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.
point your camera
0 m
Surface
Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.
spearo.app
calmupdated 11:45
Ericeira — solo, off the rocks
DON'T GO
don't go · wave 1.8 m (occasionally up to ~3.6 m)
wave 1.8 m head-onwind 25, gusts 47 km/hsurge pounding the rocksvisibility ~1 m
What's missing? Tell us what you'd like to see — new spots, species, data or features. We read everything.
Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.
point your camera
−10 m
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.
Praia da CaladaCalada bay (cliff-backed cove, ~10 km N of town)
dangerous
best candidate for today
⛔ Banned here
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
Early morning for the offshore (east) wind and calm; late spring to autumn for visibility and warmer water.
tide
Low to mid tide exposes the reef; high tide builds the shorebreak at the water's edge — enter on the lower tide.
shelter
Cove between high cliffs gives partial shelter from N wind; an east (offshore) wind glasses it off. Fully open to W/NW swell.
conditions
Only on a small, clean swell (roughly <1–1.2 m) and light wind. Any meaningful Atlantic swell makes the rocky entry dangerous.
hazard
Shorebreak that builds at high tide, plus rocks/reef at the entry. On the ebb the reef dries — entry and especially exit over slick ledges turn dangerous with any swell.
access
Big car park and a bar/restaurant right at the beach; short walk down to the sand, then enter along the reef edge. Bathing beach with a webcam — in summer stay ≥50 m from swimmers.
The most sheltered entry of the whole Ericeira set (cliff cove), but it is still open Atlantic — read the sea from the cliff before you get in.
Praia de Ribeira d'IlhasRibeira d'Ilhas point break (~3 km N of town)
dangerous
⛔ Banned here
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
Weekdays and early morning to dodge the surf crowd; late spring to autumn for visibility.
tide
Mid tide; at very low tide the reef and cobbles dry out and cut — don't enter on a strong ebb.
shelter
The long reef point offers a little shelter from N swell on the south side of the bay; east wind glasses it. Open to the W.
conditions
Small clean swell and light wind. It's a famous surf point — pick near-flat days, otherwise surfers and current.
hazard
The dominant danger is the surf crowd in the zone of your float and loaded gun, plus the sharp reef/cobble at the entry and at very low tide. Heavily structured bottom — light entrapment risk if swell is up.
access
Big car park, boardwalk, descent to a beach with toilets and a first-aid post; enter off the sand/cobble at the edge of the point. Bathing beach — in summer ≥50 m from swimmers.
The most accessible entry in Ericeira but also the busiest — better as a fallback on flat weekdays than a primary hunting point.
Praia de São LourençoSão Lourenço headland reef (northern tip of the reserve)
dangerous
⛔ Banned here
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
Only in the calmest summer/autumn windows; scout first from the headland/Forte de Santa Susana.
tide
Low to mid tide. But it's swell size, not tide, that decides — with any significant wave, stay out.
shelter
The sandy beach is sheltered from wind by cliffs to the north and south, but the reef itself sits in open water — essentially no shelter from swell.
conditions
Only on rare near-flat, windless days. This reef holds up to 5 m — Ericeira's most powerful break; not diveable on a normal swell.
hazard
A serious big-wave reef breaking about 300 m offshore over a sand-and-rock bottom; on a swell there are set waves from outside, strong current along the headland and wash onto rocks. Solo here is potentially fatal except in dead-flat calm.
access
Park by Forte de Santa Susana, walk down to the sand; the reef still needs a long ~300 m swim out. Bathing beach — in summer stay ≥50 m from swimmers.
Scout from land first — this is Ericeira's most powerful break. Solo only in an exceptionally flat sea, and even then with caution.
Praia dos CoxosCoxos right-hand reef point (Ribamar)
dangerous
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
Early morning, calm, with east wind; late spring to autumn for visibility and water temperature.
tide
Low tide exposes the rock steps — best structure for fish but a dangerous entry; aim for low to mid tide on a calm day.
shelter
The point and rock shelves knock down N swell a little on the south (inner) side of the bay; east wind glasses it. Open to W/NW.
conditions
The best-structured reef around — but huntable only on a very small, clean swell with light wind; it's a known powerful right reef break.
hazard
Sharp rock steps at entry/exit (booties needed) and one of Ericeira's most powerful waves loading from deep water — with any swell it unloads onto the shelves, risk of entrapment/wash-off. Solo, only on a fully flat sea.
access
Dirt track/path from Ribamar to the point, scramble down to the rock shelves; park up top. Not a bathing beach — no summer buffer, but also no lifeguard.
Best reef structure and quieter than Ribeira, but a serious entry — solo only for the experienced and only when the sea is genuinely flat.
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.
One morning glance — and you know.
point your camera
≈
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».
Ericeira — Foz do Lizandro (Windy)Live Windy webcam — Foz do Lizandro (Ericeira). Official keyless player, plays inline. Read the water and swell before you go.camera: windy ↗
In season now: Sea bass, White seabream, Gilthead bream, Salema, Octopus, Mullet
In season now
Robalo (sea bass)
<4 m · end of ebb → start of flood · dawn/dusk
Prime target. Shy of light — pick early/twilight windows.
Sargo (white seabream)
1–5 m · flood (rides the surf onto the reef) · dawn
Dominant reef target. Visibility matters more than time of day.
Dourada (gilthead bream)
1–4 m · flood over sand/weed · dawn
Very skittish — static ambush.
Salema
0–2 m · — · daytime
Easiest target at 0–6 m. ⚠️ Do NOT eat the head/guts (ichthyosarcotoxism).
Polvo (octopus)
1–6 m · high water · twilight
Peaks in autumn. Spot the den by the pile of shells. Don't take egg-bearing females. Min. weight 750 g (DGRM).
Tainha (mullet)
0–2 m · — · —
Extremely wary; murky water HINDERS it. Opportunistic, in calm coves.
Santola (spider crab)
1–10 m · low water (reef shelf exposed) · calm morning (≤force 2)
Carapace ≥12 cm. Peaks Jul–Aug. CLOSED 15.02–15.06. Limit 2 kg/day.
Law
🦀 spider crab open (season 16.06–14.02)
✓Spearfishing licence required, daily/monthly/annual (~€25/yr). Speargun = licence required. (DL 246/2000, art. 12.º + 12.º-A; fees in , .) There is no minimum age for the licence, but under-16s are exempt from holding one when fishing accompanied by a licence holder (art. 12.º n.º 2 al. b).
✓Hand-gathering shellfish with NO gear — no licence; but if a speargun is on the dive, a spearfishing licence is required (DL 246/2000, art. 12.º n.º 1; ).
✓Night prohibited: spearfishing only in daylight (sunset→sunrise not allowed). Artificial light as a means of finding/attracting fish is banned — a torch for safety only (, art. 8.º/3 + 3.º/5; DL 246/2000, art. 14.º n.º 1 d).
✓Signalling buoy MANDATORY for spearfishing: buoy/float with an «Alfa» flag (red/orange/yellow, ≥8 L), no more than 30 m from the diver (, art. 4.º/2).
✓Spearfishing daily limit: fish + cephalopods — 15 kg (excluding the largest specimen). General rod-and-line recreational fishing — 10 kg (, art. 12.º/1).
✓Spider crab: min. carapace 12 cm; (closed season) 15.02–15.06 — applies to recreational gathering too (, ; table).
✓Min. sizes: robalo 36 cm, sargo 17 cm, dourada 19 cm, choupa 23 cm, corvina 42 cm; octopus 750 g ( + EU Reg. 2019/1241; minimum-size table).
✓Grouper — fully protected, may not be taken (
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. At Cabo Raso/Arriba a 0.5 m rise in swell makes a boulder exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer here.
Headland rip: at Cabo Raso there is 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.
Nortada (Jun–Sep): wind builds from midday — be out of the water by ~11:00; 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 · Ericeira
Spearfishing in Ericeira: spots, seasons and rules
Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher
Spearfishing in Ericeira means an exposed, west-facing reef coast inside a World Surfing Reserve, north of Lisbon. The reefs take Atlantic swell head-on, so you dive on a falling swell that is small and clean, roughly under 1 to 1.2 m, with a light east wind that glasses off the water. Shorebreak against the rock is the main hazard. You need a spearfishing licence, freediving only, and a signalling buoy. It is a coast for divers who read the forecast.
TL;DR
Best entries: Praia da Calada, the most sheltered, plus the Coxos and São Sebastião reefs; Ribeira d'Ilhas works as a flat-day fallback.
Ideal window: swell under about 1 to 1.2 m and dropping, a light offshore east wind, on the flood tide; exit over the rocks, never through the break.
São Lourenço is Ericeira's most powerful break, holding up to 5 m and breaking about 300 m offshore: scout from land, dead-flat seas only.
National rules: licence required, freediving only, a signalling buoy, plus minimum sizes and closed seasons to confirm with DGRM and ICNF.
Best spearfishing spots in Ericeira
These are shore entries over reef, with shallow hunting depths for sargo, bass and octopus. Calada is the most sheltered of the set but still open Atlantic. São Lourenço is left out on purpose: it is Ericeira's most powerful break, scouting only, and appears below with its warning.
Spot
Type
Depth
Level
Access
Notes
Praia da Calada
Reef cove between cliffs (~10 km north)
Shallow, over the reef
Intermediate; the most sheltered entry
Big car park and a beach bar; short walk to the sand, enter along the reef edge
The most sheltered entry in Ericeira, but still open Atlantic, so read the sea from the cliff first. On the ebb the reef dries and the ledges turn slick, and shorebreak builds at high tide. Stay 50 m off swimmers in summer.
Praia dos Coxos
Right-hand reef point (Ribamar)
Shallow, along the reef
Advanced; solo only when flat
Dirt track from Ribamar to the shelves; park up top
The best reef structure around and quieter than Ribeira, but a serious entry: one of Ericeira's most powerful waves loads from deep water onto the shelves. Solo only for the experienced, and only on a genuinely flat sea.
✓Breath-hold only: spearfishing may be practised in apnea alone. Scuba, rebreather and hookah are banned; the speargun may not be powered by a detonating charge or by compressed gas (DL 246/2000, art. 9.º n.º 3 — o antigo art. 6.º foi revogado).
✓The catch may NOT be sold: displaying for sale, offering or selling recreational catch is prohibited — it is for the fisher, the household, or donation to charitable, scientific or museum institutions (DL 246/2000, art. 7.º).
✓A loaded speargun out of the water is an offence (DL 246/2000, art. 14.º n.º 2 f). Same article: no fishing closer than the legally set distance from concessioned beaches during the bathing season (n.º 2 d), nor in places closed for health or marine-traffic reasons (n.º 2 e). The exact metres come from the regulation and the capitania — check before you go.
✓Distances between people: at least 20 m from another spearfisher (, art. 6.º n.º 3) unless you agree otherwise; from a boat, 50 m from other vessels, divers and set gear (art. 6.º n.º 2); every vessel must keep 50 m from your signalling buoy and from boats flying flag Alfa (art. 7.º n.º 6). The figure that circulates — «30 m between hunters» — is wrong: 30 m is the distance to YOUR OWN buoy.
✓What you may take into the water: the CAPTURE gear on a spearfishing dive is the speargun, a shellfish knife, a gaff (puxeiro) and an arrelhada (, art. 3.º n.º 3). That is not a ban on everything else: art. 4.º n.º 1 expressly allows equipment for cold protection, for buoyancy, for protection or safety and for carrying the catch, and any other equipment that does not permit the direct capture of specimens. Bait and groundbait are PROHIBITED in spearfishing (art. 5.º n.º 3). You may not carry or keep a speargun and a breathing apparatus aboard at the same time, nor carry the gun ready to fire out of the water or in a zone where spearfishing is banned (art. 3.º n.º 6). On any recreational-fishing boat the whole crew wears a lifejacket (art. 4.º n.º 3).
✓Where recreational fishing is closed altogether (, art. 8.º n.º 1): in marked shipyard zones (no exception) and in aquaculture establishments — in the LATTER only, fishing is possible when the concession-holder or owner formally authorises it; the shipyard bar has no such carve-out; within 100 m of the mouth of any marked sewage outfall; over beach-concession waters, to the extent the POOC sets; and in other zones closed by the port or maritime authority. For spearfishing and boat fishing specifically (n.º 2) the navigation channels of port and river bars, the approach channels and the buoyed channels are closed. There is NO «300 m from the beach» rule on the mainland — that number comes from Madeira's own act; on the mainland the distance is set by the POOC and by the capitania's edital.
✓The border rivers Minho and Guadiana: spearfishing is BANNED along both international stretches — bilateral Portugal-Spain agreements, art. 9.º n.º 3 (Minho, RAR 34/2023, in force since 26-05-2023) and art. 6.º n.º 1 (Guadiana, RAR 173/2025, in force since 07-12-2025), both reading «É proibida a pesca submarina». On the Guadiana it is also a serious offence (art. 19.º), and a 100 m strip alongside the Sapal de Castro Marim reserve is closed separately (art. 5.º). The stretches run from the confluence with the Trancoso / the Chança down to the closing line at each mouth.
✓On the other Portuguese-Spanish border river stretches (outside the TIRM and the Guadiana maritime-jurisdiction zone) — Decreto 30/88, art. 6.º n.º 1: harpoons, gigs, tridents and any blunt instrument used to take fish are prohibited (al. e), as is «a pesca ou caça subaquática» with artificial light, and night fishing (al. g).
Rules change. Before heading out, check with DGRM / ICNF / Capitania and the defeso table.
Praia de Ribeira d'Ilhas
Reef point
Shallow, over the ledges
Accessible; flat-day fallback
Big car park, boardwalk and a serviced beach; enter at the edge of the point
The easiest entry in Ericeira and the busiest, since it is a well-known surf point. Better as a flat-weekday fallback than a primary spot. Keep 50 m off swimmers in summer.
Praia de São Sebastião
Boulder-ledge reef
Shallow, among the boulders
Intermediate to advanced
Off the N247 at Ribeira d'Ilhas, walk south to the rocks
Boulder ledges hold sargo and bass by the core of the surf reserve. The ledges are slippery and the shorebreak is harsh on any swell; cold water.
When is the best time to spearfish in Ericeira?
The window is a small, dropping swell with a light offshore east wind that glasses the water, typical of spring and early summer. Sargo is the dominant reef target from April to September, and here visibility matters more than the time of day. Sea bass runs June to October, on the turn from ebb to flood, at dawn and shallower than 4 m. Gilthead bream shows May to September, octopus peaks in autumn from September to November, and black seabream is a winter and early-spring fish. This is an upwelling coast, so the water can turn cold and green even in summer.
Is spearfishing allowed in the Ericeira surf reserve?
The Ericeira World Surfing Reserve protects the waves and reefs; it is not a fishing no-take zone. Our data shows no specific spearfishing ban in the reserve, but the national rules still apply, so check with ICNF and the Capitania. In practice, pick flat days with no surfers in the water and stay clear of bathing zones, at least 50 m off swimmers in summer. One warning: São Lourenço is Ericeira's most powerful break, holding up to 5 m and breaking about 300 m offshore over a sand-and-rock bottom, with set waves from outside and strong current along the headland. Solo there can be fatal except in a dead-flat calm, so scout from land first.
FAQ
Where can you spearfish in Ericeira?
The most workable entries are Praia da Calada, the most sheltered, and the Coxos and São Sebastião reefs. Ribeira d'Ilhas is the easiest and serves as a flat-day fallback, but it is a busy surf point. São Lourenço is for land scouting only.
What fish can you spearfish in Ericeira?
Sargo (white seabream) is the dominant reef target from April to September, minimum size 17 cm. You also get sea bass (minimum 36 cm, June to October), gilthead bream, black seabream in winter and octopus in autumn. Respect the national minimum sizes and closed seasons.
How is the water visibility in Ericeira today?
The water clears when the swell drops and the wind turns offshore east, typical of spring and early summer. Being an upwelling coast, it can turn cold and green in summer. The day's state shows on the forecast and reef cameras.
Do I need a license to spearfish in Ericeira?
Yes. A spearfishing licence is required from age 16 and hunting is freediving only; scuba is banned. Confirm the licence and the current rules with DGRM before heading out.
What is the minimum size for sea bass in Portugal?
Sea bass is 36 cm. For reference: white seabream 17 cm, gilthead bream 19 cm, black seabream 23 cm, meagre 42 cm and octopus 750 g. These minimums are national and come from the DGRM table.
Is night spearfishing allowed in Portugal?
No. Spearfishing is allowed in daylight only, from sunrise to sunset. Using artificial light to find or attract fish is banned; a torch is for safety only.
Portugal
Spain