Epinephelus spp., Polyprion americanus, Mycteroperca rubra): closed 1 Jul–31 Aug (Pravilnik NN 64/2023, čl. 5.); outside that season, at most 1 specimen for the whole group (Pravilnik NN 48/2026, čl. 11.). The general daily bag is 5 kg per fisher (ZOMR NN 62/17, čl. 33.). A vulnerable, slow-growing fish — release when in doubt.
✓Marking in the water: an orange or red buoy at least 30 cm across at the centre of the dive area — or a diver's flag (ZOMR NN 62/17, čl. 31., which sends you to Pravilnik NN 47/99, čl. 4.). There is NO national «10-litre buoy» rule: it lives inside PP Lastovsko otočje (NN 154/2009, čl. 34.) — and that is where, and only where, the two-speargun limit applies too.
✓Sport and recreational catch may not be placed on the market — selling it is prohibited (Pravilnik NN 48/2026, čl. 8.).
✓Towing the fisher behind a vessel and using an underwater scooter are both prohibited while spearfishing (Pravilnik NN 48/2026, čl. 9.).
✓Per-piece caps on top of the five kilos: octopus — 2, Eunice roussaei — 2, all Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays) — 0. Kept fish of the 23 listed species must be marked immediately by cutting off the lower lobe of the caudal fin, and cephalopods by a deep incision between the eyes (Pravilnik NN 48/2026, čl. 11.). The five-kilo day itself is set by the act (ZOMR NN 62/17, čl. 33.).
✓Aquaculture: no fishing of any kind on a farm or within 300 m of the mark showing its position (50 m for shellfish-growing areas), or of the concession boundary (ZOMR NN 62/17, čl. 14., in the NN 14/2024 redaction).
✓Inside a national park, a special marine reserve or a nature park you need a SEPARATE permit from the managing public institution on top of the state licence; the nature-protection ministry may also close fishing there outright (Pravilnik NN 48/2026, čl. 13.). In waters under a special management regime the limits of the acts that establish that regime apply (Pravilnik NN 125/2020, čl. 2.).
✓One national minimum-size table: dentex 30 cm, brown meagre 30 cm, scorpionfish 25 cm, white seabream 23 cm, gilthead 20 cm, amberjack 35 cm, dorado 35 cm, octopus 1 kg (Pravilnik NN 64/2023, čl. 3.). Dorado (Coryphaena hippurus) is closed to sport and recreational fishing from 1 January to 14 August (NN 134/2024, čl. 2.). Bluefin and albacore tuna, swordfish, eel, large crustaceans, corals and sponges — do not take them at all (ZOMR NN 62/17, čl. 32., in the NN 14/2024 redaction).
⛔ Fan mussel (Pinna nobilis) — strictly protected, taking/disturbing prohibited (mass die-off from a pathogen).
⛔ Date mussel (Lithophaga lithophaga) — harvesting strictly banned (destroys the reef).
⛔ Seahorses (Hippocampus), loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and monk seal (Monachus monachus) — protected, taking/disturbing prohibited.
Rules change and fees/seasons are updated yearly. Before heading out, check the Ministry of Agriculture fisheries portal (ribarstvo.mps.hr) and get the SPORT licence (the annual via HSSRM/a club); a speargun without it is illegal.
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 · Dubrovnik
Spearfishing in Dubrovnik: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Dubrovnik spearfishing is legality-first because Lokrum is listed as a protected special reserve. Its reefs are described with white sea bream, conger eel and gilthead bream, but the local ban warning controls the plan. Grebeni off Lapad is an offshore shoal listed for dentex and amberjack. Uvala Slano, north of the city, is a sheltered rocky bay listed for gilthead bream and sea bass. The bad sea sector is 120-240 degrees, with south as the strongest warning direction.
TL;DR
Dubrovnik has three listed areas: Lokrum reefs, the Grebeni shoal off Lapad and sheltered rocky Slano north of town.
Lokrum is marked as a protected special reserve; respect local fishing bans and do not treat it as an open top spot.
Use the Croatian sport licence, freedive only, daylight only, marker buoy required; ordinary recreational licences do not cover spearguns.
Which Dubrovnik spearfishing areas are listed?
The table separates legal caution from fishing character. Lokrum is not framed as a free hunting recommendation because the protected-reserve warning is explicit.
Spot
Type
Depth
Level
Access
Notes
Grebeni otoka Lokrum
Islet wall
No numeric depth listed
Medium; yellow safety rating
Not specified
White sea bream, conger eel and gilthead bream are listed, but Lokrum is a protected special reserve. Respect local bans.
Grebeni (pred Lapadom)
Offshore shoal
Shoal; no number listed
Medium; yellow safety rating
Not specified
Listed for dentex and amberjack.
Uvala Slano (sjeverno od grada)
Sheltered rocky bay
No numeric depth listed
Medium; yellow safety rating
Not specified
Listed for gilthead bream and sea bass.
What should you check first in Dubrovnik?
Check legal status before conditions around Lokrum. The spot note says Lokrum is a protected special reserve and local bans must be respected. For sea state, Dubrovnik has a 210 degree aspect, with 120-240 degrees as the bad sector and south as the main warning direction. The Adriatic tide is small, so wind, swell and visibility decide more than tide tables. Croatian law requires the sport sea-fishing licence for spearguns, not the recreational licence. It is breath-hold only, daylight only, minimum age 16, with a mandatory marker buoy and no more than two spearguns per diver.
FAQ
Can I spearfish freely at Lokrum?
No. Lokrum is listed as a protected special reserve, and local bans must be respected.
What is Grebeni off Lapad?
It is listed as an offshore shoal for dentex and amberjack.
Is Slano exposed like the reefs?
No. It is described as a sheltered rocky bay north of the city.
Does Croatia allow scuba spearfishing?
No. Spearfishing is breath-hold only.
What licence do tourists need?
The sport sea-fishing licence; the ordinary recreational licence is not enough for spearguns.
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