Aramoana MoleDunedin (St Clair)
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
The Aramoana mole at the Otago Harbour mouth; butterfish, blue cod and cray in the kelp — GW hotspot, plan for sharks.
Google MapsDunedin (St Clair) spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras
5.4
wave 0.7 m
visibility5m
Today — right on the edge — wave, wind and noticeable surge.
Sources: IPMA · NDBC · Copernicus — high confidence · data 08:52
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 08:52
Dunedin (St Clair) — solo, off the rocks
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site · long secondary swell (9 s)
wave 0.7 mwind 13, gusts 25 km/hnoticeable surgevisibility ~8 m
today, best window 06:00–09:00
fish · Visibility 8 m · Water 10.7°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.
Thursday · today2026-07-23
08:07–17:21 · first quarter
▼ 04:00▲ 10:00▼ 16:00▲ 22:00 · 1.2 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.88 m
Wave0.42 m
Wind15 km/h
Water11 °C
fish activity: moonset 02:41 · moderate · moon underfoot 07:20 · high · moonrise 11:51 · moderate · moon overhead 19:40 · high
Conditions window06:00–09:00
caution — solo off the rocks is risky, check on site fish
Hs 0.66 mperiod 8.1 swind 13→25surge 1.3viz 5 m
0.66 mup to ~1.32 · 199° at an angle
8.1 sswell moderate
13→25gusts 25 km/h
1.3noticeable surge
0.06m/s
5 mrecent swell
10.7°Cthicker suit + hood
▲10:00tide rising
Atmosphere3 kmovercast
highmoon underfoot
- long secondary swell (9 s)
- wind 13 km/h
- flood — water rising
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
Blackhead / Tunnel BeachDunedin (St Clair)
borderlineexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
Rocky Blackhead coast toward Tunnel Beach; butterfish and cray in cold kelp water, exposed SE swell, GW range.
Google MapsSt Clair / Second Beach (Ōrau MR)Dunedin (St Clair)
closedexposed head-on to the swell today
- window
- tide
- shelter
- hazard
- access
St Clair/Second Beach rocks sit within the encoded Ōrau Marine Reserve (2024 SE-Otago network) — treated as no-take (fail-closed); verify the current DOC boundary. Bull kelp, cold swell-exposed, GW present.
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
Open the seafloor map →What's in season,
Reference
What's in season,
what the law says.
In season now
- snapper (tāmure)
- yellowtail kingfish (haku)
- blue cod (rāwaru)
- trevally (araara)
- butterfish/greenbone (marari)
- kahawai
- red rock lobster (kōura)⚠️ Crayfish (rock lobster) and pāua — free-diving only; taking them on scuba is PROHIBITED nationwide. Pāua/crayfish are not speared.
Law
- ✓There is NO — you may fish subject to MPI rules (sizes/limits/gear). Rules are REGIONAL (combined finfish daily limit 20, but local notices override stricter). Freshwater trout/salmon may not be speared.
- ✓Crayfish (rock lobster) and pāua — free-diving only; taking them on scuba is BANNED nationwide. Spearfishing is banned in marine reserves. Respect / and (incl. a after a drowning — a cultural/sacred closure).
- ⛔ 🚫 Crayfish (rock lobster) and pāua — taking them on SCUBA is banned nationwide (free-diving only). Combined finfish daily limit 20 (local notices override stricter).
- ⛔ 🚫 Protected under the Wildlife Act 1953: spotted black groper (Epinephelus daemelii), great white shark, giant manta, black/red coral, seahorses/pipefish. Trout/salmon (freshwater) — entirely off-limits to spearguns.
- ⛔ 🚫 Marine reserves (~44) — spearfishing and all fishing banned. Respect / and (incl. a after a drowning — a tapu/cultural closure, not only a fishing rule): don't dive.
Rules change and are regional. Before heading out, check with MPI (regional fishing rules / the NZ Fishing Rules app), DOC (marine reserves) and local notices (rāhui/mātaitai).
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 Dunedin (St Clair): spots, seasons and rules
Spearfishing in Dunedin is not a warm-water reef holiday. The coast around St Clair, Aramoana and the Otago Peninsula means cold swell-exposed water, bull kelp, blue cod, butterfish and crayfish. It also sits in great-white country, including a fatal spearfishing incident off Otago Harbour in 1968. No sea licence is required, but South-East MPI rules apply, and St Clair / Second Beach is treated as Ōrau Marine Reserve no-take water.
TL;DR
- Dunedin is cold-water spearfishing: bull kelp, blue cod, butterfish, crayfish and a serious shark-aware mindset.
- Aramoana Mole and Blackhead / Tunnel Beach are the harvest options; St Clair / Second Beach is treated as Ōrau no-take.
- South-east swell and Otago Harbour influence can close entries quickly, so settled water and visible exits matter.
- MPI South-East rules include a combined daily finfish limit of 20; treat Ōrau as fail-close no-take water.
Dunedin shore entries and no-take check
Dunedin has two named harvest entries and one named no-take reference. The closed entry is included here to keep the boundary visible, not to recommend hunting it.
| Spot | Type | Depth | Level | Access | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aramoana Mole | Harbour-mouth structure and kelp | Shallow to moderate kelp edge | Experienced intermediate | Shore entry at the Otago Harbour mouth | Aramoana Mole has butterfish, blue cod and crayfish habitat, but it is also harbour-mouth water in great-white range. Avoid carrying fish close to your body. |
| Blackhead / Tunnel Beach | Rocky open coast | Cold kelp water | Experienced intermediate | Shore access toward Tunnel Beach | Blackhead is exposed to south-east swell and cold kelp conditions. It suits divers who can judge exits and are comfortable with low-temperature sessions. |
| St Clair / Second Beach (Ōrau Marine Reserve) | No-take reserve reference | Closed to harvest | Closed to spearfishing | Do not use as a hunting entry | St Clair / Second Beach is treated as within Ōrau Marine Reserve. Use it as a boundary warning and verify the DOC line before diving nearby. |
What conditions make Dunedin possible?
Dunedin needs a quiet ocean and a sober plan. The coast faces south-east exposure, and rock entries can become ugly when swell wraps into kelp and cliffs. Pick low swell, manageable wind and a partner who can handle cold-water exits. If seals are active, water is dirty, or fish have to be dragged through wash, the better decision is to leave.
Where is the no-take issue in Dunedin?
St Clair / Second Beach is encoded as Ōrau Marine Reserve and is handled fail-close. That means no spearfishing, no taking and no boundary guessing. DOC boundaries should be checked before any nearby entry, especially because the South-East Otago network is recent compared with older diving habits.
What can be taken under South-East rules?
MPI South-East rules set a combined daily finfish limit of 20 per fisher. Blue cod is listed at 33 cm and butterfish at 35 cm. White pointer shark is no-take. Pāua and crayfish may be collected only while free-diving, never on scuba, and crayfish are not speared.
How should shark risk change the dive?
The Dunedin entry should be tidy and low-drama: no wounded fish on a belt, no long surface tow through murk, and no solo probing around seal traffic. Use a float system, keep catches away from the body, and finish early if visibility drops. A fish is not worth extending a cold, messy session.
FAQ
Do you need a licence to spearfish in Dunedin?
No sea-fishing licence is required, but MPI South-East rules and marine reserve closures still apply.
Can you spearfish St Clair / Second Beach?
Treat it as closed. It is placed in Ōrau Marine Reserve, so verify DOC boundaries and do not harvest there.
What is the South-East finfish limit?
MPI lists a combined daily limit of 20 finfish per fisher for the South-East area.
What are the main Dunedin target species?
The local coast is known here for blue cod, butterfish and crayfish around kelp and rock.
Is shark risk real in Dunedin?
Yes. The coast is identified as a great-white hotspot, with a fatal spearfishing incident recorded off Otago Harbour in 1968.
Sources
Nearby towns
Coming soon
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